Seòmar agus comataidhean

In the current parliamentary session, the Scottish Government, acting in its capacity as Accountable Officer for the wider City and Regional Growth Deal programme has provided £695 million in funding to date (by end of Q4 2024-25) to Regional Partners. It is currently forecast that over £200 million of further funding will be drawn down, resulting in over £895 million of grant funding awarded by the end of the parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to update the Scottish seabird sensitivity map. The Scottish seabird sensitivity map was last published in August 2024 following updates in over 2021-2023. There are various streams of work underway through the Scottish Marine Energy Research Programme (ScotMER) that will improve relevant parameters including seabird distributions, population trends and collision risk, required to update the tool. Once this work is completed, we may revisit and update the seabird sensitivity map.

The mitigation of bird strikes at onshore wind farms is decided on a case-by-case basis. Any mitigation measures provided in the development's application documentation, specifically the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), is subject to statutory and other relevant consultees analysing the data and providing their technical expertise. If necessary, consultees will request additional ecological, ornithological and environmental data and information that will inform any decisions on mitigations.

Scottish Government has not funded any projects into technical or operational measures to reduce bird collisions since 2020. Since 2020 Scottish Government has focussed on improving the evidence base on bird collision risk by funding research on establishing seabird flight heights and the quantification of potential collisions of seabirds with wind-turbine blades through modelling.

In respect of offshore wind farms, six reports have been submitted to the Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team. Reports consider the distribution and abundance of seabirds around wind farms or protected sites and what this may mean in terms of their displacement from wind farm areas, with some reports discussing implications for collision avoidance rates used in modelling.

All information related to determinations made by Scottish Ministers in respect of onshore wind farm developments, which may include conditions such as post-construction ornithological monitoring, is publicly available on our Energy Consents website: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx.

The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the use of emergency beds for 2023 and 2024 can be found in Table 2 of the Children's Social Work Statistics: Secure Care 2023-24.

In December 2024, the Care Inspectorate published a protocol and procedures for secure accommodation services on the use of registered emergency beds. (Secure Emergency Bedroom Protocol November 2024.pdf).

In line with the Scottish Government’s policy, Scottish Enterprise does not provide support for the manufacture of munitions.

The responsibility for issuing export licenses sits with the UK Government.

The Scottish retained Regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species requires that Scottish Ministers undertake a comprehensive review of the Scottish list of species of special concern before 2 August 2028 and within every six year period thereafter. The first comprehensive review of the Scottish list of species of special concern was completed in April 2022 and the next comprehensive review is due to be completed by August 2028.

Work is underway on reviewing and updating the GB and Scottish lists of species of special concern which are currently identical. While there is no confirmed timeline for the remaining stages of the listing process, this work will be completed as soon as is practicable.

There are multiple routes by which a child may be referred to secure accommodation. The head of each centre retains discretion over whether or not to accept any individual child’s placement.

If a placement is required, and secure accommodation capacity is reached, then all appropriate and safe alternatives will be considered by the relevant decision makers. They will ensure that the bests interests of each child are prioritised and that any risks are managed appropriately to protect each child and the community. The Scottish Government will assist in every appropriate way.

Where a children’s hearing includes a secure accommodation authorisation in their decision, the hearing also needs to decide where a child is to be placed if, for any reason, their secure authorisation cannot be implemented. This may be because of the professional judgement of the chief social work officer or the head of the relevant secure centre, or for other reasons.

An alternative to secure care should therefore have been prepared by the local authority and authorised by the hearing. This position, and its requirements, are unaffected by questions of capacity.

Where a child is remanded by the court to the care of the local authority and a secure place is not available, an alternative place of safety must be identified until a bed becomes available.

Refreshed guidance on community alternatives to the deprivation of liberty for children was published in March. This guidance highlights the importance of exploring alternatives that prioritise children’s rights and welfare, ensuring that secure accommodation is only ever used when absolutely necessary.

Recognising the complexities and demands and pressures this can bring to bear for professionals. The Scottish Government have agreed to fund a dedicated professional secure care lead at Social Work Scotland for the next 12 months.

In line with the Scottish Government’s policy, Scottish Enterprise does not provide support for the manufacture of munitions.

The responsibility for issuing export licenses sits with the UK Government.