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The funding awarded through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) over the last five years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24 by local authority area, is detailed in the following table. This table excludes projects that were subsequently withdrawn by local authorities.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) training procedures are an operational matter for the service to consider. SFRS consults both internal and external subject matter experts to ensure that all latest technologies, developments, lessons learned, and health and safety events are captured to ensure firefighter and public safety.

HM Treasury’s costing for the NHS productivity plan shows funding starting in 2025-26. Therefore no consequentials are expected in 2024-25 in relation to the plan, and the position is only expected to become clear at the next UK spending review.

The Health consequentials of £237 million for 2024-25 arising from the Chancellor’s Spring Statement are less than the £470 million in-year Health funding received for 2023-24 and less than is needed given the pressures faced.

While we are considering the outcome of the UK budget and what it means for NHS Scotland we are committed to passing on frontline health consequentials and have indeed gone further than consequentials in our investment in this budget.

Having regard to the development plan the reporter considered that the determining issues in this appeal were the principle of the development and its potential benefits, including renewable electricity generation; landscape and visual impact and ecological impacts.

The reporter took account of all submissions made on this appeal which included extensive environmental information containing an informal environmental report, landscape and visual impact assessment, extended vegetation survey, hydrological assessment, preliminary ecological appraisal, transport and access statement and a heritage impact assessment.

The reporter concluded the proposal would make a modest but worthwhile contribution towards the achievement of renewable energy generation targets and whilst the proposal would have some negative effects, the reporter found these impacts to be localised in nature, are capable of some mitigation and are outweighed by the benefits of the development.

The reporter takes account of all the evidence submitted by parties involved including those views expressed by consultees and members of the local community.

The reporter concluded that the proposed development accorded with the development plan with regard to ecological and landscape and visual impacts.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

By adopting a person-centred approach, SPS aims to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone in our care.

The placing of transgender individuals is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the persons individual circumstances, including an assessment of individual risk and need.

No transgender woman with violence against women and girls’ markers who presents a risk to women and girls will be admitted to or placed in the women’s estate.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

As defined in the Gender Recognition Act 2004, SPS cannot legally ask an individual to declare a Gender Recognition Certificate, however, SPS will record this information when an individual in our care choses to share this with us. At present, there are less than 5 individuals in custody who have chosen to share this information with SPS.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25567 on 15 March 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 .

There are a total of 30 current projects supported by regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and 15 current projects supported by Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) being delivered over the course of 2023/24 and 2024/25 with grant expenditure anticipated in these two financial years.

Due to the nature of the delivery of capital projects grant profiles can change depending on the progress of the project and we continually work with local authorities to monitor draw down requirements. Final year end grant claims will continue to be submitted over the course of March and early April. This means we cannot confirm the final grant profile for 2024-25 at this time. However information on the current projects supported and the total grant awarded are provided in the following tables:

The Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme has not supported any projects within the Cowdenbeath constituency since its launch in 2021. However it has supported one project in the Fife local authority area, the Ravenscraig Skills Hub, with nearly £500k investment.

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund is delivered through a two-stage application and assessment process for each funding round. All applications are assessed by the independent Regeneration Capital Grant Fund Investment Panel against the fund’s criteria set jointly with COSLA. Only those applications assessed as successful by the panel at stage 1 are invited to submit a full stage 2 application. The panel makes final recommendations to the Scottish Government and COSLA on stage 2 applications to be funded.