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Many restoration projects around Scotland are already working with universities and researchers to pioneer new methods and develop best practice in data collection and monitoring. We are currently consulting on a draft marine and coastal restoration plan which sets out key objectives to help us understand restoration opportunities and priorities. The draft plan also proposes actions to stimulate innovation, standardise monitoring, and encourage knowledge exchange. The draft plan was developed with advice from NatureScot and Marine Directorate scientists, as well as input from a range of stakeholders including research institutions. Best practice guidance for restoration activities is already available on the websites of NatureScot and the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund, among others.

The Scottish Government has not engaged with the Ramsar Secretariat on the planning application at Coul Links. NatureScot serves as a statutory advisor to the Scottish Government on developments that may affect Ramsar sites, offering expert ecological guidance to assess environmental impacts. The Ramsar Secretariat, based in Switzerland, is responsible for the day-to day co-ordination of convention activities. Whilst the Secretariat provides guidance, technical advice, and support to member countries to help ensure Ramsar sites are protected within their national planning processes, the Secretariat does not have a direct role in specific planning applications.

We recognise the distress and pain that migraines cause and we take the issue of migraine seriously.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery launched the national headache pathway in October 2023, to improve care for migraines and headache across Scotland. The pathway is being implemented to aid with the diagnosis and management of headache disorders including migraine, offer guidance on management, and support health boards to aid their future planning.

The Scottish Government funded £221,176 to the Migraine Trust across 2022-2024 to work upskilling community, primary and secondary care pharmacists across NHS Grampian to help people with migraine manage their condition more effectively. This included funding to partner other health boards to extend the reach of this model and increase care and support for people living with migraine.

An eLearning programme for NHS Education for Scotland’s (NES) platform TURAS was developed through the project, comprising a suite of training materials available for all pharmacists and pharmacy teams in Scotland to access.

Additionally, NES Pharmacy hosted a webinar in September 2024 to provide guidance to pharmacy staff on the assessment, support and management of people living with migraine in line with the Scottish National Headache Pathway.

Following publication of the Pathway, Scottish Government has liaised with NHS24 and clinicians to produce public-facing accessible information on migraine, available at Migraine | NHS inform.

Following a review of services and in order to prioritise access to specialist sexual health services for those in greatest need, NHS Lanarkshire have made a decision to centralise non-Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) prescription appointments to Coathill Hospital. Patients are still able to access non-LARC contraception (such as the pill) at Coathill Hospital or through their GP, which may be more convenient for them. Appointments for LARC continue to be available throughout the wider sexual health service in Lanarkshire.

All homes and businesses in Scotland should now be able to access a minimum of a superfast broadband connection, thanks to the three strands of activity that make up the Reaching 100% (R100) programme - the R100 contracts, our Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and ongoing commercial coverage. According to Ofcom figures, gigabit coverage in Scotland stands at 78% - up from just 59% in 2022. Ofcom figures also show North and South Lanarkshire as amongst the best served areas in Scotland for access to gigabit capable broadband – with 92% and 87% gigabit coverage respectively.

Digital infrastructure is essential for building a fairer, greener, and stronger economy, which is why over the last decade the Scottish Government has delivered over one million faster, more reliable broadband connections across the country - backed by over £1 billion of publicly driven investment. This is despite telecoms being wholly reserved to Westminster.

There is, however, more to be done. This is why we are playing a crucial role in the delivery of Project Gigabit in Scotland, having awarded new local and regional contracts earlier this year with further regional contracts in procurement, as well as managing delivery of the nationwide contract which was awarded by the UK Government to Openreach last year.

There will, however, remain premises which are beyond the reach of Project Gigabit procurements and are considered very hard to reach by the UK Government. Despite promises that an approach to connecting such premises would be forthcoming in 2022 and then again in 2023, we continue to await a clear proposal. We stand ready to work with the UK Government to develop a solution to connect those premises, ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Scottish Government has no plans currently to mandate further data collection from salmon farms given the information already provided is sufficient for transparency and regulatory purposes. The approach was set in our response (March 2025) to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee's recent inquiry and report into salmon farming in Scotland. In this correspondence, I also committed to improve the accessibility of existing data collections and to explore how to gain greater insights into cleaner fish mortality.

Section 7 of the Act was brought into force on 26 June 2024 but only insofar as for the purpose of section 8 (removal of certain trustees by court: unfitness). The Scottish Government’s preferred approach is to allow the remaining provisions of the Act to be brought into force at the same time as a Scotland Act Order extends relevant provisions to pensions trusts and officials are working closely with UK Government colleagues to progress this work.

Decisions to attend the scene of a reported crime and follow-up investigations are operational matters for Police Scotland.

All reports made to the service are assessed under THRIVE (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) to gauge how they should be prioritised. THRIVE enables call handlers and officers assess whether there is a threat or potential harm, how likely it is to happen, whether there are investigation opportunities, whether the person is vulnerable and how best to engage.

Police Scotland have confirmed that, under the THRIVE model, reports of burglary, either in a retail setting or a private residence, would result in attendance from local officers.

In terms of retail crime, Police Scotland have used the £3 million additional funding provided this year to establish a Retail Crime Taskforce made up of uniformed officers, detectives and specialist analysts. The team is targeting repeat offenders of retail crime by using analytical data and intelligence to carry out proactive enforcement activities in areas most heavily impacted.

As highlighted in Police Scotland's recently published Quarter 1 performance report, their dedicated Edinburgh team has delivered significant results for the capital’s retailers, including 234 charges brought against retail crime offenders in the first three months of operations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40510 on 29 September 2025. 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 process for ordering a repeat prescription for contraception, such as the contraceptive pill or Depo injection, is the same as for any other prescription medication. Patients must have approval from their clinician for a repeat prescription. Most GP practices offer online ordering and many pharmacies also provide collection and delivery services which may be convenient for patients, including evening and weekend opening. Patients are advised to speak to their GP practice or local pharmacy to see what is the best option for them to obtain their medication.