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Stantec’s Community Needs Assessments report on transport connectivity for Cowal and Rosneath is still being finalised and will be published in due course. The outputs from all the Community Needs Assessment will also feed into the Islands Connectivity Plan.

While the Scottish Government does not currently hold land use data for land as categorised in the question, it does hold information in relation to land use for specific purposes. For example, the Scottish Government's Rural Payments and Inspections Division hold data on the use of land parcels where farmers make applications for funding. The claimant may not, however, be the owner of the land.

Individual land holdings of over 500 hectares will often have a mixture of uses. For example, Scottish Forestry has engaged with 324 separate areas of privately owned land over 500 hectares that are under forest cover and used primarily for timber production and carbon sequestration. These can be broken down as:

• 4 forest management plans over 500 hectares have been approved by Scottish Forestry (Scottish Government agency) since 2011;
• 310 Long Term Forest Plans over 500 hectares have been approved by Scottish Forestry since 2009; and
• 10 Forestry Grant Scheme Woodland Creation cases over 500 hectares have been approved since 2015.

These areas of land will also contribute to natural heritage and nature recovery as they all include areas of native woodland and other habitats.

As outlined in the Scottish Government’s consultation for the forthcoming Land Reform Bill, proposals for compulsory Land Management Plans for large land holdings will require land holders to detail the use and management of their land. This will further improve transparency of land ownership and empower communities.

Transport Scotland consider all enquiries regarding harbour orders, and provide feedback for applicants to consider how the requirements of becoming a Statutory Harbour Authority could be met. Transport Scotland officials have corresponded with and provided advice to the Annan Harbour Action Group at various junctures over the last 3 years and continue to correspond with the Group on its proposals.

Scottish Ministers and SG officials meet with NRS on a regular basis, to discuss a wide range of matters, such as the Census. Most recently, the Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance met with the interim Chief Executive on 5 July 2023 and I met with her on 20 July 2023.

Since May 2021, the Scottish Government has had 5 Ministerial meetings with the BBC.

As outcomes there is a shared their commitment to working positively and constructively to help deliver programming and skills training that benefits Scotland culturally and economically.

The location and movement of firefighters is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and this information is not held by Scottish Government.

The recruitment and retention allowance is payable to individual General Dental Practitioners, and pays £25,000 to GDPs joining the dental list for the first time or returning after a period of five years and practising in an eligible area.

The Scottish Government has expanded the scheme to include vocational trainees, who would be eligible for an additional £12,500 should they decide to train in an eligible area.

The Scottish Government in partnership with NHS Boards reviews the list of areas that attract the recruitment and retention allowance on a regular basis.

Further information, including details of eligible areas, can be found at http://www.scottishdental.org/ .

The Scottish Government is absolutely clear that it is vital that funding works most effectively and efficiently to improve outcomes both for those using services and in the sphere of preventative action. We thank the Chair and Advisory Group for the their work. The Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of Violence Against Women and Girls Services Chair, Lesley Irving, has recognised that the recommendations contained within the publication are part of a long-term approach given the wide-ranging nature of the Report. The Scottish Government will now consider the report and its recommendations, along with COSLA, local authority partners and wider stakeholders, to ensure a stable footing for funding in the future is developed.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to consider the recommendations in the Scottish Health Technologies Group report, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that women who require access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of their maternity care can do so.

The Scottish Government has recently written to all NHS Boards for an update on progress towards implementation of PlGF testing. We will be able to give an update on this in due course.

The Scottish Government recognises that it will be necessary to undertake detailed analysis, including costing and cost-benefit analysis of this wide-ranging report before it is possible to make definitive statements about individual recommendations. A team is being recruited to undertake this work.