Seòmar agus comataidhean

The number of full time equivalent civil servants in 2025-26 across the core Scottish Government and the various Executive Agencies will be informed by the 2025-26 budget in December.

Workforce numbers will be considered in the context of the recently announced recruitment freeze and the Pre-Budget Fiscal Update to Parliament on 4 September.

We currently do not have plans to provide direct training for community councillors in relation to energy infrastructure projects. The Scottish Government provide funding to Planning Aid Scotland who offer tailored training for Community Councils to meet their individual needs.

Significant activity is already underway following the £30 million investment to target backlogs, announced in the spring. This will see around 12,000 new outpatient appointments, around 12,000 inpatient procedures and over 40,000 diagnostic procedures delivered.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing waiting times year-on-year across the NHS as set out in the Policy Prospectus. We will continue to work with all NHS boards to maximise current resources and productivity.

Future funding for commitments will be considered as part of the 2025-26 budget process that will allocate resources to the Government’s priorities of the day.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the application of the waste hierarchy to reduce waste and maximise the value of any waste that is generated in order to encourage the sustainable use of our limited resources and help reduce emissions.

There are currently a number of measures already underway that apply the waste hierarchy to waste wood. The ‘Wood cascading in Scotland’ report, published in 2023 by Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) for Scottish Forestry and Zero Waste Scotland, provides an overview of existing measures and future opportunities to efficiently utilise wood to prolong its life cycle and ensure effective end of life management for energy recovery. The report is available at https://be-st.build/media/fospozdi/be-st_wood-cascading-in-scotland_2023.pdf.

Examples of existing measures include:

?Scotland’s forest industries continue to work in close collaboration with a range of internal and external partners to maximise best practice in waste management in accordance with the waste hierarchy at all stages of supply chains. There are already well-established pre-existing markets for the buying and selling of pre-used wood products according to the type of wood and grade of waste. At present, from UK production of 9.8 million tonnes annually, the sector disposes of 306,000 tonnes (3.1%) to landfill.

?Four Recycling Improvement Fund projects include wood as a material stream in order to increase the amount of wood that is recycled.

?Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) prioritise wood recycling and most HWRCs will have a container for wood to be recycled and this would be encouraged at site to divert from residual to recycling. A small number of sites may have some reuse options available, such as for community groups.

Going forward, the powers in the Circular Economy Act and the proposals in the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map will further promote the use of surplus and reuse in the construction sector, aiming to move all construction waste and surplus up the waste hierarchy, including wood products. In addition, the Scottish Government’s draft Bioenergy Policy Statement sets out that the bioenergy sector should prioritise the use of available waste feedstocks, including waste wood, and that the use of biomass must comply with the principles of a circular economy.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone receives the benefits to which they are entitled. In 2024-25 we have invested over £12 million in free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice services – including £4.6 million for Citizens Advice Scotland’s Money Talk Team service, which last year supported over 9,000 older people, securing financial gains of over £7 million.

The Scottish Government publish enforcement data which details the number of marine inspections by nationality. Marine and fisheries compliance: boardings of vessels in Scottish waters - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) These statistics have been updated recently to include data up to 30 June 2024.

The current paying agency is performing well, making payments more quickly and stably than before. The existing system was built to deliver against the CAP and while we work to reform the support system we must also prioritise existing payment delivery to ensure no cliff edges. Regular maintenance of the system is required to protect the integrity and stability of existing payments and the Scottish Government must allocate sufficient budget to ensure continuation of that stability. However, these systems, whilst vital for maintain ongoing payments, are not designed to deliver the four tier support framework required for the Agricultural reform programme. Therefore, we are currently working on what capabilities and requirements will be needed in the future.

We are supporting NHS Boards through our Urgent and Unscheduled Care Collaborative Programme to improve patient flow through our acute sites and reduce A&E delays. Key actions include: strengthening arrangements to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions such as Same Day Emergency Care services; optimising Flow Navigation Centres; enhancing the discharge process - focusing on discharge planning; and reducing length of stay.

The Scottish Government publish Enforcement Data which details the number of coastal inspections by nationality. Marine and fisheries compliance: boardings of vessels in Scottish waters - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). These statistics have been updated recently to include data up to 30 June 2024.

The Agricultural Route Map states that from 2025 the support framework will be aimed at delivering against the following five outcomes with at least half of all funding targeted towards outcomes for biodiversity gain and climate mitigation and adaption:

• High Quality Food Production - the primary food production sector is a productive sector of the economy and ensures we meet more of our own food needs more sustainably
• Thriving Agricultural Businesses - profitable and resilient agricultural businesses support local livelihoods, supply chains and the wider rural economy
• Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation - greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector are reduced in line with the CCP, and the ability to adapt to climate change is increased
• Nature Restoration - there will be substantial regeneration in, and maintenance of, biodiversity, ecosystem, and soil health on agricultural land
• Support for a Just Transition