Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government’s Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) attended the Home Office ESMCP Programme Board on 22 March 2023.

The Scottish Government’s woodland creation target will rise to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25, with an annual target for a minimum of 4,000 hectares of this newly created woodland to be native woodland.

Forest Research publishes official statistics for new woodland planting, which includes longer time series data. Data for the number of hectares of woodland planted in the past five years in Scotland is available here: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/

Figures for new woodland creation for the past five financial years (1 April to 31 March) are as follows:

This is a matter for the CEO of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow however the Member may wish to note that Ministers are committed to publishing the monthly progress updates on progress with the build of both vessels on the Scottish Government website .

As advised in the answer to question S6W-16147 on 11 April 2023, the Scottish Government continues to conduct the necessary and proper financial due diligence on the delivery of 801 and 802, including on the funding request submitted by Ferguson Marine in September 2022 and following the revised delivery schedule submitted by Ferguson Marine in March 2023.

Ministers will update Parliament once this process has concluded.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15997 on 25 March 2023. 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

The Scottish Government continues to conduct the necessary and proper financial due diligence on the delivery of 801 and 802, including on the funding request submitted by Ferguson Marine in September 2022 and following the revised delivery schedule submitted by Ferguson Marine in March 2023.

Ministers will update Parliament once this process has concluded.

Library policy is devolved to local authorities, who have a statutory duty to ensure there is adequate provision of library services for their residents.

Scottish Government officials work closely with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), which provides leadership and advice to Scottish Ministers, local authorities, and the wider libraries sector. SLIC is in ongoing conversations with Aberdeen Council on this issue.

Any decision around public libraries must be considered extremely carefully and we would encourage local authorities to work in partnership with communities to explore ways of delivering services, based on need.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to tackling serious and organised crime and strongly condemns the illegal practice of ‘cuckooing’ and the subsequent misery it causes victims.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the operational intelligence on incidents involving cuckooing. This information should be requested from Police Scotland directly.

The Scottish Government is working with partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce to disrupt cuckooing and County Lines networks.

The total number of children who have participated in NHS GDS has increased by 17.6%, from 693,307 in 2007 to 815,317 in 2019.

However, the participation rate is the proportion of the registered population who have seen a dentist in the last two years. The participation rate is therefore also influenced by the number of people who are registered for NHS dental services. The number of children that were registered for NHS dental services between 2007 and 2019 has increased by 35.4%

CalMac are focussing their efforts on the Ar Turas Go-Live event. However, TS officials have had an initial meeting with CalMac to investigate potential options for eBooking of multi-journey tickets. This is at an early stage. It is important to note the wider benefits that the Ar Turas System will bring for both customers and staff.

Wider fares policy will be considered as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan and future fares options will be considered through that process.