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The Government is open to giving local authorities the power to introduce a cruise ship levy. We will therefore be engaging with local authorities, the cruise ship industry, and others over the coming months to explore this issue further and develop more detailed proposals. We plan to launch a public consultation on a potential cruise ship levy before the end of the year.

Staff rotas and timetabling planning are operational matters for ScotRail. After coming into public ownership ScotRail was required to increase the number of Train Drivers to a level which would facilitate a reduction to reliance on staff working rest days and overtime.

The Scottish Government has funded the subsidy required to cover the net cost of ScotRail’s operations, including staffing.

ScotRail informs that its planning to recruit 160 train drivers each year from 2024-25 going forward.

The Scottish Government continue to work at pace with COSLA to develop a Fiscal Framework underpinned by an Accountability and Assurance Framework. The concept of a power of general competence for local government is a consideration in those discussions.

This work is being supported by working groups consisting of Scottish Government officials, COSLA officers and representatives of CIPFA Directors of Finance and SOLACE.

We continue to consider the recommendations made by the UK Government's Animal Welfare Committee although do not have a timescale for completing our review. However, we are continuing to work with the industry to find ways of improving and safeguarding the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter.

The Scottish Government is committed to the highest possible animal welfare standards, and improving aquaculture health and welfare is one of the main priorities embedded within our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture.

Scottish Government funding has been provided to improve the resilience and sustainability of Hospital at Home services for older people in Scotland. Distribution of funds is decided in collaboration between Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. NHS Fife received £18,100.56 which was the full amount of funding requested.

There is currently no direct funding available to egg producers in Scotland. Pressures on the Scottish budget, brought about by global inflationary trends and exacerbated by the previous UK Government’s decisions means that we are unable to commit to possible future support at this time.

The Scottish Government remains committed to improving the health and welfare of all animals in Scotland and that is why we recently met our 2023-2024 Programme for Government to consult on proposals to phase out the use of cages for laying hens, and published a call for evidence for phasing out the use of cages for gamebirds and quail. We will continue to engage with the industry and stakeholders before making any decisions on how to proceed in order to maintain egg production in Scotland while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare.

On 15 August 2024, we published the Summary of Responses to Investing in Planning - a consultation on resourcing Scotland’s planning system, which ran from 28 February 2024 to 31 May 2024.

We received 140 responses from a range of stakeholders, including industry bodies, and have published responses where consent has been given to do so. A full breakdown of respondents can be found in the Summary of Responses at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836016328 .

I will set out the next steps on improvements to the planning system when the Scottish Parliament returns after recess.

Health Boards are autonomous institutions and as such, are responsible for their own recruitment activity taking into account, retention, absence rates and budgets when making decisions.

Scottish Government officials have however been engaging with Health Boards about their current position in relation to job offers and supply, with Boards remaining committed to maximising the opportunities for newly qualified nurses to find employment and reduce vacancies across nursing.

No additional funding has been confirmed as part of the Chancellor’s statement, with the consequential position, as per normal practice, confirmed as part of the Supplementary Estimates process in January/February 2025.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK Government to seek clarity on changes that have an impact on funding.

Information on future year funding will be outlined as part of the UK Government Spending Review, the first two years of which will be published alongside the Autumn Statement on the 30th of October.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy has regular meetings with SEPA which cover a wide range of topics related to SEPA functions. Most recently, Miri McAllan MSP met SEPA Chair, Lisa Tennant and Nicole Paterson, Chief Executive Officer on 13 June 2024.