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The outcome of the 2021 emissions reduction target will not be known until statistics for that year are published by early June 2023. In the event that any emissions reduction target is missed, under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 the Scottish Government has a legal duty to produce a catch-up report with additional policies and proposals to compensate in future years for the excess emissions. This approach ensures that the total amount of Scottish emissions over the lifetime of the targets in the Act will remain no greater than would have been the case if all of the annual targets had been exactly met.

The Scottish Government understands the challenges faced by students who are required to balance study with other commitments, and the additional costs incurred during their time spent studying.

Postgraduate Social Work students who are undertaking full-time placements as part of their course, and are experiencing financial hardship, can apply to their institutions for hardship funds. The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) also administer a hardship fund. This is in addition to the bursary available to postgraduate Social Work students provided by the SSSC.

We are currently in the process of evaluating minimum unit pricing (MUP) as a whole over its first five years of operation. Public Health Scotland will be producing a final report on MUP in 2023, which includes assessing the impact of MUP on health, crime, public safety and public nuisance in Scotland, and the impact on the alcohol industry. This will inform our evaluation report which will be laid in Parliament and published in 2023. In addition we will engage with a range of interested parties as set out in Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012.

Scottish Water does not maintain information by parliamentary region and is only able to provide information for the closest equivalent operational area (South Region Water Operational Area). There were 488 reports in December 2022 in this large geographical region compared to 256 reports in December 2021. This would include both leaks reported by customers as well as those identified separately by Scottish Water as part of their active leakage management.

In December 2022, Scottish Water experienced a significant increase in the number of burst water pipes as a result of a freeze and rapid thaw, and Scottish Water operatives worked tirelessly in freezing conditions during this time to respond to the issues which occurred on the water network. During this period Scottish Water also saw an increase in bursts on customer private supply pipes and internal plumbing, which had a significant impact.

Scottish Water has an annual campaign to raise awareness about how important it is for customers to protect their pipes by taking appropriate measures. More information about this is available on their website at Winter Wrapped Up - Scottish Water and Protect your Pipes - Scottish Water .

South Region Water Operational Area includes: Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, East Lothian, Midlothian, City of Edinburgh, West Lothian, South Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire.

Transport Scotland is continuing to consult with Local Authorities and others to develop both the secondary legislation required to allow them to enforce the National pavement parking prohibition as well as the Parking Standards Guidance which will underpin the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

The first of the associated regulations, which sets out the Exemption Order Procedures which local authorities must follow, was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 16 November and came into force on 9 December 2022.

My officials continue to work on the other secondary legislation which is required during the course of this year. These further regulations will ensure Local Authorities have all of the necessary tools to enforce the pavement parking prohibitions from late 2023 onwards.

Data from the industry itself clearly shows that a significant proportion of the oil and gas workforce will retire in the coming years.

As a responsible government, we have set out a pathway to ensure a fair and just transition for our energy workforce, and to bring a new generation of skilled workers into the industry. Given the North Sea basin is mature and production is already in decline, any other course of action would only serve to put jobs and our economy at risk.

Under section 36 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Government has a legal duty to produce a catch-up report with additional policies and proposals to compensate in future years for the excess emissions from any missed annual emissions targets. These have already been published for any previously missed targets. The 2020 target, which is the most recent to have been reported on, was met. We are one of only a very few countries to have such a rigorous statutory system which requires us to outperform on future targets when past targets are not met.

The consultation, Scotland's social security system: Enhanced Administration and Compensation Recovery, sought views on proposals to effect ongoing improvement of the Scottish social security system across a range of topics. Taken together, the proposals reflect the Scottish social security principles, unanimously endorsed by the Parliament, on seeking opportunities for continuous improvement in ways which put the needs of clients first, and delivering efficient systems and value for money.

The Scottish Government intends to publish the analysis of responses to the consultation before the Parliament’s Spring Recess.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13760 on 24 January 2022. 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 .

The COPFS Victims Right to Review Annual Report 2021-22 was published on the COPFS website on 24 January 2023.

The report is available on the COPFS website at the link below.

https://www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/victims-right-to-review-annual-report-2021-to-2022/