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The Scottish Government is committed to tackling the impact that single use plastics have on the Scottish environment.

That is why last year we laid regulations before Parliament that, subject to the impact of the UK Internal Market Act 2020, ban some of the most problematic single use plastic products (expanded polystyrene beverage cups, expanded polystyrene food containers, single-use plastic beverage stirrers, plastic cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and plastic plates).

The legislation is the first in the UK to ban such a wide range of single-use plastic items and goes further than the single-use plastic bans currently in force in the rest of the UK.

The Scottish Government is committed to moving to a circular economy and, as part of this, is taking further action to deal with the problem of single-use plastics. To support this, we have committed to develop a route map to identify further actions required to accelerate progress towards existing waste prevention and recycling targets, and to introduce a Circular Economy Bill in this parliamentary term to support and encourage reduction of consumption, reuse, repair and recycling.

To support our circular economy ambitions we are working with the other UK administrations to introduce extended producer responsibility for packaging, which will encourage more sustainable packaging design by putting the cost of managing packaging waste onto producers.

We are keeping under review the impact of actions in train or planned and will consider any further measures that may be required to combat the environmental impact of problematic single-use plastics, taking account also of international evidence.

Finally, the Scottish Government is also a founding signatory to the UK Plastics Pact, led by WRAP, a collaborative initiative that seeks to create a circular economy for plastics and reduce plastic waste.

NHS National Services Division is establishing a Strategic Network bringing together clinical experts, NHS Boards and lived experience to support the ongoing development, resourcing and implementation of services for people with long COVID. When established, the Strategic Network will have a key role in identifying and ensuring that the £10m long COVID Support Fund is targeted at areas where support is most needed and can make the biggest impact.

We anticipate that the long COVID Support Fund will be allocated and spent over the next three financial years, providing Boards with additional resource to respond in a flexible and tailored manner to the needs of people with long COVID.

For this financial year, 2021-22, total health portfolio funding exceeds £16 billion, with a further £1.9 billion provided to address pressures related to COVID-19. This substantial investment is already benefiting a range of NHS services which are supporting the needs of people living with long COVID.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament on 17 November 2022 I gave an update on progress towards implementing Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme. In that statement I said that officials and I were working hard with Circularity Scotland and the industry to agree a final timescale and clear milestones for delivery including interpreting the impact of the decision from the UK Government on VAT, which had only just been communicated to me. While carrying out that further work, the date was very much under continuous assessment as new information was received and views of stakeholders were taken on-board. The date was made firm when I announced this to Parliament on 14 December.

Following the publication of The Best Start – caesarean section rates: review report on 2 September 2021, the Scottish Government has asked the Maternity and Children’s Quality Improvement Collaborative (MCQIC), part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme, to lead on work to improve our understanding of the variation in caesarean section rates in Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to work with senior leaders and clinicians across Scotland to prioritise improvements to care through the implementation of The Best Start programme. The programme is driving a transformation in maternity care in Scotland, with women receiving continuity of carer throughout their pregnancy, resulting in improved relationships and outcomes.

Data on birth delivery methods are not collected or held centrally. Public Health Scotland collects and publishes data on method of delivery at NHS Board level in its annual Birth in Scottish Hospitals report. The most recent report, for the year ending 31 March 2021, is available online and provides data on method of delivery by NHS Board of residence for live singleton births. The report is available via the following link: Births in Scottish hospitals - Year ending 31 March 2021 - Births in Scottish hospitals - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy in this parliamentary term. Funding allocations to individual portfolios for 2022-23 will be confirmed following the passage of the Budget (Scotland) Bill. Decisions on future spending will also be considered within the context of the Resource Spending Review which will publish in May 2022.

(a) We would refute the assertion that the planting of non-native tree species is contributing to the biodiversity crisis. In Scotland, over the last 6 years, an average of 40 per cent of all new planting has been of native species, with the rest being productive conifers. Non-native productive tree species in well-designed woodlands can provide a valuable habitat and are an important part of tackling the twin climate and biodiversity crises. Scotland needs to plant both native trees and productive non-native conifers for climate, economic and environmental outcomes.

The current Programme for Government increased the target of new native woodland creation from a minimum of 3,000 hectares per year, to a minimum of 4,000 hectares. This target will be reviewed during development of the next Scottish Biodiversity Strategy which is due to be published in October this year.

(b) Protecting our ancient woodlands is a priority for our biodiversity and forestry strategies. There is no current published evidence to suggest ancient woodland is being lost to non-native tree regeneration. The most significant threat to our ancient woodlands is from selective browsing by deer, which we are tackling as part of the Scottish Government response to the Deer Working Group Report.

The Scottish Government has provided £240m to the culture sector over the pandemic, including £65m to help alleviate the financial pressures that individuals and organisations face following cultural venue closures and event cancellations in light of the Omicron variant.

Cultural organisations employing workers are eligible for the £25m COVID-19 Cancellation Fund for Cultural Organisations, administered by Creative Scotland. We would expect any organisation who applies to the Creative Scotland Cultural Organisations Cancellation Fund would use any money they receive to pay all their workers.

The Animals and Wildlife, Penalties, Powers and Protections (Scotland) Act 2020 recently introduced higher penalties for a range of wildlife crime offences including offences related to hare coursing. The Act increased the maximum penalty for killing or injuring hares in their close season under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and the maximum penalty for hunting a hare with a dog under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, from six months imprisonment and/or a £5,000 fine to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. The new maximum penalties are available for offences committed after 30 November 2020.

With the sentencing regime having recently been updated and strengthened, we have no plans to review the sentences given to people found guilty of hare coursing under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

We do not expect local authorities to develop new consultation processes on river catchment management and individual property protection measures.

The Flood Risk Management Act (2009) sets out Scotland’s catchment based approach to Flood Risk Management, including requirements for consultation on measures to reduce flood risk.

To support the implementation of the Act, the Scottish Government produce statutory and non-statutory guidance to help SEPA, local authorities and Scottish Water fulfil their responsibilities.

In 2019, the Scottish Government published the second edition of Delivering Sustainable Flood Risk Management . It includes advice for engaging with individuals, communities and landowners on flood risk, on steps that individuals can take to protect their families, homes and businesses from flooding, and of actions to avoid that can increase flood risk.

Our Living with Flooding Action Plan , also published in 2019 recommends actions for a range of stakeholders to take to help promote property flood resilience in Scotland. We continue to work with the steering group to help implement the actions set out in the plan.

We consider that these documents provide appropriate guidance for consultation on developing environmental considerations and policies.