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The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The 164,000 figure is derived from data contained in local authority Housing Land Audits, which may vary in how they audit the contribution of 'small sites' of 4 homes or fewer.

The Minimum All Tenure Housing Land Requirement (MATHLR) for each planning authority in Scotland is set out in Annex E of National Planning Framework 4.

The table below provides the difference between the MATHLR and the figures that contribute to the 164,000 units.

I welcome the recent Thematic inspection of road policing in Scotland report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland. The recommendations contained within the report are for Police Scotland to consider and respond, and how they do so is a matter for the Chief Constable.

I note Police Scotland’s statement on the report which highlights that the Service is already taking steps to address the issues raised, including the identification and implementation of a sustainable model for road policing. The Chief Constable has been clear policing must evolve to meet demand, with a focus on enabling frontline officers and staff to deliver for communities.

I look forward to discussing this and other issues when I next meet the Chief Constable.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Greening Scheme was introduced in 2015 with the intent to improve the environmental performance of farming. The Scheme delivers thirty per cent of Scotland’s Direct Payment budget as a top up to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Farmers and crofters must comply with the Greening requirements to receive their BPS and Greening payments. For those that meet the eligibility requirements this also includes carrying out Ecological Focus areas (EFA’s) that are beneficial for the climate, environment and biodiversity.

Several of the EFA options encourage land stability and prohibit the use of artificial fertilisers/ chemicals, which create benefits for restoration of natural processes but there is no direct funding link that can be quantified for the “restoration of natural Processes”.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31897 on 9 December 2024. 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 Scottish Government is already committed to delivering the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture. Scotland will have a support framework that delivers high quality food production, climate mitigation and adaptation, and nature restoration. This will be delivered thorough the Agricultural Reform Programme (ARP) which will contain a number of Tiers to provide range of targeted support. This will include specific support for businesses which they do their part to deliver Scotland’s climate and biodiversity targets, including measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and restore and improve nature.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill introduced into Parliament earlier this year further supports nature restoration. It sets out proposals that will change how land is owned and managed in our rural and island communities; it places legal responsibilities on the owners of the very largest landholdings to set out how they use their land and how that contributes to key public policy priorities, like addressing climate change and protecting and restoring nature. It also proposes a new Land Management Tenancy creating a framework for hybrid land management. This will enable people and communities to undertake a range of land management activities that help to deliver net zero, biodiversity and sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 requires that Scottish Ministers publish a circular economy strategy and make regulations to set circular economy targets.

The development of the circular economy strategy and associated monitoring and indicator framework will be developed between now and March 2026. A consultation for both is planned for summer 2025 with development of targets to follow their publication. This will include, for example, consideration of material-specific targets as recommended by the Climate Change Committee.

We work closely with industry and other stakeholders, directly and through Zero Waste Scotland, to understand and consider new approaches and technologies as they develop. These will be taken into account when developing the Circular Economy Strategy.

Physician associates are valued and welcome members of the NHS Scotland workforce, and will continue to contribute to the Scottish Government's priority of developing a sustainable system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, and in the right place. Work is being taken forward through our national Medical Associate Professionals Programme Board to identify how the Physician Associate profession can be utilised to best effect going forward.

GP practices, as independent contractors, are responsible for determining their own staff mixes and it is up to individual practices to decide whether or not they wish to employ Physician Associates or any other type of clinician. The work to expand the Multidisciplinary Teams supporting GP practices through the Primary Care Improvement Fund is based on transferring services from GP delivery to delivery by health board employed staff. It is up to health boards to decide how to staff these services, although they must work closely with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that specific local challenges and population need are taken into account.

The additional mobile endoscopy units have supported patients to be clinically prioritised for endoscopy, ensuring that a range of conditions, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, are diagnosed and managed timeously.

To provide further support for timeous diagnosis, the Scottish Government commissioned Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) will shortly publish a newly developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease pathway to support earlier identification and management of the disease.

This is all part of our programme to drive up productivity and tackle waiting lists, supported by the CfSD. Together, our actions will further enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience, reduce variation and deliver reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for diagnosis and treatment.