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The Scottish Government welcomes Food Standards Scotland’s Our Food 2022 report and the wide ranging recommendations.

We are aware of workforce shortages, such as veterinarians and environmental health officers, and the fundamental role these have to safeguard animal health and welfare and the safety of food in Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to promote the role of veterinarians in public health. This includes through initiatives, such as the Scottish Veterinary Delivery Landscape Project which brings together public and private sector veterinary employers, academia and veterinary industry bodies. We have also set up the Environmental Health Policy Co-ordination Group to consider solutions to the EHO vacancies across Scotland and work with key stakeholders to gain further insight on this issue.

Furthermore, we are committed to protecting Scotland’s consumers and businesses through robust biosecurity controls. Since EU Exit, Scottish Government officials and Ministers have been engaged in discussions with the UK Government around the introduction of import controls, resulting in the recent publication of the Border Target Operating Model.

We will continue to work with Food Standards Scotland and other partners on the issues raised within the report.

In line with the normal budget processes the Scottish Government is engaging regularly with the Scottish Funding Council on preparation for the 2024-25 Budget. This engagement will continue with the Scottish Funding Council and the sector to ensure we put the needs of learners first.

Decisions on non-domestic rates for 2024-2025 are considered in the context of the Scottish Budget in line with the Framework for Tax 2021 and with consideration given to affordability; the Scottish Draft Budget for 2024-2025 will be set out on 19 December. Forecasted costs of the Scottish Government’s non-domestic rates policies are published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission in Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts .

Our rates relief package in 2023-2024 is estimated to be worth £749m, including the Small Business Bonus scheme which remains the most generous relief for small businesses in the UK, and ensures that around half of properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in Scotland will pay no rates.

In developing narrower proposals on alcohol marketing the Scottish Government will take account of both the potential public health benefits as well as potential impacts on industry, business and consumers. The next phase in this work will be targeted engagement early in 2024, which will include engagement with a range of stakeholders including those representing business and consumer interests.

The Scottish Government has carried out extensive work in collaboration with key organisations in the health and social care sector to scope the role and remit of a Coming Home National Support Panel that will provide genuine oversight and support to local areas in relation to the Coming Home agenda.

We are considering how the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill may provide opportunity to strengthen this work on the Coming Home programme, in particular the recommendation to establish a National Support Panel. A public consultation will launch by the end of 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23371 on 11 December 2023. 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

As announced in March 2023, of the £30 million allocated for the Fuel Insecurity Fund this financial year, £9 million was made available to Advice Direct Scotland to administer the Home Heating Support Fund.

We currently estimate the awards of around 160,000 people will be selected for ‘managed transfer’ to Adult Disability Payment.

The Scottish Government is committed to promoting and advancing Natural Flood Management (NFM) as one of a range of measures to adapt to current and future water-related environmental pressures.

The Scottish Government has provided funding over a number of years to both the Eddleston Water research catchment and Allan Water improvement project to help develop an evidence base to improve understanding of NFM. This evidence helps stakeholders understand its considerable value from a biodiversity perspective, and potential value as a complementary measure to improve flood resilience across catchments. Evidence already produced from these projects have indicated that NFM can help to delay flood peaks, deliver multiple environmental benefits and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Evidence also indicates that flood risk reduction is limited in more extreme events.

The Scottish Government funds the Centre of Expertise on Water (CREW), and the James Hutton Institute to conduct both short and long-term research projects assessing the effectiveness of nature-based flood management solutions.

Our five year Strategic Water Research Programme (2022-2027) is funding the “Achieving Multi-Purpose Nature-Based Solutions” research project which is currently working to explore how to work at scales and across sectors to deliver urban and rural nature-based solutions that make a significant contribution to meeting society’s needs.

In its November 2023 independent assessment of progress on climate adaptation, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) outlined the need for private investment, alongside public funding, to support adaptation action. Barriers limiting private investment to date have been identified by the CCC in its report from February 2023, titled Investment for a well-adapted UK , and include: