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The following tables set out how many Beaver licences were issued in the last five years; broken down by the (a) year issued, (b) category of the licence and (c) duration of the licence:

The information that has been requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is committed to working collaboratively with partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to reduce the significant harm caused by the illicit drugs trade to communities across Scotland.

We are also rolling out the Medication Assisted Treatment standards, which is a key component of our National Mission to reduce drug deaths and harm. These set out what people should expect from services, improvements to accessing services, choices of treatment options and wrap-around support for the people most at risk from drug harm and drug-related death.

Transport Scotland’s Operating Company for the A83, BEAR Scotland, has recently carried out surveys on the road during very heavy rain conditions. During the severe weather event of 6th to 8th of October 2023, both Council maintained and Trunk roads were affected by landslides as well as localised flooding however there is no evidence to suggest the A83 is regularly restricted to single file traffic for any significant lengths of time. BEAR Scotland will continue to manage and maintain the A83 in accordance with Transport Scotland’s robust maintenance contracts.

This section of the A83, in common with the rest of the trunk road network, is subject to a variety of inspections and surveys. Weekly safety inspections are carried out to identify defects that represent an immediate hazard, which are then required to be repaired within specified timescales.

In some cases where no designed drainage system exists this will be considered as an improvement or vulnerable location scheme and prioritised accordingly. Interventions may include enhanced management and maintenance to physical intervention being carried out when funding is approved by Transport Scotland.

Cyclic maintenance is also undertaken annually to ensure that all drainage assets on the trunk road are clean and functioning to their maximum capacity. This includes cleaning gullies and manholes, re-cutting grips and jetting piped grips annually and harrowing filter drain material every three years.

The Isle of Skye remains one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations. The increase in traffic over the Skye Bridge, which is part of the A87 trunk road, is reflective of its continuing popularity and as a route for those travelling to the Western Isles and to the Island of Raasay by ferry.

This government recognises that increased traffic also creates challenges. That is why, along with maintaining and ensuring resilience of the trunk road, we are upgrading the A87/A855 junction in Portree. This aims to improve safety for all road users, with work due to commence in this financial year. More widely we are investing approximately £4.65 million in 2023-24 on maintaining the A87 trunk road, which includes the section from the Skye Bridge to the port of Uig.

Longer term, the second Strategic Transport Projects Review recommends that investment on the A87 and wider trunk road network is targeted at maintaining a network of roads which are safe, resilient and adapted to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Improvement to local roads and transport infrastructure remain the responsibility of the Highland Council.

Ministers are very clear about the importance of supporting ferry services, including those that link Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan.

The Gourock Dunoon Kilcreggan Infrastructure and Vessels Programme is complex and work is underway to develop resilient vessel and port design options. This work is linked to the wider Islands Connectivity Plan, which will set out a long-term investment programme for vessels and ports across our ferry network. Any investment in new vessels and infrastructure will be subject to consideration of a business case considering value for money and affordability.

The UK Government notified its intention to ratify the UNESCO convention for safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage on 23 December 2023. The Scottish Government will work with the other UK nations alongside key Scottish stakeholders to consider the most appropriate methods of implementing the convention once ratified.

The Scottish Government is unaware of any cases of cultural, arts or heritage organisations which have agreed Intangible Cultural Heritage principles and then not abided by them.

The Scottish Government Office in Copenhagen has operated with 3 members of staff since its established in 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24280 on 31 January 2024. 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 .

It is not possible to provide an accurate cost for the Berlin office launch event, as the majority of costs were met by FCDO and recharged to the Scottish Government; these costs cannot now be disaggregated from other sums recharged at the time associated with establishing the office.