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As we set out in our recent Programme for Government, we are committed to delivering the recommendations of the independent Grouse Moor Management Group review (the ‘Werritty Review’) as a matter of urgency.

This will include tighter regulation, including licensing, and oversight of muirburn, and a ban on burning on peatland (expect in very limited cases as part of an approved habitat restoration programme).

We will also undertake a review of the current definition of peatland, taking expert advice on whether it should be revised and a stricter definition imposed.

The timing of the legislation will depend on the future legislative programme for the Parliament, which will be set out in due course.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield carried out various sets of modelling of minimum unit pricing for alcohol for the Scottish Government, including the modelling carried out in 2016. The modelling estimated the costs and benefits of various minimum unit prices. At the time the modelling was carried out, minimum unit pricing in the form introduced in Scotland on 1 May 2018, was not present in any other country.

Since minimum unit pricing at 50 pence was introduced on 1 May 2018, we are able to evaluate the real-life impact of this. Public Health Scotland are leading the comprehensive evaluation of the impact of a 50 pence minimum unit price on four outcome areas: implementation and compliance; alcoholic drinks industry; consumption; and health and social harms. More information on this can be found on the MUP Evaluation pages on Public Health Scotland’s website.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing the harms caused by alcohol and, in particular, the harms faced by hazardous and harmful drinkers. It is important that an effective level of minimum unit pricing for alcohol is in place in order that we can make inroads into reducing these harms.

Since a minimum price for alcohol at 50 pence per unit of alcohol was introduced on 1 May 2018, there have been two significant events that have impacted on the policy: the pandemic and the change in the legal landscape due to the UK Internal Market Act 2020. Both of these have significantly altered the context in which a review of the level of the minimum unit price would have been expected to have taken place after May 2020.

Prior to the pandemic, there were early encouraging signs of a reduction in alcohol sales and a reduction in alcohol specific deaths following the introduction of a minimum price at 50 pence per unit on 1 May 2018. However, the pandemic and its impact have changed many people’s behaviour around alcohol consumption, and this needs to be taken into account. In 2020, various surveys show those who were drinking heavily before the pandemic were more likely to increase their drinking during lockdown, thereby increasing their risk of harm.

We are in the process of gathering evidence of and analysing the impact the policy has had, and the considerable impacts the pandemic has had and continues to have on our society and economy. It is the affordability of alcohol that matters, not just the price, and that will depend on other factors such as people’s incomes and inflation. In reviewing the price we will look at all relevant factors. The impact the UK Internal Market Act 2020 might have on any proposed change to the level of minimum unit price is under consideration. What is clear, however, is that any proposed change must be supported by a robust rationale and evidence base.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-03743 on 26 October 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

The Programme for Government 2020-21 commits the Scottish Government to consult on legislation to extend the regulatory framework that came into force on 1 September for the licensing of animal welfare establishments, animal rehoming activities, dog, cat and rabbit breeding and pet sales to performing animals and animal care services.

Given that the new licensing regulations have only just come into force and the fact that they introduce significant changes, the Scottish Government does not have any immediate plans to consult on extending the licensing framework to encompass a registration scheme for anyone breeding, selling, or transferring the ownership of a litter of puppies.

The advertising and promotion of alcohol entails a range of activity which is seen by children and young people across Scotland. This influences attitudes towards drinking alcohol and can encourage children and young people to start drinking alcohol or to drink more alcohol. This is why the Scottish Government will consult on potential alcohol advertising restrictions during 2022, to protect children and young people, as announced in A Fairer, Greener Scotland: Programme for Government 2021-22 , published on 7 September 2021.

We have an ongoing and unwavering commitment to land reform. We will aim to bring forward a new Land Reform Bill by the end of 2023, and we plan to double the Scottish Land Fund to £20m by the end of this Parliament, providing more support to enable communities to own land and assets.

We will undertake a wide-ranging consultation in the course of 2022 on proposals for the Bill, and remain committed to working with all stakeholders, including land owning interests and community representatives, to develop policy and legislative solutions to progress our proposals.

The Scottish Government is required by law to regularly review all protective measures that are currently in place, such as the mandatory requirement for the wearing of face coverings in most indoor settings, including places of worship. This measure will continue to be monitored and reviewed in relation to evidence on the four harms : the direct impact of COVID-19, other health impacts, societal impacts, and economic impacts.

After a recent review, during which there was careful consideration of all of the current evidence as well as the options available, Ministers determined that the regulations on face coverings remain proportionate and should not change for the present.

At this stage of the pandemic many of the more intrusive restrictions have been lifted, but the virus and the harms that it causes have not gone away. We still continue to see hospital admissions and deaths as a result of COVID and the impacts of long COVID can be significant. That is why it remains important to maximise the use of the remaining measures such as face coverings.

While the vaccination has significantly weakened the link between new cases and serious health harms, it has not been completely broken. It is therefore important that places of worship, along with many other indoor settings, continue their good practice to reduce the spread of the virus.

We are grateful to faith and belief communities for their important role in protecting their congregations and enabling everyone, particularly those at higher risk, to access worship safely.

The Scottish Government welcomes the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care’s report: Every Story’s Ending. This report provides a helpful insight into the experiences that people and their families have at the end of life in Scotland.

The findings of the report will be helpful in shaping the work to take forward our commitment to produce a new palliative and end of life care strategy over the course of the coming year.

Regulation and authorisation of medicines is reserved to the UK Government. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK agency responsible for the approval of clinical trials in the UK and of marketing authorisations (licences) for new medicinal products. There are currently no COVID-19 vaccines authorised for supply in the UK for those aged 12 years and under.

In the event that the MHRA authorises COVID-19 vaccine(s) for those under the age of 12 years we will be guided by this and by advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations on offering vaccination to this age group.