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The Scottish Government has been made aware of incidents of force-fitted installations of prepayment meters across different suppliers, although it does not hold information on the number or nature of those incidents. While policy on energy markets is a matter reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility for supplier guidance sits with Ofgem, the Scottish Government opposes the forced installation of prepayment meters, which increases the risk of self- rationing and self-disconnection. The additional costs associated with prepayment meters also lead to increased debt.

We are engaging with Ofgem regarding its request to suppliers to immediately halt forced installations and remote switching to prepayment meters until 31 March 2023, as well as its consultation on the rules and guidance on the use of prepayment meters by suppliers. We will use this engagement to ensure that the rights and interests of Scottish consumers are fully considered.

We remain committed to significantly increasing the rate of restoration as one of the transformative changes needed to meet the targets set out in the Climate Change Plan. In 2020 we set out ambitious plans to invest more than £250 million over ten years to restore at least 250,000 hectares of degraded peatlands by 2030.

Against this target, we have delivered around 64,000 hectares to date at an annual rate of around 6,000 hectares in recent years. This falls short of our annual target of 20,000 hectares. There are a number of reasons for this, including the fact that peatland restoration is a sector in its infancy and has not yet developed significant supply capacity. Contractor capacity is limited, as is the field of technical advisers and agents to support land owners and managers through restoration projects.

Our Peatland Programme is working to address the many barriers to transforming restoration rates in order to meet both current and future targets. We are taking actions to boost supply and demand, to create new levers and incentives through agriculture and land reform, and to increase private investment.

The primary responsibility for controlling feral pig populations in the wild lies with land managers who should work in partnership with local communities.

It is an offence under Section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release any type of pig, including wild boar. It is also an offence to allow them to escape from captivity.

Further information can be found on the NatureScot website at Managing feral pigs in Scotland | NatureScot

Our thoughts remain with all those who lost loved ones on board Pan Am Flight 103 and those in the town of Lockerbie.

Decisions around the allocation of police resources are operational matters for Police Scotland in dialogue with the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Government will continue to work to ensure that Police Scotland have the necessary resources to fulfil their functions, including for complex, international investigations.

Scotland’s Redress Scheme provides freedom of choice for applicants throughout the process. The scheme is designed to ensure that applicants do not have to fund legal costs from any redress payment they may receive. While applications can be made without the need for a solicitor, applicants are strongly encouraged to take up the offer of funded legal advice, particularly before signing a waiver and accepting a redress payment.

Costs and expenses reasonably incurred in the making of an application are reimbursed and, recognising the importance of legal advice, the scheme ensures that where an applicant chooses to take legal representation there is a clear route for this to be funded directly from the Scottish Government to the solicitor. The maximum levels of legal fees which can be reasonably paid directly to a solicitor by the scheme are prescribed in legislation, though there is scope under the scheme to pay additional fees in exceptional circumstances. The prescribed sums are set at £450 + VAT for a fixed rate and next of kin payment and £2,000 + VAT for an individually assessed payment. However, as per the legislation, applicants are free to appoint their own solicitor and come to their own arrangements on the payment of fees if they choose to do so, and the terms of the engagement should be agreed at the outset.

Information is provided to applicants to ensure that they can make informed choices about the funding of legal advice. Practical, emotional, legal and general support is available to all applicants to Scotland’s Redress Scheme at all stages of their application.

As of 28th February 2023, £100,244 has been paid directly to solicitors. Redress payments of just over £17,500,000 have been paid directly to applicants.

An update on the progress of Scotland’s Redress Scheme was provided to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 12 January 2023. The official report of the meeting can be found on the Scottish Parliament website .

From November 2021 to December 2022 (the most recent available data), six fines were dispensed for charges under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, section 1(1)&(6). The value of these fines are in the following table:

Table 1: Fines dispensed between November 2021 and December 2022 for livestock worrying.

Scottish Government recognise that Scotland’s Caledonian Pinewoods are an irreplaceable and iconic habitat which is a treasured part of Scotland’s natural heritage. Scottish Forestry, NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland were partners in this project along with Woodland Trust Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates and the lead organisation Trees for Life. We are currently working through the findings of the recently published reports.

Scottish Government currently support landowners and managers to improve the condition and extent of Caledonian Pinewoods through the Forestry Grants Scheme. This funding supports regeneration and expansion of pinewoods through management of deer as well as ongoing maintenance and improvement work. Support is also provided to help with preparing long-term forest plans for these woodlands, which is often the first step towards recovery. Engagement with private land managers is ongoing in order to encourage them take up and make use of this available funding. Forestry and land Scotland who manage approximately 10% of Scotland’s Forests and Land, are actively engaged with pinewood restoration.

Scottish Forestry has committed over £14 million since 2015, to help secure the sustainable management of native woodlands and associated habitats, and much of this funding will directly benefit the Caledonian Pinewoods . In the same timeframe current figures show that an additional 20 million has been committed on creating nearly 5000 hectares of new pine woodland.

The Scottish Government does not currently have any plans to support World Milk Day 2023 but will consider this with the relevant stakeholders. The Scottish Government provides support to both the Dairy Growth Board and the Dairy Hub, managed by NFUS, and supports consumption of dairy products as part of a healthy balanced diet.

During this period Scottish ministers received 27 formal invitations to visit independent schools and at least two visits have taken place. Government officials have ongoing engagement with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools to discuss a range of issues that affect the sector.

In addition, Scottish ministers have made 48 visits to local authority schools to date this parliamentary session.

I am grateful to WWF Scotland for this contribution to the important discussion on how we cut emissions from our homes and buildings while – critically - ensuring a just transition for all households. The WWF is an important stakeholder, and a strong supporter of the outcomes that the Scottish Government is determined to achieve. The report aligns with our focus on the importance of energy efficiency and on heat pumps and heat networks. Our targets are ambitious, given the seriousness of the climate emergency and the size of the challenge to reduce emissions from our buildings. We will continue to do everything in our power to meet these targets, and to make Scotland’s homes more comfortable and affordable to heat.

Scotland’s homes and buildings currently account for around a fifth of all our greenhouse gas emissions, and we are committed to taking bold, ambitious steps to ensure we reduce these emissions to meet our climate obligations. Our Heat in Buildings Strategy sets a hugely ambitious vision to cut carbon and improve energy efficiency across Scotland’s homes over the coming years and the report notes that the policies and targets set out in the Strategy will meet our overall objective for 2045.

We recognise that this is a decisive decade for action which is why, since the Strategy was published, we have been working to support and speed up the delivery of zero direct emission heating systems: ensuring the sector is ready to accelerate and that households have the appropriate information, financial support and incentives to switch to climate-friendly heating systems. I look forward to consulting on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill in the coming months, and seeking views on our plans for regulation to accelerate green heating installation and higher energy efficiency standards in Scotland’s homes and buildings.