Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Discussion Document (2018) was prepared by Crown Estate Scotland, who also administered the engagement process and review of responses. The Scottish Government was provided with a summary of responses but do not hold information on individual responses. As per S6W-08311 on 16 May 2022, the Crown Estate Sponsor Team did not provide any comment on the topic of option fee agreements in this early engagement document.

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

Decisions about the use of particular literacy resources and programmes are informed by purpose, context and the specific needs of learners. Consequently, such decisions are taken at a local level by schools and teachers themselves.

Education Scotland offers support to practitioners through online platforms such as the Glow based National Literacy Professional Learning Community.

Under the terms of the framework agreement with Scottish Government and Crown Estate Scotland (CES), CES are required to obtain approval from the Crown Estate Sponsor Team, within Scottish Government, for any “novel, contentious or repercussive proposals.” Scotwind, being the first offshore wind leasing process in Scotland for ten years and the first run by CES, was classed as novel and the Sponsor Team were notified of the Discussion Document. No comments on the fee or “applicant valuation” were provided. A summary of the responses received by CES was published on crownestatescotland.com

The Scottish education system is set up in such a way that decision making is devolved to the most appropriate level, enabling local education authorities to make choices that meet their local circumstances and needs. As a result schools, supported by their local authority, plan the reading curriculum to meet the needs of the learners within their own local context.

Access to literacy specific research is available through the National Literacy Professional Learning Community on Glow.

The Scottish Government recognises that physical bank branches provide an important service for many individuals and businesses across Scotland. The closing of branches in Scotland raises concerns around access to cash and banking services - particularly for rural communities, vulnerable individuals and digitally excluded customers

I engage regularly with the banking sector through bilateral ministerial meetings and the Financial Services Growth and Development Board, engagements in which concerns around the ability for consumers to access cash and banking services are raised. Following the Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) announcement in March to shut 19 Bank of Scotland branches, I met with LBG representatives to discuss their decision and Governments concerns on the potential impacts on affected communities.

The responsibility for the regulation of the financial services industry is reserved to the UK Government and Scottish Ministers are unable to intervene in the commercial decisions made by banks. HM Treasury announced their intention last year to legislate on “access to cash” and in the Queen’s Speech on 10 May 2022, “ensuring continued access to cash across the UK” is referenced as an intended outcome of the Financial Services and Markets Bill.

The Scottish Government is ready to work constructively with the UK Government on this matter to ensure that Scotland’s communities have fair access to convenient, local cash and banking services.

The Scottish Government is taking a range of action to ensure that we minimise the blight of litter on communities. We recently consulted on proposals for our new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, including measures to strengthen enforcement measures, including raising fixed penalties, improve data collection, support private landowners and promote responsible behaviours. We will publish the final Strategy later this year, taking account of consultation responses. The Strategy is being developed in partnership with Zero Waste Scotland, Keep Scotland Beautiful and SEPA, and we are actively engaging with stakeholders throughout this process.

Local authorities are responsible for, and best placed to make decisions on the prioritisation of, measures to tackle litter at local level. However, the Scottish Government continues to work collaboratively with local authorities on this issue and our draft Strategy proposes measures to develop and adopt a shared approach between Scottish Government, local authorities, public agencies and the third sector, to effectively support litter prevention and behaviour change across Scotland.

Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging, which will be implemented from 2024, will include requiring producers across the UK to cover the costs associated with litter-prevention communications and managing litter disposed of in bins. The Scottish Government considers that producers should also cover the cost of managing litter disposed of on the ground, and we are working with the Welsh Government to explore options to put this in place.

Since its launch in October 2020, the value of the Self-Isolation Support Grant has been aligned to the value of the Real Living Wage (RLW) during the period that a worker might be required to self-isolate.

The Grant was initially available to workers in receipt of Universal Credit, but was expanded to workers who earn less than the RLW on 16 February 2021.

The Scottish Government is unable to comment on a live investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. Our priority is to support Scotland’s strategically important steel sector and the highly-skilled jobs it provides.

The Empire, Slavery and Scotland's Museums steering group is finalising its recommendations and we understand these will be published in June 2022, although the final decision on the publication date is for the group to take. The Scottish Government will then consider the recommendations and provide our response.

Scottish Government Officials are in contact with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy about the current Energy Charter Treaty negotiations with a view to identifying any impact on Scotland .

The Scottish Government’s annual report on our Vision for Trade recognised the widespread concerns about Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in free trade agreements (FTAs). We have consistently called on the UK Government to ensure that any ISDS mechanism does not prevent Scotland and the rest of the UK from regulating on health, social, environmental and economic matters.

Any ISDS system must be transparent, based on judicial procedures, and permit meaningful representations by all parties with a potential stake in the matter. Provisions in this area have the potential to impact Scotland significantly, limit the ability of the Scottish Parliament to regulate in devolved areas and constrain action to achieve our net-zero goal.

The annual report on Scotland’s Vision for Trade can be accessed here: Scotland's Vision for Trade: annual report - March 2022 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)