Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government intends to commission research into the impacts of Non-Methane Volatile Organic Compound emissions from Scotch whisky maturation later in 2022. Updates on progress will be made available as the work is taken forward.

All of the measures within the Bill, including the licensing system, have been developed following a significant programme of consultation, engagement and evidence gathering. This includes the work of the independent advisory Firework Review Group, who considered all of the evidence available and took an options appraisal approach to make a series of recommendations for change to the Scottish Government. The licensing system implements the Group’s recommendation that mandatory conditions should be introduced at the point of sale of fireworks to ensure that the purchase and use of fireworks is a well thought out and planned transaction.

The licensing system has been carefully developed to ensure that robust checks and balances are in place before a member of the public can purchase and use fireworks. This includes a mandatory requirement to successfully complete a training course, which will inform applicants of how to use fireworks in a safe and lawful manner, as well as understanding the impact that fireworks can have on people and animals.

The policy objective of the licensing system is that those who are permitted to purchase, possess and use fireworks in Scotland know how to do so in a safe, lawful and considerate manner. The licence is therefore held by an individual and while this means that there could be multiple licence holders living at the same address, it is considered that this strikes the balance between introducing proportionate measures without placing overly restrictive barriers on the legitimate use of fireworks by members of the public.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government

Through the Scottish Land Fund, the Scottish Government provides ongoing support for communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets. The Fund offers grants between £5,000 and £1 million to help communities take ownership of land and buildings and provides practical support to develop their aspirations.

In addition, the £50 million low carbon Vacant & Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) launched in 2021 will support innovative local approaches to tackling persistent vacant and derelict land and delivering new green infrastructure in support of our ambitions for a just transition to net zero.

With 20 successful projects announced from the first and second rounds of the £50 million low carbon VDLIP, applications are now open for the third round of funding.

It is available on a competitive basis to all Scottish local authorities and Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company who are working with communities and other partners to bring forward suitable project proposals. The VDLIP complements the delivery of Place Based Investment Programme, helping to accelerate our ambitions around place, town centre action, 20 minute neighbourhoods, community regeneration, and community wealth building.

The draft National Planning F ramework 4 consultation closed at the end of March and responses are currently being analysed. It will have the status of development plan for planning decisions once adopted. The draft sets out six spatial principles to build a climate-conscious and nature-positive future. One of those principles is ‘compact growth’, this limits urban expansion where brownfield, vacant and derelict land and buildings can be used more efficiently. This prioritises the re-use of vacant and derelict land and redundant buildings. The draft also sets out that development proposals on greenfield sites should not be supported unless the site has been allocated for development or the proposal is explicitly supported by policies in the development plan, and there are no suitable brownfield alternatives.

The potential for unintended consequences, including a possible increase in illicit firework sales, has been carefully considered throughout development of the Bill.

In terms of how measures within the Bill have been developed to mitigate against illicit sales, the licensing system does not only cover the purchase of fireworks but also their possession and use; and the Bill introduces a new offence to be in possession of a firework or use a firework in Scotland without a valid licence.

In addition, it will be an offence for a firework licence holder to supply fireworks to an unlicensed person.

A person who commits this offence is liable, on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (or both).

The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia impacts everyone in the food industry, from farmers to hauliers, processors to retailers.

We have established a short-life Food Security and Supply Taskforce, together with industry. The Taskforce met for the first time on 18 March and continues to do so.

It will seek to recommend, any short, medium and longer-term actions that can be taken to mitigate impacts, resolve supply issues and strengthen food security and supply in Scotland. It will report in due course.

Scottish Ministers remain clear in their commitment to support farmers and crofters.

We have an ongoing and unwavering commitment to land reform, and aim to bring forward a new Land Reform Bill by the end of 2023.

We will launch a wide-ranging public consultation later this year on proposals for the Bill. We remain committed to working with all stakeholders, including land owning interests and community representatives, to develop policy and legislative solutions to progress our proposals. We will be engaging widely on the proposals for the Bill, including through further public engagement.

Further to the response provided to S5W-34970, since February 2021 Zero Waste Scotland has awarded tailored consultancy support to two SMEs through the Circular Economy Business Support Service in order to help develop circular textiles propositions. Each support service provided to these organisations had a value of approximately £10,000.

As set out in the 2021-22 Programme for Government, we plan to introduce a new £2 million Textile Innovation Fund in the first half of 2022 to support businesses working in this sector to address issues associated with textile waste and throwaway culture.

The Scottish Government has delivered record investment into NHS dental services with a 9 per cent increase in the budget for NHS dental services in 2022-23.

From April, we have introduced revised payment arrangements which reward NHS dental teams according to their activity. Combined with the relaxation of infection, prevention and control measures, they are having a substantial positive impact in improving access and ensuring the sector is able to quickly return to more normal levels of activity and clear the backlog.

National Records of Scotland publishes data on the number of people who have died in Scotland. Data for the period March 2020 to March 2022 on population deaths by occupation group, including data on deaths with Covid-19 mentioned on death certificates, is available here (table M7): https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files/statistics/covid19/covid-deaths-22-monthly-data-week-14.xlsx