Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-02027 and S6W-02030 on 26 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government’s air quality grant scheme supports local authorities to deliver any measure that could be included in a local authority air quality action plan. Local authorities seeking financial support to use the Place Standard Tool with an air quality focus, can apply for funding under this grant scheme. All applications will be carefully assessed, both within the Scottish Government and independently, for feasibility, cost effectiveness, value for money, potential effects on local air quality/noise and interrelationships with other measures in the action plan.

Reviewing and assessing air quality in the vicinity of schools is the responsibility of the relevant local authorities and can take a variety of forms. The Scottish Government is supportive of such monitoring from a data acquisition perspective, the valuable educational role it can play for pupils and also for awareness-raising in wider citizen science and community engagement projects.

In Chapters 4 and 5 of the recently published strategy ‘Cleaner Air for Scotland – Creating a Better Place for Everyone’, the Scottish Government has outlined its intentions for both air quality data collection and use, and public engagement and behaviour change. Further consideration of the role air quality monitoring near schools can play will be part of these proposals.

SEPA's cyber-attack will not affect SEPA’s ability to deliver the CAFS2 actions assigned to them.

In recognition of delays in the negotiation of a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework and associated targets as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government published a high-level Statement of Intent on biodiversity in December 2020. This statement signalled our ambitions for tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and included a commitment to publish a new biodiversity strategy within a year of CoP15. That is now scheduled to take place in October 2021 in Kunming, China. The strategy will take account of the Dasgupta review alongside a range of other evidence, as well as the new global biodiversity framework, goals and targets and also the emerging EU biodiversity strategy.

The Statement of Intent can be read in full at: www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-post-2020-statement-intent/pages/1/ .

The aim that 21% of Scotland will be afforested by 2032 was informed by the targets for woodland creation set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan 2018-32. The Plan is informed by the legislative targets set out in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government, in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU.

Prestwick Airport continues to develop as a specialist airport, carving a niche in a very competitive aviation market. It is for the airport’s management team to consider all potential business opportunities to maximise the use of the assets of the airport and build on the progress which has already been made.

The Scotland Act 1998 requires the Standing Orders of the Scottish Parliament to include provision that if a Bill in the Scottish Parliament contains provisions which would, if it were a Bill in the UK Parliament, require the consent of the Queen, Crown consent is required.

Rule 9.11 of the Scottish Parliament’s Standing Orders therefore stipulates that if a Bill requires Crown consent, the Parliament cannot debate whether a Bill should be passed unless Crown consent is signified by a member of the Scottish Government. In most cases, where Crown Consent is required and as has been the case since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Crown consent is sought and obtained by the Government shortly before Stage 3 proceedings. On occasion, it may be obtained prior to Stage 1 when the matter is central to the Bill in question.

Members have – and have always had – the opportunity to raise questions as to whether and why Crown consent is required for a particular Bill during its parliamentary passage. Information about the number of times Crown consent has been sought and obtained, and for which Bills, is already available through the Parliament's Official Reports.

In line with the Scottish Government's commitment to transparency we will explore options to provide Parliament with further information about the application of Crown consent in relation to future Bills.

The Parliament’s Standing Orders are required, in accordance with the Scotland Act 1998, to set out that should provisions within a Bill require the Queen’s consent if the Bill were an Act of the United Kingdom Parliament, the Bill requires Crown consent. This means that since the establishment of Scottish Parliament in 1999 the interests that determine this matter in the UK Parliament affect the application of Crown consent in the Scottish Parliament. Guidance prepared by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for the United Kingdom Government – Queen's or Prince's Consent – explains details of these interests and is taken into account by the Scottish Government. This guidance is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/queens-or-princes-consent

The Scottish Parliament's guidance on Public Bills, available on its website, also outlines the interests that would determine the requirement for Crown Consent, notably at paragraphs 2.51-2.54: https://archive2021.parliament.scot/S5ChamberOffice/GuidanceonPublicBills_S5v2_FINAL.pdf

No guidance has been received from representatives of the Crown on the issue of Crown consent.

The PAVR fund has provided much-needed support to a range of performing arts venues to help address the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on operations. In August 2020, 20 venues across Scotland were awarded a total of £7.5 million through the first round of the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund (PAVR). In total, over £20 million has been awarded to performing arts venues through the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund through multiple funding rounds.

The recipients of the first round of PAVR funding can be found here, broken down by (a) venue and (b) amount received: Emergency Scottish Government relief funds support performing arts venues | Creative Scotland

A further 59 performing arts venues received funding, totalling £4.74 million, later in September, and these details can be found here: Emergency funds continuing to reach performing arts venues | Creative Scotland

A total of 53 performing arts venues have received a total of £8.56 million from a second round of PAVR in August 2021. A full list of recipients for the second round of PAVR funding can be found here, broken down by (a) venue and (b) amount received: Further £17million emergency funding reaches Culture Organisations and Performing Arts Venues | Creative Scotland