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The Scottish Government and its agencies are considering what further internal investigations are required. Once completed this work will be shared with Audit Scotland.

All parties will cooperate fully with any further investigation by Audit Scotland.

In October 2014, CMAL initiated procurement of vessel 801 and 802. The Scottish Government was not party to the procurement process, which was managed by CMAL.

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

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 Scottish Government does not make assessments of those who are homeless.

The Scottish Government collects information from local authorities that is recorded as part of the of the homelessness application process. This data includes ethnicity and some limited information on nationality of the main applicant and partner (where applicable), which is self-reported by the homelessness applicant.

Information on the detailed categories of ethnicity/nationality that are collected are set out in section 10 of the homelessness data specification . These are grouped together for publication purposes (due to low numbers) as below:

White: Scottish,

White: Other British,

White: Irish,

White: Other,

White: Polish,

African,

Caribbean or Black,

Asian, Asian Scottish or Asian British,

Mixed or multiple ethnic groups,

Other ethnic group,

Not known or Refused.

The most recently published data can be found in the equalities tables on the supporting documents page of our annual homelessness statistics with time series starting in 2002-2003. Data is presented for the main applicant.

In September 2022, the Scottish Government, in agreement with Local Authorities, has added the following ethnicity/nationality categories to the homelessness data collection:

Ukrainian

White: Roma

White: Showman/Showwoman

This data will be included in future publications.

The Scottish Government does not hold or collect information about the availability of homeless shelter beds.

The Scottish Government established rapid rehousing welcome centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2020 as part of our commitment with partners to end the use of night shelter and dormitory-style provision. The centres provide short-term and self-contained accommodation and assist people at risk of rough sleeping to move on to more settled accommodation. The Scottish Government has provided funding towards their operation during the last two winters.

CMAL has confirmed that it is not aware of any contractual obligations that would at this time prohibit the successful handover and delivery of MV Glen Sannox and Hull 802. CMAL will only accept the vessels if they are fit for purpose.

In addition, the vessel will not be able to enter service until it has received all clearances required by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Class society approval from Lloyds Register.

The Scottish Government has regular and ongoing engagement with VisitScotland to discuss the role they play in supporting and promoting Scottish destinations, including the South of Scotland. The Scottish Government also receives weekly written updates about the work of VisitScotland.

Most recently the Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Minister Ivan McKee met with VisitScotland CEO Malcolm Roughead on 27 October. Discussion included a range of issues including updates on the delivery of local marketing campaigns, supported through the Destination and Sector Marketing fund, which are helping to reach new audiences. In the South of Scotland this includes work with organisations including South of Scotland Destination Alliance, Whithorn Trust, Ayrshire & Arran Destination Alliance, Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce, Visit East Lothian, Scotland’s Golf Coast and Dunbar Traders Association.

VisitScotland remain focused on rebuilding international demand and are working hand in hand with their partners in the tourism and events industry to rebuild this vital part of Scotland’s economy and provide the right support to lead the recovery. Their activity promotes the whole of Scotland as a destination, including regional-focused campaigns. Recent campaigns feature a significant amount of South Scotland content and cover a range of destinations. This includes promotion in PR, film content, social media, web content.

It is important to note that resilience of the Communications Sector, which includes telecommunications and internet, is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government.

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is operator-owned and the operators are entitled to replace or remove it, so long as they continue to meet their regulatory obligations.

To ensure that consumers can still make emergency calls during a power cut, Ofcom has placed regulatory obligations on telecoms providers.?

The guidance states that providers must have at least one solution (such as a battery back-up unit or means to connect to a mobile network) available that enables customers to access emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power cut, and that it must be offered free of charge to customers who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage closely with the UK Government and the regulator (Ofcom) for assurance that resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

The Scottish Government does not make assessments of those who are homeless.

The Scottish Government collects information from local authorities that is recorded as part of the homelessness application. Data is collected on gender of the main applicant and partner (if applicable), with the response options of male or female.

The most recently published data can be found in the equalities tables on the supporting documents page of our annual homelessness statistics with time series starting in 2002-2003. Data is presented for the main applicant.