Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government has not allocated seed funding for the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF) within the 2026–27 Scottish Budget as development of a comprehensive suite of compensatory measures to be used by the MRF has to be completed first. This work is progressing at pace and includes the advancement of wider and more strategic measures enabled by the Conservation of Habitats and Species (Offshore Wind) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland) Regulations 2026, which will come into force on 25 May 2026.

The policy and legislative developments enabled by these regulations will directly inform future decision-making on budgetary provision to seed fund measures, operate the Scottish MRF, and set the charging structure developers will use to apply to the fund.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-44340 on 19 March 2026, S6W-44341on 24 March 2026 and S6W-44342 on 19 March 2026. 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 scheduling and management of cases is a matter for the Chamber and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

There are multiple factors which can impact the timescales for cases to be heard, such as the volume and complexity of legal issues or evidence to be considered.

The Scottish Government understands that the Housing and Property Chamber is receiving a high volume of applications and correspondence which is resulting in longer than usual waiting times.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service in respect of wait times generally but cannot impinge on the independence of the Tribunal.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a snapshot of the Scottish housing stock in each survey year including the construction age and built form of Scottish domestic buildings. Within this it records if a dwelling has the presence of full or partial central heating. The percentage and total number of dwellings without full or partial central heating, broken down by age band of occupants, from the 2024 SHCS, is presented in table 1.

Table 1: Number, and percentage of, dwelling without full or partial central heating broken down by occupant age band, 2024

The Scottish Government recognises the urgency of establishing a Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF). We are actively prioritising its delivery, and the completion of relevant policy development and due diligence, to ensure establishment can happen at the earliest practicable opportunity after the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

The Scottish Government continues to engage closely with Scottish offshore wind developers, and pending the launch of the Scottish MRF, we have emphasised the importance of developers continuing to undertake the necessary work to identify project-level compensatory measures.

The Scottish Government is working at pace to secure delegated functions from the UK Government to operate the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), reflecting the UK Government’s reserved competence in this area.

In parallel, development of the fund’s financial and operational models is progressing, building on the high-level principles consulted on in 2025 to inform the final policy design.

The operational model for the MRF is complex, and work is ongoing both internally and with the UK Government to develop a compliant mechanism that will give full effect to the intentions of the Energy Act.

The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 requires Scottish Ministers and listed authorities, as set out within the Act, to promote, and facilitate the promotion of, use and understanding of BSL within their services and functions. The BSL National Plan 2023-29 makes clear that for public services to be truly accessible for BSL users, there should be awareness around the culture of BSL and enabling people to access services using their own language. Actions within the plan support the delivery of this ambition. It is the responsibility of listed authorities under the Act who deliver services to make sure these are accessible to BSL users in line with their legal duties.

The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function over BSL local plans under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015. We fund British Deaf Association (BDA) Scotland and the Health and Social Care ALLIANCE Scotland (the ALLIANCE) to support listed authorities in the delivery and monitoring of local plans. BDA provide that vital community engagement and lived experience expertise to local plans, whereas the ALLIANCE operate a BSL network for listed authority for sharing best practice and working together towards solutions. This approach gathers data and intelligence on how outcomes are being delivered in practice.

The Scottish Government funds solar PV through schemes which are aimed at supporting those on lower incomes to reduce fuel poverty. We helped thousands of households to benefit from free electricity last year as part of our Area Based Schemes and national Warmer Homes Scotland scheme.

The Scottish Government does not have a regulatory function under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, nor does the Act have provisions in place specifically in relation to safeguarding. BSL local plans are the responsibility of listed authorities as designated under the Act. All organisations in Scotland must consider their legal obligations in relation to safeguarding or access risks when designing, implementing or making changes to their services.