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The Scottish Government is keen to learn, along with others, about the impact of wildfires to develop a better understanding of fire risks and fire resilient landscapes.

NatureScot will be reporting and monitoring the impact of the fire, which affected a relatively small area, on the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. They will also look into assessing the impact on Culbean Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) and learning about the impact on the other SSSIs.

Decision Notices of the Scottish Information Commissioner are published on the Commissioner's website: Decisions | Scottish Information Commissioner.

For the purposes of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, ‘the Scottish Ministers’ Scottish public authority includes the Scottish Government and its executive agencies. The Commissioner's website shows the following Decision Notices issued to 'the Scottish Ministers' and executive agencies in each year since 2021:

International negotiations and membership of organisations such as International Whaling Commission (IWC) are a reserved matter for the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is fully committed to the protection of iconic marine wildlife such as whales, dolphins, and porpoise. We therefore fully support the UK Government and IWC in seeking to secure a permanent worldwide ban, and in continuing to call on all countries who practice any form of whaling, to cease these operations and enforce the worldwide ban.

As part of the annual UK-Faroe Islands fisheries negotiations, officials continue to work with the UK Government and raise this topic with Faroe Islands officials.

As outlined in the UK/ Faroe Islands Fisheries Framework Agreement ‘The Contracting Parties shall cooperate with a view to achieving the objective of ensuring the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine living resources and, in doing so, safeguarding the ecosystems in which these resources occur’

As part of the annual fisheries agreement, when Faroese vessels fish in the UK waters they must comply with all relevant UK/Scottish legislation. This includes compliance with legislation governing Marine Protected Areas and Future Catching Policy, and the protection of cetacean populations.

The Scottish Government has previously released the following information regarding court fees, counsel's fees and judicial expenses paid in relation to court action in which the Scottish Information Commissioner, as regulator for Freedom of Information law, was the opposing party:

Similar information to that in the above table has previously been published by the Scottish Government on our website and is accessible through the following links:

• Cumulative costs of Scottish Government legal fees from 2020
• External legal fees for Court of Session appeal XA10/23
• Scottish Government legal fees contesting Scottish Information Commissioner

The information sought by the Member is not available in the format requested.

Since 2014 the Scottish Government has invested over £500m in 43 Charitable Bonds. To date, the scheme has supported the delivery of more than 4,000 new affordable homes through direct loans to social landlords. This has generated £157 million in charitable donations to fund additional local authority priority projects for social rent.

Loans have been issued to Registered Social Landlords operating across a number of local authority areas. For a list of all charitable bonds and donations made (up to 2023), I would refer the member to: Scottish Government Charitable Housing Bonds: FOI release - gov.scot

This information is not held by the Scottish Government

Network Rail Infrastructure Limited which is a reserved responsibility of the UK Government owns the main line railway infrastructure in the UK and is responsible for the operation, maintenance and renewal of this infrastructure.

This includes the ongoing maintenance, renewal, and any upgrades, of the railway track system.

As per Historic Environments Scotland’s (HES) established annual approach, a number of sites across the HES estate are currently closed for the winter season, or will close in November, in line with sector best practice. Further information on closures can be found at https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/check-for-closures/.

As indicated in my earlier reply day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works of any specific site, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

Through the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act (AFSA) 2007, the Scottish Government requires satisfactory measures to be in place at fish farm sites for the purposes of the containment of fish and the prevention of escape of fish. Where satisfactory measures are found not to be in place, Scottish Ministers may serve an enforcement notice. Fish farm operators are required to report the details of any circumstances which caused or might have caused an escape of fish from a fish farm site. In this case, the site operator has followed reporting protocols and reported the incident to the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI). The FHI has attended the site and is conducting an escape investigation and enhanced containment inspection. In addition, the details of this incident will be published on Scotland’s Aquaculture website. Any escape of farmed fish is regrettable and we expect all farmers to minimise the risk of escapes.

We will continue to work with the sector to reduce the risk of escapes, supported by existing legislation and the FHI’s associated inspection regime. The Scottish Government supports innovation in the sector, including where it helps to reduce the risk of fish escaping from fish farms.

For 2025-26 the Scottish Government is investing £188.7 million in high-quality active travel and bus infrastructure, with associated behaviour change programmes, supported sustainable travel integration. This funding enables local authorities to improve access to facilities for people walking and wheeling through the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund and the People and Place programme. Businesses also benefit from these investments through increased footfall and accessibility. By prioritising inclusive design and place-based solutions, we are helping communities shape their environments around people, making everyday journeys safer and more accessible.

The Scottish Government’s long-term vision, as set out in the Active Travel Framework, is that by 2030 Scotland’s communities will be shaped around people and place, enabling walking, wheeling, and cycling to be the most popular modes of travel for short, everyday journeys.