Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-30034 on 3 October 2024 and S6W-32189 on 23 December 2024. 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 responsibility for energy security is reserved to the UK Government, as is any contingency planning. However, the Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government on a range of issues to ensure Scotland’s needs are met.

In January 2025, the Scottish Government provided updated guidance to support preparation of Housing Land Audits (HLAs). HLAs, prepared by planning authorities, monitor information on past housing completions and future programming of new homes.

The HLA guidance includes a template spreadsheet to support consistent implementation. The template includes:

• The planning status: no consent, pre- application, pending decision, refused, under appeal, consented.
• The type of approval issued (to mitigate the risk of double counting): planning permission (PP), planning permission in principle (PPiP), and approval of matters specified in conditions (AMSC).
• Construction status and when commenced.
• Site capacity: total capacity in the local development plan updated to total capacity of the planning permission when available, and then the remaining capacity of sites when under construction.

The HLA should include both completions and programming information for small sites. For consistency, the guidance considers developments of 1-3 homes to be small sites. Given the nature of housing delivery in island and some rural areas, where there is likely to be a significant number of small sites, flexibility in the approach to small sites for the HLA may be appropriate, as determined by the planning authority.

The guidance outlines flexibility for the planning authority to undertake additional data checking, to remove the double counting of replacement houses, to improve robustness of information and corroborate completion calculations.

The Scottish Government uses existing, publicly available information collated by planning authorities in Housing Land Audits (HLA) that monitor past housing completions and future programming of new homes.

In January 2025, the Scottish Government updated guidance to support preparation of HLAs and improve consistency in data collection. The HLA guidance was published alongside a template spreadsheet, which supports inclusion of information on site planning status and capacity.

The Scottish Government has a subscription to Glenigan, which is also used to inform policy development as appropriate.

The development of a Scottish Government Mobile App is a Digital Public Services commitment within the Government's Public Service Reform Strategy published in June 2025.

One or two services will be available via the proposed App as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) before 1 April 2026.

The development of a Scottish Government Mobile App is a commitment under the Digital Public Services strand of the Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy, published in June 2025.

The App is intended to serve as a single, secure gateway to personalised public services, enhancing accessibility and user experience across government platforms. It is scheduled for initial release within the current financial year.

Work is underway to develop a business case including expected expenditure, related financial and budgetary considerations. This is expected to be completed in Autumn 2025. Once approved, further details will be made available to Parliament and stakeholders.

Scotland’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) network covers 37% of our seas, meeting the globally agreed target to conserve at least 30% of marine areas through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures by 2030.

In addition to existing management arrangements, the Scottish Government is committed to introducing fisheries management measures within MPAs where such measures are required but not yet in place. This commitment also extends to a selection of Priority Marine Features (PMFs) located outside the MPA network.

Implementation of fisheries management measures for MPAs in offshore waters (beyond 12 nautical miles) is scheduled for 2025. A public consultation on proposed measures for MPAs and PMFs in inshore waters (within 12 nautical miles) is planned to commence in November 2025.

Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, which includes those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A formal diagnosis of ADHD is not required before appropriate support is provided in an early learning or school setting.

Education authorities can ask other agencies (including social work services, health boards and Skills Development Scotland) for help in carrying out their duties under the Act.

As well as providing funding for neurodevelopmental support services, in partnership with COSLA we have undertaken a review of the implementation of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification. This will inform improvements to support health boards and local authorities to deliver the Specification.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as we transition to a net zero transport system. Approximately 40% of households in Scotland do not have access to off-street parking, and we are committed to supporting innovative solutions such as cross-pavement charging to address this challenge.

The installation of cross pavement charging is complex, covering road works permissions, neighbourhood relations, pedestrian safety and ongoing maintenance, liabilities and responsibilities for residents and local authorities. This is why we are working closely with the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS) – a strategic collaborative body representing Scotland’s 32 local authorities and seven regional transport partnerships - to develop Scottish specific guidance for local authorities. The draft guidance will be issued to stakeholders for consultation in autumn 2025.

This summer Scottish Ministers will also launch a new ‘cross pavement charging’ pilot scheme that will offer financial support to eligible residents without off-street parking in participating local authority areas. In order to ensure a just transition, it is critical that as many households as possible can access lower-cost home charging. The learning from the pilot scheme will complement the work with SCOTS, to demonstrate safe and legal ways of rolling out cross-pavement charging infrastructure across all of Scotland’s local authorities. More information will be made available on the Energy Savings Trust website later this month.

Ensuring a fair and just transition to sustainable transport is central the Scottish Government’s net zero ambitions; this is reflected in Scottish Ministers’ visionfor the future of public EV charging and the accompanying Draft Implementation Plan, which set out a clear direction for the future of EV infrastructure in Scotland. Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund, we are also continuing to support local authorities to work in partnership with the private sector to expand public EV charging across Scotland.

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GPs do not require “extended resources” to provide NHS prescriptions following a private diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. GPs are contracted and resourced to provide appropriate ongoing treatment and care to all their patients taking account of their specific needs.

GPs should use their own judgement about what treatment is appropriate for patients who have a private diagnosis of any condition.