Seòmar agus comataidhean

126 pedigree bulls are kept at the Scottish Government’s Knocknagael farm, near Inverness for the crofting cattle improvement scheme.

We do not hold information on the numbers and types of livestock owned and managed by our farm and croft tenants.

NatureScot intends to have the report ready for external review by 31 March 2025 and will then send to Scottish Ministers for consideration once the external review has been completed.

The remit of the review includes assessing the potential to apply the principle of full cost recovery to species licensing and this will be included in the review report.

The Scottish Government received the following rental income from the agricultural and crofting tenancies £208,396.54 in 2020-21, £212,951.73 in 2021-22, £214,950.92 in 2022-23, £220,002.31 in 2023-24 and £220,147.55 in
2024-25.

We are exploring a new long term conditions strategy to better recognise the fact that many people living with long term conditions need the same types of support and care, regardless of their condition.

The Scottish Government agrees with the comment made by NatureScot that raptor persecution undertaken in connection with grouse moor management could take place anywhere on a property, not just on the grouse moor itself.

NatureScot introduced a new condition to enable them to revoke or suspend a licence where there is evidence of raptor persecution, connected to the grouse moor but outside of the licensed area. The condition added by NatureScot is an alternative to amending the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. However, we will monitor the situation and, if necessary, consider amending the legislation.

Any company which wants to move freight by rail or water rather than by road and which is proposing to invest in new freight handling facilities in Scotland or re-invest in existing facilities in Scotland may apply for Freight Facilities Grant (FFG).

The amount of FFG that will be offered depends on the value of the environmental benefits of the project and the additional costs of moving freight by rail or water, determined by a financial appraisal of the project comparing the cost of the rail or water operation with the road alternative. Grants are limited to a maximum of 50% of the capital expenditure.

The key requirement for payment of grant is that Scottish Ministers must be satisfied that if the proposed facility is not provided, the freight, which would have used it, will in fact be carried by road. This means that there must be soundly based projections of the type and quantity of goods that would use the proposed facility and evidence that these goods are currently transported by road.

FFG is paid in the clear expectation that the freight facility will secure the removal of lorries from specific routes for a specific number of years. In return for FFG support, grant recipients must give a commitment to use the facility for a certain period and move a specified amount of freight through the facility.

Most facilities needed to handle or carry freight on rail or water are eligible under the criteria for FFG for example piers, rail sidings and handling equipment. Funding is limited to capital expenditure. Design and project management costs associated exclusively with the freight facility are also likely to be eligible.

Since the GB wide scheme was introduced in 1997, it has been reviewed on several occasions. These exercises were led by the Department for Transport on behalf of the UK Government with input from both the Scottish and Welsh Governments as well as stakeholders across the logistics sector. The last review was undertaken in 2018. The application criteria for the scheme remains unchanged since the scheme began.

All information/intelligence relating to food crime is assessed and, where appropriate, is subject to further investigation or referred to relevant enforcement authorities, e.g. local authorities. Since 2018, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) investigators have undertaken forty-seven investigations of varying complexity into alleged food crime, many of which were conducted jointly with local authorities or with the collaboration of other law enforcement agencies (LEA), with FSS having a lead role.

Of these forty-seven investigations:

• 11 identified fraud
• 4 identified culpable and reckless conduct (serious food safety issues)
• 3 identified animal cruelty at FSS approved premises
• 1 identified breaches of hygiene regulations at approved premises
• 7 proved no crime had been committed

(Note: the above listing refers to the principal crime type as in a number of cases there were multiple crime counts, including statutory food safety offences).

As regards the remaining 21 investigations, these identified regulatory food crime or other related matters falling under the principal remit of local authorities or other law enforcement agencies (LEA including international LEA), which were referred for consideration of further action.

Food Standards Scotland has a statutory duty to improve the extent to which the Scottish population have diets conducive to good health. Their unique position, independent from government, allows them to report and publish evidence to inform policy across a wide range of actions in diet and nutrition.

In 2024 FSS published the Public Health Nutrition strategy which was developed to complement delivery of Scottish Government policy on diet as described in the Healthier Futures Delivery Plan and Out of Home Action Plan. This strategy outlines how improvements to diet in Scotland will be supported, including efforts to reduce levels of overweight and obesity.

A joint UK wide public consultation on fairer food labelling ran for 8 weeks from 12 March 2024 to 7 May 2024. The purpose of this consultation was to seek opinion on specific options in respect of method of production labelling, but it also provided an opportunity to gather evidence and opinions in respect of country-of-origin labelling. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) are continuing to engage on this work alongside Scottish Government policy colleagues and on a four-country basis to determine next steps.

While the Scottish Government remains committed to its vision for an integrated and community-based hearing service in Scotland, currently there is no community audiology service in place, with services provided either in hospital settings or, if patients choose to self-refer for treatment privately on the high street. There has therefore been no assessment of private provision made.

The Scottish Government do not hold information if individual Boards have engaged with private companies in support of waiting lists.