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Scottish Government commissioned this report from Finance Earth to better understand the potential role of blended finance in mobilising responsible private investment for peatland restoration. We will draw on its conclusions and recommendations as we develop our forthcoming natural capital markets framework, which we committed to in this year’s Programme for Government.

Neither the Scottish Government nor NatureScot has contractual relationships with or has made payments to Palladium, Lombard Odier or Hampden and Co Bank in support of mobilising private finance into nature. NatureScot is a signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the financial partners. Further information on the partnership is available at www.nature.scot

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the restoration of 250,000 hectares of degraded Scottish peatlands by 2030. Earlier this year the First Minister’s policy prospectus ‘New Leadership - A Fresh Start’, reaffirmed this commitment with an interim target -promising to deliver up to 110,000 hectares of restored peatland by 2026.

As well as our commitment of £250 million of funding over ten years, through our Private Investment in Natural Capital programme, we are working to attract increased private investment in peatland restoration as a nature-based solution for climate change and biodiversity loss.

The Scottish Government remains committed to achieving its target to restore 250,000 hectares of peatland by 2030.

The Scottish Government remains committed to funding peatland restoration and also has an obligation to balance the budget each year. Annual spending plans are based on delivery forecasts and budget requirements from our delivery partners which inform the annual Budget process. The pipeline of work changes from year to year and so, therefore, does our allocated budget.

We have been engaging with NHS Grampian on these issues. The Scottish Government facilitated a visit involving Royal College of Emergency Medicine to NHS Grampian on 12 June this year to meet with staff and offer support. The visiting team subsequently made a number of recommendations that will support improvements. We will work closely with the board to support implementation.

We continue to work with NHS Grampian on delivery of their improvement plan, which contains a range of initiatives to support reduced waiting times. The Board have demonstrated progress against their improvement aims including increasing staffing levels to better manage the A&E footprint, increasing hospital at home capacity and reducing ambulance conveyance by strengthening alternative services which focus on A&E prevention.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21342 on 27 September 2023. 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 committed to upholding high standards of environmental protection. The statutory guidance on Scotland’s Guiding Principles on the Environment will help ensure that these high standards are maintained through the policy development process. Once the duty to give due regard to the environmental principles comes into force later in the year, Ministers will be legally required to consider these principles in the development of new policies, including through the Strategic Environmental Assessment process. This requirement will encompass policies within the new agricultural policy framework. We have committed in our Programme for Government to ‘continue the Agricultural Reform Programme to produce more of our food sustainably, cut carbon emissions, and farm with nature, by increasing the uptake of carbon audits, soil testing, and biodiversity audits and funding to improve animal health’.

Contingent liabilities are considered and approved in line with the guidance contained within the Scottish Public Finance Manual and in the Written Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Finance and Public Administration Committee. The Budget treatment applied is consistent with HMT’s Consolidated Budgeting Guidance:

• Amounts for contingent liabilities are not included in the budget, nor recognised as actual liabilities on the Scottish Government’s balance sheet, but are instead disclosed in notes to their accounts.

The Scottish Government's contingent liabilities are considered and approved in line with the guidance contained within the Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Written Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Finance and Public Administration Committee.

There is no separate requirement for the prior permission of HM Treasury for novel or particularly large contingent liabilities for activities either within the Fiscal Framework or elsewhere.

The project to introduce a pilot National Dashcam Safety Portal in Scotland is in the initial business case stage, with Police Scotland currently looking at the internal processing, handling and storage of digital images and how that best fits with current and projected processes. The initial implementation date for the project pilot was indicated as January 2023, however, Police Scotland has now stated that they are reviewing the project’s timings as part of their wider planning for 2023-24 and beyond.

My officials remain in discussion with Police Scotland on this matter and will meet with them again later in August as we look to progress this important road safety initiative.