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Desk based compliance checks have been made on all grouse moor licences in respect of ensuring the area covered by the licence is appropriate and the relevant information has been provided by the applicant. Whilst no site visits have specifically been undertaken for compliance for grouse licensing so far, NatureScot staff have been on grouse moors and visited areas in which licences are in place in the course of other casework. NatureScot has produced staff guidance in relation to reporting wildlife crime encountered by its staff, so if any issues had been identified then this would have been progressed through notification to Police Scotland and the licensing teams.

NatureScot have information sharing protocols in place with Police Scotland regarding reported incidents of wildlife crime. They also work closely with other public agencies who have roles in inspection, regulation and enforcement, such as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Rural Payments Inspection Division, whereby any issues picked up will be reported to NatureScot.

NatureScot also monitors annual return information as part of their compliance monitoring. Each licence holder is required to submit details on the number of grouse shot under licence and information on how the licence holder and those operating under it have complied with the Code of Practice on Grouse Moor Management. The provision of this annual return data is a condition of licence and a key part of NatureScot’s compliance monitoring process.

For compliance monitoring for 2025, NatureScot will carry out site visits where intelligence suggests it would help understand any compliance issues.

The current estimated cost of repairs to MV Caledonian Isles between 4th January 2024 and 31st May 2025 is £10.8m.

The waiting time information available to the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (PHS) does not provide details on the reason an individual has been referred into a NHS service, including if the patient is experiencing age-related hearing loss. It is therefore not possible to make an assessment of what the waiting times for ear, nose and throat (ENT) and hospital audiology would be if a community audiology service had been treating the majority of age-related hearing loss patients since 2021.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government publishes data on individuals prosecuted and convicted in Scottish courts in the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland statistical bulletin. Although this data set includes information on individual charges prosecuted (e.g., those under Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 Part 4 Children) it does not allow for group-based charges to be identified.

We have been in touch with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, who confirmed that they are unable to provide this information, as group-based crimes cannot be reliably identified from their data either.

Data is available on the share of SME employers that report a profit. These estimates, sourced from the Small Business Survey, are shown in Table 1. In 2019, 78% of SME employers in Scotland reported generating a profit, this fell to 70% in 2020, with the latest data for 2023 putting the share back at 78%.

Table 1: Taking into account all sources of income in the last financial year, did you generate a profit or surplus? – SME Employers - Scotland

Figures provided by the recipients of the Green Jobs Fund awards estimated that the projects will support up to 7354 jobs over the life of the individual projects.

The Green Jobs Fund supported businesses and their supply chains to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. The support provided by the fund, all of which was capital, aimed to create green employment through investment in equipment, premises, and research and development.

Since its creation, the Green Jobs Fund has provided £38.7 million in grant funding to support 122 projects. Figures provided by the recipients of these awards estimated that these projects will support up to 7354 jobs over the life of the individual projects.

The Green Jobs Fund was discontinued in financial year 2023-24. It formed a relatively small part of the Scottish Government’s broader investment in the transition to net zero. This includes many institutions, funding packages and investment vehicles which provide advice, support, and financial assistance for businesses at the forefront to building Scotland’s green economy.

The Green Industrial Strategy provides further strategic direction on how such investment supports the development, growth and scale-up of existing and new businesses seeking to take advantage of the global opportunities of the transition.

Under Part 11 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, local authorities have very broad powers to reduce or remit any non-domestic rates bill for a property in their area. This part of the Act came into force on 31 October 2015.

Before using these powers, the local authority must take into consideration the council’s expenditure and income, as well as the interests of council tax payers. The local authority must also ensure that any use of the powers complies with obligations including those under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and other international commitments.

The Scottish Government acknowledges Audit Scotland’s observation and is committed to ensuring that the governance framework for NHS Boards enables effective planning and delivery of reform. The recently published NHS Scotland Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework are key to supporting Boards to take a longer-term, whole-system view, with a greater focus on prevention, place-based care, and service redesign. These frameworks alongside our Operational Improvement Plan and are designed to reduce duplication, support local flexibility and strengthen alignment between national priorities and local delivery.

We continue to work closely with NHS Boards to identify and remove barriers to strategic decision-making that improves outcomes for patients and communities in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the governance challenges highlighted in Audit Scotland’s NHS in Scotland: Spotlight on Governance report and is committed to a continuous improvement approach to strengthening Board effectiveness, transparency and accountability. This includes for example, a refreshed Model Framework and strengthened national oversight mechanisms.

We are also embedding the principles of the NHS Scotland Service Renewal Framework and the Population Health Framework to support more joined-up, preventative, and locally accountable decision-making. These measures aim to ensure NHS Boards are equipped to lead transformational change and deliver improved outcomes for patients and communities.