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Further functionality will be determined by user need coming from both the citizens and the services that use it.

The ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is a crucial part of delivering Scotland’s net zero ambitions and in line with Committee for Climate Change advice. It will come into force on 31 December this year.

While significant efforts and investment have been made by local authorities and commercial waste operators to prepare for the ban, due to a temporary shortfall of energy from waste capacity in Scotland, some parts of the waste sector identified challenges in fully complying with the upcoming ban.

Taking account of these challenges, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency published a Regulatory Position Statement on 29 October outlining its approach to enforcing the ban.

The Scottish Government recognises the findings of the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, including its determination that in the short-term incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy.

The Scottish Government is committed to limiting EfW capacity, as part of our transition to a circular economy. Our National Planning Framework 4 makes it clear that development proposals for new EfW facilities will not be supported except under limited circumstances, and there have been no planning applications for new EfW developments since 2023.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-42039 and S6W-42047 on 1 December 2025.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that children and young people in Scotland are safe and supported in their online lives. We recognise the significant risks posed by harmful online content and the importance of robust regulation to protect children from exploitation, abuse, and exposure to inappropriate material.

We also recognise that real progress can only be achieved through partnership working, bringing together the knowledge, skills and expertise required to prevent and reduce the effects of online harm, informed by lived experience.

To help prevent violence, including online, and reduce its harm, the Scottish Government supports the work of multiple cross sector partnerships with justice, education, health and across communities. This includes the work of the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit, Medics Against Violence and Youthlink Scotland, who have collaborated to create a Quit Fighting for Likes campaign to support front line practitioners working with young people, to encourage conversations about their online experiences, including discussions on the impact of filming and sharing harmful violent content online.

In 2024, the Scottish Government established the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group - gov.scot, which comprises of operational partners, including Police Scotland, and other expert stakeholders from the statutory, third-sector, academic and service delivery organisations, to review current actions and agree where additional focus is needed to better protect children from abuse and exploitation, including online-enabled harm. This group’s overarching priority is prevention and will work together to identify priorities and actions to more effectively prevent, disrupt and provide support to victims of child sexual abuse and their families, including those facing online harms.

In January 2025, I announced the establishment of an Online Safety Taskforce to strengthen our approach to keeping children safe online, providing oversight and direction to work being undertaken across Scottish Government, and identifying what more can be done to protect children and young people. A responsibility that I and the Minister for Victims and Community Safety as Ministerial leads take very seriously.

The Taskforce is currently considering how engagement on the government’s overarching approach to online harm can be enhanced further to support a more joined up dialogue with stakeholders including the third sector and those with lived experience.

We are analysing the output from the consultation on the next NIFS contract and will publish this in due course, including the responses in relation to fares, which will help inform future fares policy.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service does not record instances of drug misuse. Included in the following table are incidents of Drug Possession:

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The healthcare provisions within Scottish Prisons have been the responsibility of NHS since 2011, this includes but is not limited to, the delivery of Alcohol and Drug services and all clinical assessments used to develop individual care plans or referrals. SPS are therefore unable to provide the information required.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-36643 on 2 May 2025 for further information on Scottish Water’s investment strategy.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36263 on 22 April 2025. 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 do not hold the information being requested. Building owners or those responsible for its management have the responsibility for maintenance and repair, including as a consequence of storm damage.