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Scotland’s secure accommodation centres offer an integrated model of delivery, caring for children together in locked premises under high intensity supervision. This applies regardless of the route children have been placed there.

When a child is placed in secure care, children’s safety is to the fore. Secure care centres are highly skilled and experienced in directing and restricting the contacts that a young person can have with others.

The daily care arrangements experienced by individual children are tailored to their own risk and needs, and the safety requirements of other children. This involves risk-assessing the individual child, and then formulating a plan, based on those risks and the vulnerabilities of any others with whom they may come into contact.

The following table gives the number of homelessness applications live as at 25 December 2022, by local authority and the associated number of (a) adults and (b) children.

This is an operational matter for ScotRail, though we can advise that the Scottish Government does not support Driver Only Operation and continues to specify a requirement for a second member of staff to assist passengers on every ScotRail train.

Young people who have been supported and supervised under the children’s hearings system are not dealt with as ‘offenders’, as would be the case in the criminal justice system. There is no retributive focus for decision-makers in the children’s hearings system. Once a compulsory supervision order (CSO) has ended or been discharged, then the implementation authority has duties regarding the necessary aftercare arrangements. Section 7 of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill would, if passed, amend the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 to enable a children’s hearing on reviewing a CSO, to consider whether after the CSO is to come to an end, the child might still need supervision or guidance after the child turns 18. In that case, the relevant local authority's duty to provide the child with that supervision or guidance continues to have effect after the child turns 18 until they turn 19. 60% of over 100 respondents to the Bill consultation in 2022 supported this. By this point, there would be no compulsion or obligation to accept offers of support. Rather, the young person may benefit from, and wish, voluntary advice, guidance and assistance as they transition to adulthood.

Assessments are made at local level of the potential impacts of non-native species on adjacent or nearby habitats, through implementation of the Forestry Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (EIA), and the implementation of the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS) and associated guidance.

The EIA Regulations process ensures assessment of the potential environmental and social impact of non-native tree species seeding into other habitats. Where the new woodland proposed is adjacent to European designated site, a Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) is also required to assess potential impacts. The UKFS and associated guidance also requires appraisals to be made of the potential impact of productive woodland on neighbouring habitats, as part of both woodland creation applications and Long-Term Forest Plans.

I fully appreciate the need to get bookings released early so that businesses and individuals can plan ahead. The Scottish Government is aiming to confirm fares in the coming weeks to allow bookings to be opened beyond 31 March 2024.

All vessels authorised to operate in Scottish waters do so under the appropriate licences, and are obliged to follow Scottish domestic management rules. This includes a mandatory requirement for all vessels, including EU vessels, operating in UK waters to report any incidental injury or mortality (bycatch) of marine mammal to the Marine Management Organisation.

We take any infringements of fishing vessel licence conditions seriously, including those relating the reporting of marine mammal bycatch. We continue to remind masters of their obligation to record and report incidental mortality and serious injury (bycatch) of marine mammals in accordance with their licence condition and will investigate any reports where there is evidence which suggests this condition is not complied with.

While the management of Scottish waters is an area of devolved competency, the Scottish Government continues to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations through the delivery of the Marine Wildlife Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI) which is a joint plan for tackling bycatch across the UK with the aim of minimising, and where possible eliminating, bycatch of sensitive marine species.

Stantec's Community Needs Assessment report on transport connectivity for Cowal and Rosneath has recently been finalised and is intended for publication by Transport Scotland in the new year once its contents have been reviewed and considered.

The Scottish Government’s Home Report Review is expected later in the current parliamentary term. The review will take account of the recommendations outlined in the five-year review published in 2015 and be informed by work on wider housing considerations including Housing Standards.

Children’s Social Work Statistics data provides an annual breakdown of the number of children and young people being looked after in community and residential placement types. However, data is not currently collected on reasons for homelessness or the linkage with parental outcomes including parental imprisonment.

Table 1 shows the number of children looked after on 31 July in kinship care and foster care placement types between 2013 and 2022. Publication tables in the Children’s Social Work Statistics publication show that on 31 July 2022 a total of 12,596 children were looked after compared to 16,032 on 31 July 2013. 4,249 (34%) young people were looked after by kinship carers with a further 4,155 (33%) young people in foster care.

Of all children looked after, the proportion of children placed with kinship carers has increased from 26% in 2013 to 34% in 2022. Of all the children looked after, the proportion of children placed with foster carers has stayed the same between 2013 and 2022 (33%).