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Prior to the announcement that the Fairer Workplaces Fund was closing on 21 August 2024 a total of three applications had been received.

In 2023, Scottish Forestry published refreshed guidance on Forestry Engagement and Consultation Processes, which reflects the principles of the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement and provides greater clarity on expectations, requirements and roles and responsibilities around community engagement and consultation on forestry plans and proposals.

The criteria for assessing all woodland creation schemes are set under stage 3 of this guidance and includes taking into account whether the proposal has considered all the issues raised in the consultation and made changes where appropriate.

There is no ban on woodland planting in close proximity to communities however in such cases any planting proposal would be expected to demonstrate that community feedback had been taken into account and that significant efforts made to address concerns. Communities can raise objections and where there do so there is a requirement for these to be considered and addressed.

Many rural communities exist in close proximity to forest land and forests normally deliver a range of opportunities and benefits for local people.

Scottish Government is striving to ensure that more people and communities have the opportunity to engage with our expanding forests and woodland, and that more people and communities benefit from forestry.

We want to ensure that the woodland expansion needed to tackle the twin climate and biodiversity crises takes place in a just and sustainable way, with positive impacts for everybody, including future generations to come.

The Scottish Government launched a call for applications for the What you can apply for - Pathways Fund: form and guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) between 19th July 2024 and 30th August 2024.

We welcomed bids from organisations registered in the UK, who are providing support to pre-start entrepreneurs and/or early stage businesses in Scotland.

We are currently processing the applications received and successful applicants will be announced in due course.

At the end of August 2024 Scottish Water had installed over 900 new CSO monitors, and is on track to deliver on its commitment.

The loss of agricultural land, including the cumulative loss with other recent forestry projects, is considered as part of the formal assessment of significant woodland creation applications.

An agricultural assessment is also normally carried out as part of any woodland creation application. These assessments are prepared by independent agricultural specialists and incorporate feedback with the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division.

Indicative analysis of schemes under development indicates that over 95% of planting is being proposed on LCA classes 5 and 6.

Neither Scottish Government or Scottish Forestry have had recent discussions with Scottish Woodlands regarding community opposition to the Warblaw planting scheme.

The project developer has recently been seeking feedback on their draft planting proposals and planting scheme may change in response to community views.

The Warblaw proposal is currently going through the due diligence (development) stage of the woodland creation application process. This stage is led by the landowner’s forestry agent, Scottish Woodlands. Public consultation events, focussed on this project, were held in April 2023 and August 2024.

Scottish Forestry officials attended these public consultation events, have been copied into community feedback provided to Scottish Woodlands and are aware of the concerns about the project.

Scottish Forestry hasn’t received a formal planting application. When a formal planting application is submitted Scottish Forestry will assess the proposal including carefully considering how community concerns have been addressed, and there will be a further public consultation exercise to inform this assessment.

Earlier this year I met with the UN Special Rapporteur and we welcome publication of the report.

Our strategic approach to challenge demand for prostitution and improve support for those with experience of it, published in February 2024, recognises that prostitution cannot be considered in isolation, and sets out the Scottish Government’s collective approach, working with stakeholders across the wider public and third sector.

There are no current vacancies within the Nominated Officer team and the wider Directorate of Internal Audit and Assurance can provide surge capacity when needed.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with key stakeholders involved in ScotWind projects, including a recent developer roundtable which I chaired on 13 August 2024, at which CampionWind and MarramWind were both represented. The roundtable included discussions on the need for targeted investment to ensure that the Scottish market is prepared for the pipeline of projects which will be developed through the ScotWind leasing round.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the offshore wind industry and maximising the significant opportunities to attract inward investment, generate green jobs and grow our regional and national economies. To that end, we are continuing to engage in crucial public sector and industry partnerships such as the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), and we support the industry-led Strategic Investment Model.

As an employer, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the workplace is free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation, where work related concerns, problems or issues can be raised and responded to.

Under the Scottish Government's grievance policy, line managers are expected to deal with concerns about inappropriate behaviour at an early stage and on an informal basis, where appropriate.

The number of formal complaints about bullying reported by civil servants in the Scottish Government since 2021 is provided in the following table: