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For audiology services provided in hospital settings, information on provision of delivery is held within Boards and not by the Scottish Government.

While the Scottish Government remains committed to its vision for an integrated and community-based hearing service in Scotland, re-phasing of funding has meant that not all the challenges we are facing will be addressed in a single budget.

Total spend with media agencies over the last five years (2019-2024) was £50,729,800.33, as published here Marketing spend - Marketing spend - gov.scot

Media planning and buying is placed by call-off from the Media Planning, Buying and Associated Services framework (Ref: SP-23-05). The work is competed through the Framework and tenders are evaluated for value and quality. Framework suppliers when bidding are required to provide full detailed costs against indicative volumes, using the price guarantees set under the Framework.

Where appropriate media spend is audited for value against the Framework pricing as well as quality by an independent media auditor on a six monthly basis.

(a) 6 owned buildings on the core Scottish Government estate have solar PV (photovoltaic) panels, 2 buildings have biomass boilers, 1 building has an air source heat pump.

(b) Investment in renewable energy generation projects in owned core Scottish Government buildings in the last 10 years is:-

2024-25 - £0

2023-24 - £0

2022-23 - £929,705.00 1 building Air Source Heat, 1 building - Solar PV

2021-22 - £24,894 1 building - Solar PV

2020-21 - £18,000 1 building - Solar PV

2019-20 - £0

2018-19 - £728,000 3 buildings - Solar PV

2017-18 - £200,000 1 building - Biomass Boiler

2016-17 - £166,604 1 building - Biomass Boiler

2015-16 - £0

Biomass and air source heat systems provide 100% of the hot water demand for each building. Solar PV provides approximately 5% of each buildings annual electricity consumption.

Scottish Government have allocated £13.6 million to General Practice to assist with recruitment and retention by directly funding GP practices to pay partners and staff; distributed by Scottish Workload Formula and Income & Expenses Guarantee entitlement this year, next year by Scottish Workload Formula, Income & Expenses Guarantee entitlement and increased item of service fees for some optional services.

Scottish Government have not conducted an analysis of the impact of GP Numbers on GP access: access is affected by a number of factors and we continue to work with the profession to ensure they offer suitable access arrangements for their patients.

The latest GP headcount publication from September 2024 shows an increase in the number of fully qualified GPs.

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible people who take good care of their animals and enjoy the widespread benefits of dog ownership and companionship.

The Scottish Government Code of Practice on the Welfare of Dogs, approved by the Scottish Parliament, provides dog owners with information on caring for their pets. This has been promoted by various marketing campaigns in recent years working in partnership with the relevant stakeholders.

Furthermore The Scottish Government would encourage all dog owners to follow the guidance and advice from reputable organisations such as the Scottish SPCA, the Dogs Trust and others if they require assistance with the use of crates for their dogs and crate training.

Since the independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates, a range of key reforms to the NDR system have been implemented to support growth, improve administration and increase fairness.

Following the implementation of the final recommendations of the Barclay Review on 1 April 2023, a consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) was established under the New Deal for Business to advise on further enhancements to the NDR system. This sub-group provides a forum for ongoing dialogue and engagement on NDR issues with members who come from a range of business representative organisations, including the hospitality sector, as well as Scottish Assessors and local authorities who are also represented.

The Scottish Government has no plans to consult on a long-term replacement for the NDR system in advance of the next revaluation on 1 April 2026 but remains committed to the NDR sub-group and to working with the hospitality sector on the long-term issues that have been raised by the sector.

The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy sets out a range of ‘conditions for success’ required to ensure its Strategic Outcomes are achieved, including securing the necessary investment. The Biodiversity Investment Plan is therefore an important element of our Strategic Framework for biodiversity, setting out actions we will take to improve the flow of investment into nature restoration projects. The Biodiversity Investment Plan was published on 26 February 2025 and is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836910640.

Currently there are a total of 58 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). This compares to a total of 130 NDPBs in 1999.

The Scottish Government will continue to pursue effective deer management that will help secure our climate and nature objectives, on land owned by the Scottish Government and other land. This includes changes that are being made to deer legislation through the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, implementing recommendations of the Deer Working Group, and progressing deer management priorities set by the Strategic Deer Board.