Seòmar agus comataidhean

In October 2019, we reached our final policy position of no support for the development of unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. This means no support for development connected to the onshore exploration, appraisal or production of coal bed methane or shale oil or shale gas using unconventional oil and gas extraction techniques, including hydraulic fracturing and dewatering for coal bed methane.

Following the devolution of onshore oil and gas licensing in February 2018, Scottish Ministers are now the licensing authority for onshore oil and gas development in Scotland. These devolved powers extend to the granting, regulation and administration of onshore licensing. It is wholly within the scope of our powers to decide whether or not to invite new applications for licences for the purposes of exploring and developing unconventional oil and gas (which includes fracking and de-watering for coalbed methane extraction). Given our policy of no support, it is not anticipated that we will offer any new licensing rounds for unconventional oil and gas development in Scotland.

There are currently 2 Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences held in Scotland. We do not consider that new legislation is necessary, at this time, to control unconventional oil and gas development under these existing licences in Scotland. We believe a strong policy position enacted through planning and onshore oil and gas licensing is sufficient (however, that option remains open if there is evidence that further action is required). The finalised policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas development enables us to set a framework for the exercise of planning functions and our functions in respect of onshore oil and gas licensing.

We recognise that applications for planning and other necessary consents may be made by those holding these licences. Any such application will require to be determined by the relevant authorities, or decision-makers, according to the law and policy in force at the relevant time. As a matter of law, all planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Planning decisions must be determined on their individual merits but our final policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas development will be a material consideration for decision makers in the consideration of planning applications and appeals. Should a planning authority receive a planning application for unconventional oil and gas development, and should the authority subsequently propose to grant planning permission, the authority is required to notify Scottish Ministers, and we can consider whether to call the application in for our own determination.

The final policy of no support for unconventional oil and gas is reinforced in the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which was approved by the Scottish Parliament on 11 January 2023. The next steps are set out in a Chief Planner letter issued on 16 January, which confirms our intention of adopting and publishing NPF4 on 13 February. Once adopted, NPF4 will form part of the statutory development plan, meaning its policies will be highly influential in day-to-day planning decision making.

The deposit will be fully returnable and retailers will be required to display information clearly about returns. Under the Deposit Return Scheme it is expected that most people will use returned deposits to cover future deposits on drinks containers.

Further work is currently underway to ensure that the interactions between Minimum Unit Price and the Deposit Return Scheme continue to be understood as the scheme evolves and kept under review, including once DRS launches on 16 August this year.

As pharmacies, medicines homecare providers must demonstrate that they can meet the standards for registered pharmacies set by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). The standards are designed to create and maintain the right environment for the safe and effective practice of pharmacy and to improve the quality and safety of services provided to patients and the public. The GPhC inspect registered pharmacies to seek assurances that the standards are being met. Depending on the range of services provided, medicines homecare providers may also be registered with additional regulators such as the Care Inspectorate and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

To ensure compliance with regulatory standards, providers must have governance arrangements in place to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public. This will include effective systems for risk management and the management of complaints and incident including root cause analysis of issues arising and implementing corrective and preventative actions.

Health Boards have contractual arrangements in place with Homecare Providers via either Service Level Agreements or Framework Agreements. These agreements detail responsibilities for service provision and define service requirements including governance and reporting.

Before arrangements are made to set-up a new service, Health Boards undertake risk assessments to assess the risks associated with supplying a particular medicine through a home delivery service. In addition, before a patient is on-boarded on to a service, checks are undertaken to help ensure that homecare is suitable for an individual patient.

The published 2023-24 Stage 1 budget showed at level 4, a total investment of over £1.2 billion in Social Care support and NCS delivery. This is made up of a number of areas including an additional £100 million for adult social care pay up to £10.90, on top of the £200 million in 2022-23 for £10.50 and £144 million for the £10.02 before that, £124 million for care at home investment,
‎ £60 million for the Carers Act and inflationary uplifts for Free Personal Nursing Care Rates and others. All of the areas above underpin increasing the sustainability of the social care sector ahead of implementation of the NCS. It is important therefore to look at all areas of spend rather than one in isolation.

The Scottish Government will invest in Changing Places Toilets over this parliamentary term, in order to increase the number of these facilities across the country and to support mobile Changing Places Toilets to allow people easier access to events and outdoor venues.

This investment will be delivered in phases over the course of this parliamentary term. The Scottish Government is progressing the first phase of work to design an investment programme that ensures that the Changing Places Toilets which are built are fit for purpose.

Further details will be available soon.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many 3D-printed-guns or 3D printers being used for illicit purposes and seized by Police Scotland.

A range of charges could be relevant, depending on the facts and circumstances of individual cases. For example, 3D-printing of guns and other offensive weapons would potentially be charged and prosecuted under s3(1)(a) and s5(2A)(a) of the Firearms Act 1968 or s141(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. However, neither the COPFS dataset nor the Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings dataset holds information at the requested level (i.e. 3-D printing).

The Private Water Supply Grant is a demand led scheme which involves private water supply users and owners making an application to their local authority. The local authority reimbursement claims combine the total for all grants awarded, rather than distinguishing between home and commercial claims. Between the years of 2007 - 2022, the South Scotland region was awarded a total of £3,627,986.80. The breakdown for each year is:

The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the financial value of the dark web in Scotland. Regulation of the Internet is reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government maintains a close working relationship with Police Scotland, The National Crime Agency and other UK Government Departments and Agencies with respect to cyber security, cyber enabled and cyber dependent crime to ensure an effective response to the threat from cyber criminals to Scottish people and businesses.

The monitoring of the Dounreay foreshore area is undertaken by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) which is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and is agreed and regulated by SEPA.

All radioactive particle finds are removed, analysed and reported on the DSRL website. The finds in February and March 2022 were reported on the DSRL website in March and April 2022. The Dounreay Stakeholder Group was also provided with information regarding the particle finds in a written update from SEPA at one of its subgroup meetings in April 2022.

The NDA and SEPA remain content that the monitoring and retrieval programme in place continues to provide appropriate protection for the public.