Seòmar agus comataidhean

A voluntary register of beekeepers ‘BeeBase’ is maintained by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit and which the Scottish Government pay an annual contribution to have access. As registration to ‘BeeBase’ is entirely voluntary, it is important to note that it is a live database and does not hold any historic datasets and relies on its users to maintain, update, and delete old records.

Furthermore, the information is held by county, rather than local authority area.

Table 1. Number of Registered Beekeepers in Scotland per Country on the ‘BeeBase’ Database, as of 10 March 2023.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The recruitment and deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Policing is and will continue to be a priority for the Scottish Government. Scotland has a higher number of officers than at any time during the last administration – and more per head of population than England and Wales (30 officers per 10,000 population in Scotland, compared to 24 officers per 10,000 population in England and Wales). Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who may be supported by specialist expertise and resources at a regional and national level.

Oil and gas exploration and production, including licensing and climate compatibility, remains reserved to the UK Government.

Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, published in January, sets out clearly that the North Sea basin is mature and production will inevitably decline. I have been clear about our intention to move away from a policy of unlimited extraction, even if the North Sea was not a declining resource. We need a new plan for Scotland’s energy system, the ESJTP seeks to do this.

Independent analysis on the energy system and just transition, published this month, includes a detailed assessment of oil and gas production in Scotland. Our forthcoming Climate Change Plan for Scotland, a draft of which is due in November, will set out our pathway to meeting our emissions reductions targets to 2040 alongside the costs and benefits of policies within the plan.

As I have said previously, oil and gas exploration and production, including licensing, remains reserved to UK Government. Our position on oil & gas licensing is clear , unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and meeting the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees. Nor is it the right solution to the real cost of living crisis families are facing, when to reduce energy costs we need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. This means investing more in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

W e have consistently called on the UK Government, to urgently re-assess all approved offshore oil and gas licenses where drilling has not yet commenced, against our climate commitments.

Instead of licensing for more fossil fuel extraction, the UK Government should be encouraging investment in renewables and supporting a just transition for our energy sector and for Scottish households, and businesses.

Scottish Government is clear that unlimited extraction of fossil fuels is not consistent with our climate obligations and is not the right solution to the real cost of living crisis families are facing.

The First Minister called on the UK Government for a four nations’ discussion to agree on a final Climate Compatibility Checkpoint process – a call which was ignored. It is disappointing that the Climate Compatibility Test proposed by the UK Government is limited to new exploration, and that the bar has been set so low in terms of the Test itself. It is a lightweight version of the Test consulted upon earlier this year.

That is why we are consulting on what factors should be considered in assessing the impact of new oil and gas production and if this test should be applied to fields that are already consented but not yet in production as well as new exploration (if exploration continues) in the context of the global goals of the Paris Agreement.

We are now considering the most recent inflationary trajectory over the next 12-18 months and are working on a Pay Strategy for 2023-24 in collaboration with stakeholders. This will set out key principles and recognise the link between pay, public service reform and workforce. We expect to publish the strategy by the end of March 2023.

We are working to ensure that the important role of our ocean in mitigating and adapting to climate change is recognised. Scotland’s Indicative Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement sets out our commitment to developing the evidence base to support inclusion of two blue carbon habitats, saltmarsh and seagrass, in the UK Greenhouse Gas emissions inventory as soon as it is appropriate to do so. We are working with the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum and UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership to identify and address key evidence gaps and develop a road map to inclusion. However, while we are considering how the next Climate Change Plan can include current and future policies on wider issues, it is unlikely that either habitat will be included in the UK inventory ahead of the next Climate Change Plan and therefore will not contribute directly to delivery of Scotland’s statutory emissions reduction targets which the Plan is designed to meet. We are also seeking to better understand the risks to blue carbon habitats and how to protect and enhance them within marine planning, marine protection and enhancement policies.

Currently consented oil and gas extraction is a reserved matter and, therefore, associated impact assessments would be the purview of UK Government.

It is disappointing that the Climate Compatibility Test proposed by the UK Government is limited to new exploration. That is why we are consulting on what factors should be considered in assessing the impact of new oil and gas production and if this test should be applied to fields that are already consented but not yet in production as well as new exploration (if exploration continues) in the context of the global goals of the Paris Agreement.

Furthermore, the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan outlines actions to accelerate the transition and is out for consultation until 9 th May. Our final Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will take account of the consultation response and be published in due course.

Independent analysis on the energy system and just transition, published this month, includes a detailed assessment of oil and gas production in Scotland. Our forthcoming Climate Change Plan for Scotland, a draft of which is due in November, will set out our pathway to meeting our emissions reductions targets to 2040 alongside the costs and benefits of policies within the plan.

As per previous Climate Change plans, it must contain policies and proposals, by sector, for meeting the economy wide annual emissions reduction targets for each year. The Plan will also set out for the first time the costs and benefits (including financial cost, emissions and jobs) of the policies it contains, as well as setting out how it will affect different sectors of the Scottish economy and different regions in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14332 on 7 February 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website .

An additional £2.5 million has been re-allocated to the Scottish Welfare Fund from the proposed £5 million addition to the Discretionary Housing Payment budget during 2022-23. This additional funding is an exceptional measure in response to the cost of living crisis, and will enable local authorities to provide more flexible local support through Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. This can include payments to individuals and households who are experiencing financial challenges, including the effects of the cost of living crisis and food or fuel insecurity.