Seòmar agus comataidhean

We strongly oppose the introduction of any mandatory digital ID scheme by the UK Government.

The mandatory nature of the UK Government proposal raises multiple human rights concerns and may disproportionately impact the most vulnerable in our society. The Scottish Government believes that people should not be asked to prove who they are unless it is necessary.

When announced, the UK Government said that they will listen to a range of views on how the scheme will be delivered. We are actively working with them to fully understand the proposal and seek further information on the planned consultation, and areas which will impact the people of Scotland.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has evolved its current deer management model, that has increased the annual cull by 35% since 2015/16. This model—delivered through a combination of Wildlife Rangers, professional contractors, and recreational stalkers—has proven more effective in reducing deer impacts on Scotland’s national forests and land (SNFL), while supporting broader land management goals and protecting public investment.

Sporting leases, often lacked the flexibility and responsiveness needed to manage deer populations effectively, the current model allows year-round culling across varied terrain using specialist equipment. Professional Rangers and contractors ensure a targeted and efficient approach.

Additionally, increasing sporting leases would significantly raise the cost of sporting rates payable by FLS to local authorities along with the increased administrative burden, especially compared to more direct delivery models.

FLS does not have a policy of exclusive use of paid contractors for deer management.

FLS currently achieves its annual deer cull via:-

• FLS Wildlife Rangers (x 50), delivering 24% of cull.
• Professional Culling Contractors (x 115), delivering 74% of cull.
• Recreational Stalkers (x 50), delivering 2% of cull.

This model was developed over several years and has helped FLS facilitate a 35% increase in its cull from 30,700 deer in 2015/16, to 41,500 deer in 2024/25.

Higher culls result in reductions in deer numbers and associated deer damage impacts.

Across SNFL there are currently 23 recreational deer leases and permissions covering 24,700 hectares.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring Scotland’s pathway networks are accessible and safe by investing in high-quality active travel infrastructure and supporting behaviour change programmes. We are investing £188.7 million in 2025–26 to support high-quality active travel and bus infrastructure, sustainable travel integration, and behaviour change programmes.

This year over £11 million is being provided to maintain and improve the National Cycle Network, alongside support for the Places for Everyone programme and the Iain Findlay Path Fund. In addition to these programmes, the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund and our tiered funding model, enable local authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authority’s to deliver safe, inclusive walking, wheeling and cycling routes.

As per Historic Environments Scotland’s (HES) established annual approach, a number of sites across the HES estate are currently closed for the winter season, or will close in November, in line with sector best practice. Further information on closures can be found at https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/check-for-closures/.

As indicated in my earlier reply day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works of any specific site, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s long-term vision, as set out in the Active Travel Framework, is that by 2030 Scotland’s communities will be shaped around people and place, enabling walking, wheeling, and cycling to be the most popular modes of travel for short, everyday journeys.

For 2025-26 the Scottish Government is investing £188.7 million in high-quality active travel and bus infrastructure, with associated behaviour change programmes, supported sustainable travel integration. This funding enables local authorities to improve access to facilities for people walking and wheeling through the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund and the People and Place programme. Businesses also benefit from these investments through increased footfall and accessibility. By prioritising inclusive design and place-based solutions, we are helping communities shape their environments around people, making everyday journeys safer and more accessible.

The Scottish Government is keen to learn, along with others, about the impact of wildfires to develop a better understanding of fire risks and fire resilient landscapes.

NatureScot will be reporting and monitoring the impact of the fire, which affected a relatively small area, on the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. They will also look into assessing the impact on Culbean Hill Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) and learning about the impact on the other SSSIs.

There is no direct evidence of a link between available care home places and suicide rates or risks, though we are seeking to understand the suicide risks for older adults. Suicide Prevention Scotland is undertaking work to build this understanding and the effective interventions to address these risks.

The Scottish Government is committed to developing a sustainable health and social care system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place. Although we have overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning, providing appropriate social care capacity and charging for services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated health and social care partnerships.

This year we have made available over £14 billion to local authorities, a real terms increase of 4.3 per cent, with a record £15 billion for 2025-26 set out in the Scottish Budget, a further real terms increase of 4.7 per cent. But it would be for these local authorities to assess local population needs and where investment needs to be targeted to improve the social care infrastructure within their relevant area.

Suicide prevention is a key priority for the Scottish Government and we published an ambitious 10-year Suicide Prevention Strategy: Creating Hope Together: Scotland’s Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2032 Creating Hope Together and Action Plan:creating-hope-together-scotlands-suicide-prevention-action-plan-2022-2025.pdf with COSLA in September 2022. This strategy recognises the complex factors affecting suicide, and our action plan sets out the wide programme of work we are taking forward with partners - across the public, private, third sector and communities - to ensure everyone affected by suicide can access compassionate, appropriate and timely support.

Scottish Government has met the Programme for Government commitment to double suicide prevention annual funding to £2.8m in the current parliamentary term, which is helping us to drive forward our ambitious strategy and action plan.

It is not possible to provide such information because in line with usual practice, details of individual tasks carried out by civil servants, including the number of hours spent on them are not routinely recorded as there is no business need to do this. Civil servants across a range of different business areas contributed to this publication as part of their normal duties supporting the Scottish Government.