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The following tables set out the 55 new masts deployed through the Scottish 4G Infill Programme which completed in November 2023 by year and by local authority area.

Decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.

Efficient and effective dissemination of wildfire prevention information to the public is key to preventing wildfires. Before igniting any flames in a rural or outdoor setting, the SFRS encourage everyone to check which area of Scotland may be at threat of wildfires. If a threat is in place, the key prevention advice from the SFRS is that people should refrain from igniting any flames. People can check the current threat levels in their area by visiting the following SFRS website:

https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/outdoors/wildfires/wildfire-danger-assessments/

When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, the SFRS work in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum (SWF), to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing “Wildfire Danger Assessments”. SFRS issue alerts through their social media channels, their website and local media outlets, and request assistance from Local Authorities across Scotland to share safety messaging to seek engagement with as many members of public as possible. These warnings detail which areas across Scotland are most likely to be affected. The SFRS also alert the Scottish Government who pro-actively re-issue these warnings across digital and social media platforms.

We remain committed to the current regulation of short-term let accommodation. Over the last decade the sector has both grown significantly and changed in nature. That has brought economic benefits but also raised concerns about consistency of quality and the impact on neighbourhoods. The introduction of licensing brings short-term lets in line with other accommodation such as hotels and caravan parks, providing assurance to guests on safety and quality such as gas and electrical safety compliance and the suitability of hosts.

I am currently preparing an update for Parliament on the implementation of short-term let licensing. This will outline findings from our monitoring and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.

Since 2017-18 there have been substantial year on year increases in funding to support SFRS to create a modern and effective fire and rescue service. The 2024-25 budget for SFRS, at £393.3 million, is over £78m higher that the 2017-18 equivalent figure. All firefighters carry out a variety of prevention and response related roles and the Scottish Government does not allocate funding to SFRS for specific types of incidents. Decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer.

Decisions on the allocation of resources are a matter for the SFRS Board and Chief Officer. Techniques for fighting fires are an operational matter for SFRS.

CMAL has taken further advice on this question. The financial institutions providing the bank refund guarantees for the Little Minch vessels are Yapi Kredi and Halk Bank respectively.

In the financial year 2022-23 no money was awarded to local authorities for the Road Safety Improvement Fund. The proposed allocation of funding was reallocated due to the cost of living crisis and other Scottish Government pressures.

Funding for 2023-24 financial year was distributed to local authorities and the figures are as follows:

The Scottish Government is committed to the principle that local communities should be involved in the decisions about land that affect them, including those relating to forestry.

Consultations are an essential part of the decision-making process in forestry, and last year Scottish Forestry updated guidance that sets out the Engagement and Consultation Processes for forestry plans and proposals in Scotland.

Where significant harvesting plans are proposed this will normally involve two stages, firstly applicants are expected to engage with communities and neighbours, providing them with an opportunity to input `before plans have been finalised, and secondly Scottish Forestry runs a formal public consultation exercise as part of decision making process for applications involving significant tree harvesting.

As of December 2023, Scotland’s operational onshore wind capacity is around 9.5 GW. Within the project pipeline there is additional 13.9 GW of potential onshore wind capacity in Scotland. This consists of:

• 1.7 GW under construction.
• 4.8 GW awaiting construction.
• 7.4 GW in planning.

Energy Trends: UK renewables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Renewable Energy Planning Database: quarterly extract - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

A key industry commitment from the Onshore Wind Sector Deal was to publish a pipeline report on how Scotland may achieve its ambition of 20 GW of onshore wind by 2030. Scottish Renewables have committed to updating the report on a biannual basis. Scottish Onshore Wind Project Pipeline Analysis Dec 23 FULL REPORT (scottishrenewables.com)