Seòmar agus comataidhean

Since 2020 Marine Directorate have issued thirty Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) totalling £95,000 in relation to suspected fishing in restricted areas where the fishing method involved was prohibited. Of those thirty incidents, four were specifically within Marine Protected Areas which are protected by a Scottish Statutory Instrument implemented under powers provided by the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and/or the Inshore Fishing (Scotland) Act 1984.

Fines totalling £20,000 were issued for these four cases, one of which was paid and no further action taken. The remaining three cases, following non-payment, were subsequently reported to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) for consideration of prosecution. Two of these cases were convicted in court and fined £2,000 and £5,000 respectively. The third case has recently been submitted to COPFS and has not as of yet proceeded to trial.

In addition to these four cases where Fixed Penalty Notices were issued by Marine Directorate, One further case was not offered an FPN and was referred directly to the Procurator Fiscal resulting in a conviction and fine of £2,075.

For the Scottish Government to meet our commitment of ensuring that at least 1000 people receive public funding for their stay in Residential Rehabilitation, it is largely dependent on capacity in the residential rehabilitation providers who provide the service, rather than the alcohol and drug partnership workforce.

Despite the real terms budget cuts introduced by the previous UK Government, in 2024-25 alone we have committed £4.7 billion to support the delivery of our climate change goals.

We are committed to tackling climate change through the existing actions we have set out as part of government policy, and through the development of our next Climate Change Plan. Work has already started on planning and delivery of a number of measures in key areas of the Climate Policy Package.

We continually review staffing and resourcing, to support Programme for Government and forthcoming Budget commitments to ensure that the government’s ambition for climate change is delivered.

Our Net Zero Assessment aims to assist Ministers and public sector leaders to make better informed decisions on budgets and policies by providing information on impact on climate targets and signposting areas for enhanced emissions reduction effort. The intention is, on completion of the current pilot within Scottish Government, to roll the pilot out across all significant new Scottish Government expenditure decisions from the end of 2024.

The Assessment will support an enhanced formal advisory role for the Global Climate Emergency Programme Board and the Cabinet Sub-Committee for the Climate Emergency on the climate impact of future Scottish Government proposals.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) at the University of Glasgow to provide a coordinated approach to the surveillance of marine species (e.g., cetaceans, seals and basking sharks) stranded around the Scottish coast. As well as investigating major causes of death, the scheme also helps identify any substantial new threats to the conservation status of these species as well as assisting in the identification of other pressures and threats.

This information is used by the Scottish Government and NatureScot to take forward action that can help to prevent strandings in the future and to meet its commitment to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status for cetaceans. This includes delivering action to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species, including cetaceans, to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, as well as supporting ongoing work to ensure the coherence of our marine protected areas network.

Much of this work is supported by the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund and Scottish Government's Nature Restoration Fund which is managed by NatureScot.

As the Bill is currently passing through the UK Parliament, we do not yet know what its final provisions will be.

However the Scottish Government welcomes the objectives of the Bill as introduced, which we believe align with the policy of Scottish Ministers that a fully publicly owned and integrated railway will deliver the best service for Scotland. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd. is required to follow this policy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29074 on 3 September 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 aware of the recent reported detection of Hepatitis A in North Lanarkshire.

This is being managed locally by the NHS Lanarkshire health protection team with support from Public Health Scotland and other partners. Although the Scottish Government has had no direct discussions with NHS Lanarkshire or North Lanarkshire, we are in regular contact with Public Health Scotland and will take appropriate action should the situation escalate.

A series of public health measures has already been implemented, including provision of vaccination and information to identified contacts who may be at risk.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water has advised that a major repair has been required under challenging conditions following a pipe bridge collapse. Following the incident, Scottish Water installed a temporary system while the design for a new bridge was being developed to ensure that there was no detriment to the environment.

The design work for the permanent solution is now complete and on-site work started on 19th August 2024. Scottish Water is aiming to complete this work by the end of December 2024. Scottish Water has advised that it is continuing to monitor the temporary system and it remains in communication with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Information on the number of P6 & P7 pupils who are in registered for free school meals is published annually, and can be found in table 2.22 of our pupil census 2023 supplementary statistics: Pupil census supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The Scottish Government is committed to free school meal expansion and continues to work with partners in local government.