Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Land Fund supports urban and rural communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets.

It has a two-stage application process. At Stage 1 groups are asked for basic information about their project and organisation. At Stage 2 groups are asked to complete a full application form for funding for the acquisition of the asset.

The following table sets out figures for applications received for both stages.

1. Stage One Applications received

The Scottish Government is committed to protecting Scotland’s marine wildlife. The current regulatory framework provides a high level of individual and site based protection measures for our iconic marine wildlife with processes in place to ensure that action can be taken where required. It is an offence to deliberately or recklessly disturb European protected species, including whales, dolphins and porpoises. Under the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 these offences could result on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding £40,000 (or both) or on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or a fine (or both).

The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code provides advice on how to minimise disturbance to marine wildlife, when enjoying the Scottish coast. We would encourage anyone watching or encountering marine wildlife to follow its advice at all times.

There are voluntary agreements in some parts of Scotland around the use of jet skis, including duration of use and timings. We are not aware of a specific agreement covering Wardie Bay. These agreements are not a statutory requirement. If someone suspects that a wildlife crime has been committed, they should report the incident to Police Scotland.

The majority of new woodlands created in Scotland will, over a 20 year period, sequester more carbon than is released during cultivation, and will continue to absorb carbon for the rest of their growing period. Scotland’s forests are predicted to remain a net sink through the period to 2045 and beyond.

In certain circumstances, where tree growth is expected to be moderate and where the soil is of a particular type carbon accounting can be less predictable and in those situations, greater attention is paid to the method of ground preparation as required through our new cultivation guidance. Scottish Forestry has engaged Forest Research (FR) to examine the impact of carbon release caused by forestry ground cultivation in organo-mineral soils, and is using that evidence to put in place methodologies that will ensure that growing trees will reabsorb carbon released from cultivation as quickly as possible.

Scottish Forestry will no longer approve high impact cultivation techniques, including shallow ploughing and other forms of linear cultivation on peat soils which are over 10cm in depth. Research evidence from FR demonstrates that by doing so there will be no net loss of carbon over a 20 year period, and afterwards the growing trees will continue to sequester and absorb carbon for the rest of the forest rotation.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

The loan was impaired on the basis of the risk of an Expected Credit Loss as we are required to do in accordance with IFRS 9. The loan has been impaired in the accounts but it has not been written off and legally the full value and its accrued interest remains repayable.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-20139 on
‎ 26 August 2021. 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

This information is not currently collected centrally. However, local health and social care partnerships, and their store services, will collect data on the number of loans, and returns, of mobility equipment, including short-term wheelchair loans. As part of our evaluation we will work with local areas to put processes in place to collate this data at a national level .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on
‎ 26 August 2021. 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

refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on
‎ 26 August 2021. 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 answers to questions S6W-02027 and S6W-02030 on 26 August 2021. 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