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The Scottish Government takes the potential impact of use of chemicals on public health and the environment very seriously. We continue to support the regulatory decisions taken to restrict the use of neonicotinoid insecticides, including thiamethoxam which is used in Cruiser SB, due to their environmental effects, particularly on bees and pollinators.

Pesticide products authorised for use in Scotland are tightly regulated and are subject to thorough analysis by the Chemicals Regulation Division of the Health and Safety Executive before authorisation to demonstrate that the product is effective and poses no unacceptable risks to people, animals or the environment.

There is no legislation that specifically prevents the installation of netting around buildings. However, Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside (Scotland) Act 1981 does make it an offence to obstruct or prevent any bird from using its nest during the nesting season and this would include the use of bird-dissuading mesh.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce standards for the use of bird-dissuading mesh.

NatureScot have published advice which outlines that all exclusion measures [including netting] must be appropriately maintained to avoid welfare issues such as entanglement: Guidance - gull management | NatureScot .

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have a leaflet on bird netting which recommends that netting is checked regularly for both trapped birds and to ensure that it is in good repair : Wild birds and netting.pdf (rspca.org.uk)

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds also recommends that exclusion nets, on both buildings and elsewhere should be checked at least daily, and any trapped birds or other wildlife should be released immediately: The use of netting to stop birds nesting - what you need to know (rspb.org.uk)

We intend to resume Tranche 1 of the Sustainability Loan Scheme in 2024-25 once we have completed the disbursement of funds for those loans already completed and confirmed a budget. This will likely not be until midway through the financial year.

Our preference remains to continue the loan scheme into Tranche 2 and beyond – however, this is dependant on whether the UK Government resumes the allocation of Financial Transaction Capital to the Scottish Government.

The development of the national pilot scheme is building on useful learning from the small scale local and regional pilots that have been delivered by third sector organisations over recent years. These projects include the Grampian Regional Equality Council Report on the free bus travel project in Aberdeen, the Travel Choices Project Report by the Refugee Survival Trust and the Friends of Scottish Settlers project in Falkirk.

Representatives of these and other Third Sector organisations are members of the Working Group and are providing valuable advice and knowledge in the development of the national pilot.

The Scottish Government’s 'Managing Deer for Climate and Nature: consultation' closed on 29 March 2024. This consultation sought views on proposed legislative changes to Scotland’s systems of deer management, including in relation to a number of recommendations made by the Deer Working Group (DWG) in their 2020 report.

The responses are currently being analysed and an update will be provided in due course.

NHS Highland was escalated to stage 2 of the NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework for their vaccination services in late 2023 and since then Scottish Government officials have been engaging closely in an improvement and assurance process which includes the Board Chief Executive and Director of Public Health. As part of this process, the Scottish Government receives a wide range of management information from NHS Highland. The best available information on comparative uptake rates of childhood immunisation through GP practice-delivered and NHS board-delivered vaccination services in Argyll and Bute was shared by NHS Highland with the chair of the GP committee in Highland on 2 July.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to modernising deer management to tackle high deer numbers, specifically in order to help us to achieve our biodiversity and carbon objectives. We continue to pursue a wide range of actions to deliver this commitment.

Bus operators use their own commercial judgement to decide on service routes, frequency and fare structure, including booking procedures. Any changes must be consistent with the processes enforced by the Traffic Commissioner.

Day to day operational activity and booking processes are the responsibility of individual bus operators in line with their conditions of carriage. The choice to offer advanced booking and charge a fee to passengers including National Entitlement cardholders is at the operator’s discretion.

Where a booking fee is charged it is not part of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme reimbursement process and the Scottish Government does not cover the cost.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. There is no requirement for those using bird-dissuading mesh to submit information on how many birds have been trapped and have died.

The scheme will build on learning from the small local and regional pilots that have been delivered by third sector organisations over recent years.

Expected learning from the scheme includes impact of providing free bus travel, demand for this concession, the cost of providing this concession, and the practicalities of delivery of such a scheme at the national level. Evidence to inform the evaluation will be collated both during and post the operation of the pilot.