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In light of the change to the scale and scope of the project and because there is now only one landowner involved, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) will now conduct a further round of public engagements in 2023.

FLS will work together with Trees for Life to engage with the community with a view to this exercise evidencing the community and stakeholder support that gives FLS the assurance to then submit a licence application for a Spring 2024 release.

The Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland are statutorily responsible for the scrutiny of local authority performance and financial management in Scotland.

As part of the annual accounts audit process, Audit Scotland or its appointed auditors will assess and report their findings with regards to the financial management and sustainability of a local authority.

In addition, Audit Scotland also audit and report their findings on the statutory duty of local authorities to secure Best Value, which includes the requirement to ensure financial sustainability. Best Value audit reports are scrutinised by both the Accounts Commission and the Scottish Ministers.

Scottish councils have been treated fairly throughout UK imposed austerity but we do recognise the challenging environment they face and that is why we are committed to a New Deal with Local Government in order to ensure the sustainability of local services.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the restoration of 250,000 hectares of degraded Scottish peatlands by 2030. Earlier this year the First Minister’s policy prospectus ‘New Leadership - A Fresh Start’, reaffirmed this commitment with an interim target -promising to deliver up to 110,000 hectares of restored peatland by 2026.

As well as our commitment of £250 million of funding over ten years, through our Private Investment in Natural Capital programme, we are working to attract increased private investment in peatland restoration as a nature-based solution for climate change and biodiversity loss.

The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving its target to restore 250,000 hectares of peatland by 2030.

The Scottish Government remains committed to funding peatland restoration and also has an obligation to balance the budget each year. Annual spending plans are based on delivery forecasts and budget requirements from our delivery partners which inform the annual Budget process. The pipeline of work changes from year to year and so, therefore, does our allocated budget.

The total quantity of discards from Scottish vessels is not currently estimated. Marine Scotland estimates the total weight of fish bycatch (catch that was not considered suitable for commercial sales) for demersal trawlers and seine netters for each year, using data collected by scientific observers on-board fishing vessels. Fishing trips by vessels using other gears are not surveyed. The estimates for 2022 are given in the following table. These estimates are for fishing trips by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, however the estimates for solely Scottish vessels are likely to be of similar magnitude.

Estimates of the total weight of bycatch (kg), rounded to the nearest tonne, caught in 2022 in ICES subarea 4 and division 6a by UK vessels landing into Scotland and Scottish vessels landing abroad, fishing with demersal trawls or seines.

A Tripartite Alignment Group has been established to foster close, partnership working between the Scottish Government, the Scottish Funding Council and Colleges Scotland.

The purpose of this group is to focus on urgent pressures facing colleges and put in place the building blocks to tackle more complex, systemic issues which will be the subject of the wider programme of reform expressed through the Withers Review and underpinned by the Purpose and Principles.

Following on from recommendations made in recent reviews, the Scottish Government has also set out in the Programme for Government its intention to lead the development of a new funding model for post-school education provision. We will work closely with colleges, and others, in determining how we can use funding allocations to deliver improved outcomes.

On 28 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the Purpose and Principles for post-school education, research and skills setting out our long-term vision for the system and the outcomes that we want to achieve. This includes our focus on delivering a system that is financially and environmentally resilient, trusted to deliver, and subject to effective governance. In the Initial Priorities Paper that accompanied the Purpose and Principles we acknowledged that reform of current funding arrangements is needed to realise this ambition.

Drawing on the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Skills Delivery Landscape, the Scottish Government has committed in the 2023 -24 Programme for Government to lead development of a new funding model for post-school education and skills provision alongside setting out plans for implementing reform of our education and skills bodies. The Scottish Government are committed to continuing to work closely with colleges throughout the development and implementation of our programme of reforms to ensure that the changes that we put in place will deliver enhanced outcomes for people and places across Scotland.

We welcome Audit Scotland’s report on Scotland’s colleges. It recognises the opportunities coming from reform of post-school education, as signalled in the Purpose and Principles for Post-School Education, Research and Skills published on 28 June 2023, which can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/post-school-education-research-skills-purpose-principles/ .

Transport Scotland remains in positive dialogue with Ambassador Living (the developer for Forthview Housing Development) to reach an agreement on the use of Ferrymuir Gait as an access. This is following a legal process in order to finalise matters, which Transport Scotland hope to conclude by November 2023.

We have developed core standards for mental health services with a focus on adult secondary services. These include transitions and outline an expectation that people will receive help as close as possible to home. The core standards also aim to reduce unnecessary delays in transitions and improve information sharing, including with carers and their families. The standards emphasise the importance of the continuity of care and the need for follow-up support after discharge. We will publish these standards in Autumn 2023 and we will work with our partners in the Standards Implementation Advisory Group to implement these.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering the Coming Home Implementation Report recommendations to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.

This includes working with the local bodies that have statutory responsibility for providing and commissioning services to ensure that the appropriate planning is in place for people who are receiving care and treatment in an out-of-area placement.