Seòmar agus comataidhean

There is no need to calculate additional costs as Serco Northlink Ferries will transport passengers’ cars on a corresponding freight sailing at no extra cost.

The Scottish Government is aware of the changes introduced by the Scottish SPCA in respect to how it deals with the euthanasia of wild animals. The Society has assured the Scottish Government that it is taking every step to ensure that animal welfare is not compromised by its recent decision and that its National Wildlife Rescue Centre is operating normally and continues to receive animals in need of care.

The SG has no plans to bring forward a moratorium on gamebird and Mallard releases in 2025.

Where release of gamebirds may adversely affect the natural features of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (and so is listed as an Operation Requiring Consent), the owners or the occupiers of the site must apply for consent from NatureScot. NatureScot can then give consent with or without conditions, refuse, modify or withdraw a consent as appropriate. The prevalence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the local area can be a reason for consent to be withheld/withdrawn.

Due to the frequency of wild bird findings in the current outbreak season, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has been in place in Scotland (and across GB) since January 2025 to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry (which includes gamebirds) and other captive birds. This introduced a legal requirement for all bird keepers, including gamekeepers, to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian flu and protect the environment from onward spread.

The measures also include a requirement that that birds taken from the wild for the purpose of restocking supplies of game must not be moved from the premises into which they are taken until a period of 21 days from the date of taking of the last bird has elapsed, unless the movement is direct and licensed by a veterinary inspector or by an inspector under the direction of a veterinary inspector.

It is a legal requirement for suspicion of a notifiable avian disease to be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

The Scottish Government welcomes the recommendation made by the UK National Screening Committee in June 2025 that evidence supports offering HPV self-sampling to individuals who have not attended their cervical screening appointment within six months of their most recent invitation. Self-sampling has the potential to significantly enhance accessibility and increase participation in life-saving cervical screening.

The cervical screening programme in Scotland is working towards offering the first self-sampling kits by spring 2026. The initial roll out will focus on reducing inequalities through offering self-sampling to some of the most deprived areas first, as we know cervical screening uptake is lower in these areas.

We are committed to developing Just Transition Plans that provide certainty for workers and communities. To that end, we published our draft Transport Just Transition Plan in February, our Grangemouth Just Transition Plan in June, and we intend to publish the consultation on our Land Use and Agriculture plan later this summer.

The judgements and issues we are considering will be informed and influenced by recent developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and court decisions. We are taking time and care to analyse the impact of these developments on Scotland. Our just transition planning to date will also be reflected in the next Climate Change Plan, which will be published in draft form later this year.

The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with the DVSA about the expansion of locations offered by the Scottish Driving Assessment Service.

The Scottish Driving Assessment Service is a matter for NHS Boards, and is hosted by NHS Lothian on behalf of NHS Scotland. The service is free for users and is currently funded through contributions from NHS Boards to NHS Lothian.

The NHS Directors of Planning Group has agreed to oversee a review of the Scottish Driving Assessment Service (SDAS) and present a paper to the NHS Boards Chief Executives group. A Working Group will oversee a detailed scoping exercise to understand the demand for driving assessment in Scotland, and how this is currently being met.

It is proposed that the review will conclude with an Option Appraisal, supported by NHS Ayrshire and Arran, enabling stakeholders from throughout Scotland to discuss and appraise potential future service delivery models for driving assessment in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and the review is expected to conclude in late 2025.

Scottish Government Officials have held 2 stakeholder meetings including representatives from the NHS Boards to discuss access for patients in Scotland to Proton Beam Therapy clinical trials delivered at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust Proton Beam Therapy Centre in Manchester.

These meetings took place on 23 January 2025 and 23 April 2025. In addition officials have held numerous calls with individual stakeholders.

The Chief Scientist Office Excess Treatment Cost (ETC) budget for each of the last 5 Financial Years is as follows:

Financial YearETC Budget

2020-2021 £450,000

2021-2022 £450,000

2022-2023 £450,000

2023-2024 £450,000

2024-2025 £900,000

Guidance on the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in the UK Government’s ETSU-R-97 guidance. The UK Government is currently consulting on an update which aims to bring the guidance in line with available evidence on turbine noise emissions, developments in turbine technology, and wind turbine noise assessment methodologies. The UK Government intends to issue a formal response to the consultation in Autumn 2025, and has advised that the current guidance remains suitable for assessing wind turbine noise in the meantime.

The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including from noise, are addressed. Having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and we have no current plans to amend NPF4.

Small farms and crofts are vital for delivering on the Vision for Agriculture and the plans and audits that make up the Whole Farm Plan will provide value to all businesses, regardless of scale.

In this first year, we only expect farmers and crofters to undertake two of the up to five relevant requirements. Further, to avoid duplication we welcome equivalences such as the QMS animal health and welfare plan that so many of our producers already have. Guidance was co-developed with industry on the range of free online tools that are available and the more direct support that is offered through our Preparing for Sustainable Farming scheme.

The plans and audits that make up the Whole Farm Plan are suitable for every farmer and crofter in Scotland, regardless of geographical location or size. They will encourage farmers and crofters to review their business practices and help identify areas for improvement in terms of resource efficiency. This may result in increased productivity and/or profitability. Additionally, if a business decides to implement changes to deliver these improvements, the plan and audits will give them the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of these improvements.

Supply chains are asking more of our producers and expecting produce with positive impact for nature and climate. It is right that we effectively support our farmers and crofters on this journey.

The requirements for the Whole Farm Plan apply to all claimants of BPS and do not specifically identify islands. However, extensive stakeholder engagement has been carried out to ensure that the Whole Farm Plan requirements are proportionate for crofting businesses and small farms. The Scottish Crofting Federation were content that the requirement for two plans in audits in 2025 was achievable by their members, particularly as there are no financial implications in 2025 if businesses do not achieve this.

Additionally, The Scottish Crofting Federation were part of The Whole Farm Plan Steering Group, which was established by the Cabinet Secretary.

I welcome this contribution from Katrina Coutts. We will continue to work with our partners in the industry to ensure their insight and expertise informs as to how we will best deliver our Vision.

I would note that our approach of co-development, of listening to the needs of our crofters in particular, is why we have prioritised their asks in our capital grant scheme and we have recently announced a derogation for small herds in the Suckler Beef Scheme.