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In 2015, the Scottish Government was one of the first governments to develop and adopt a National Marine Plan, which sets out the strategic framework and policies for the sustainable development of our marine resources out to 200 nautical miles.

Since 2015, there have been significant changes in Scotland – including our commitment to becoming a net zero nation by 2045, the impacts of EU exit and increased understanding of the impacts of climate change and human activity on the marine environment. The most recent statutory review of the National Marine Plan, published in 2021, suggested that while the current plan is effective, the urgent need to tackle the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, amongst other more recent factors, such as energy security, has become a core driver for a new plan.

Acknowledging the findings of this review, we have decided that now is the time to develop a new National Marine Plan. The National Marine Plan 2 (“NMP2”) will take account of the aspirations and framing set out in the recently published Blue Economy Vision, among other long-term commitments outlined in the Programme for Government and Bute House Agreement.

Developing our second National Marine Plan will be a considerable undertaking, comparable to the efforts required to develop its terrestrial equivalent, National Planning Framework 4. It will involve extensive consultation with stakeholders and a series of technical assessments, which we estimate will take in the region of three years to complete.

There will be significant choices to make as we proceed through the planning process. We want all sectors and communities to be part of developing this National Marine Plan 2, building shared objectives for the future of Scotland’s seas. In the spirit of this commitment, today we have published a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy for the development of National Marine Plan 2, which includes our statutory Statement of Public Participation. These resources outline when and how we intend to engage with the people of Scotland throughout the process and will be updated on a regular basis.

These documents and further information are available at:

• https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804358641
• National marine planning - Marine planning - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• Marine planning - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
  

We are progressing the recommendations made in the independent Deer Working Group (DWG) report , published in December 2020. The DWG report made recommendations to improve deer management and included recommendations 19-21 which propose legislative amendments to modernise the licensing of venison dealers and improve information gathering. The Scottish Government response to the DWG report is at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/news/deer-working-group-response/ .

The recommendations relating to game and venison dealer licensing are being taken forward via the legislative work stream of the Deer Management Strategic Board which has been established under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Programme. We will provide further information on timing of changes to the legislation on venison licensing in due course. We expect to consult on any proposed changes to primary legislation in the normal way.

Regular updates on all of the work from the Deer Management Strategic Board can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.scot/groups/strategic-deer-management-board/ .

The measures listed relate to Corporation Tax, which remains reserved. Policy is set by the UK Government and the tax is administered by HMRC.

The Highway Code changes which came into effect at the start of the year were supported by a nationwide multi-media campaign in February 2022. Amendments to The Highway Code are reserved to the UK Government, and DfT is responsible for marketing these changes. The Scottish Government and road safety partners across Scotland support the latest changes.

The Scottish Government was disappointed the UK Government felt unable to promote those changes ahead of 29 January, so we took the proactive decision to do so ourselves in Scotland, and Transport Scotland funded the initial campaign. The second-phase campaign, in August, focused on encouraging mutual respect between road users to help embed the changes to the Code and to deliver behaviour change. This phase was funded by DfT. Transport Scotland continues to work with partners across the UK, including DfT, to align future awareness campaigns for any further changes to the Highway Code.

Any future procurement activity undertaken by ScotRail Trains Ltd to secure new rolling stock for Scotland’s Railway will be governed by the Public Procurement Regulations, as all such procurements are.

ScotRail advise they apply the Fair Work Policy across the principles laid out in the Scottish Government’s fair work principles during any procurement process.

I refer the member to answer to question S6W-06660 on 4 March 2022. 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 number of appointments available at clinics are based on the number of staff available on a given date. For example, if there are three vaccinators available at a clinic at 9am on a specific date then 3 appointments would be available to allocate for that time slot.

In instances where staff are sick absences may occur at short notice which cannot be foreseen, and bank cover staff are not always available at short notice to replace staff. Every effort is made to ensure there is sufficient vaccinators on site, however, as appointments are created and scheduled weeks in advance therefore local issues may arise.

Greater Glasgow and Clyde has put measures in place to try and reduce wait times and queues at its clinics by ensuring appropriate measures are in place to manage queues safely and effectively. For example, advising members of the public to arrive as close to their scheduled appointment time as possible to avoid queues.

Remobilisation of Dermatology services within NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC) is continuing across all sites.

In common with many other specialties, services have experienced workforce challenges; however, the dermatology multidisciplinary team are working together to maximise service delivery.

Urgent referrals continue to be prioritised on clinical grounds, while the service is making every effort to work towards a reduction in the maximum waiting times for routine patients.

The GGC Dermatology service are also working nationally with colleagues in the Centre for Sustainable Delivery on new ways of working, with developments in the use of technology to support patient care.

The Scottish Government is clear that any member of staff in NHS Scotland with concerns about any aspect of delivering healthcare has the right to raise their concerns and to have them addressed accordingly.

The Scottish Government expects all Health Boards at a local level to ensure frontline staff from all clinical groups receive the protective equipment they require.

At a national level, where there are a range of sizing options available NHS National Services Scotland buys and makes available a wide range of PPE to ensure that there is a suitable range of items to suit the majority of needs.