Seòmar agus comataidhean

Crown Estate Scotland is responsible for the ScotWind seabed leasing process, including setting Option Agreement fees and rent prices. Crown Estate Scotland informed Scottish Government of its pricing structure based on its own evidence gathering and information available at the time. Once projects are under seabed leases and wind farms are generating energy, rental payments are annual – these are separate from the Option Agreement payments.

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) is responsible for the ScotWind seabed leasing process and undertook the review following the Round 4 announcements. The Scottish Government was informed of options under consideration by CES and of the review’s conclusions, which it supports. Annual fees were considered by CES but ultimately not selected as a preferred option, before or after review.

Furthermore, once projects have secured seabed leases and wind farms are generating energy annual rental payments will be made.

The Scottish Government is open to considering all interventions that can be demonstrated to improve access to and engagement with hepatitis C testing and treatment.

People who are at risk as a result of their drug use often experience a range of health and social issues. That’s why eliminating Hepatitis C from Scotland requires a person-centred approach. NHS Tayside became the first region in the world to achieve elimination by using a person centred approach, leading to better engagement and more successful treatment.

A range of work is under way in partnership with the Scottish Health Protection Network Hepatitis C group to embed this learning more widely; In the meantime, we have funded pilots, such as the Cocoon Project, which is specifically focused on those who inject drugs. The pilot will be evaluated in due course and any learning will be shared to enable a system-wide improvement across Scotland.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 must be implemented effectively so that, once in force, it offers robust protections to victims. The Scottish Government is working closely with justice partners to agree a suitable commencement date for the Act.

To complement the implementation of the Act, we are developing a new hate crime strategy for publication later this year, which will help to guide how we successfully tackle hatred and prejudice in Scotland.

To support this, I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group on 28 April. This group will provide a collaborative, multi-agency approach to the Strategy’s development.

The Scottish Government did not set the ScotWind seabed lease Option Agreement fees. The advisory note prepared for the Scottish Government recommends that any new, higher, levels be appropriately justified. Crown Estate Scotland (“CES”) proceeded to satisfy those requirements through, in this case, appropriate consideration of externally procured advice. CES explained to SG the rationale for the pricing structure adopted. No further information is held relating to that recommendation.

Eliminating Hepatitis C in Scotland by 2024 remains a priority target for the Scottish Government. The Scottish Health Protection Hepatitis C Network is made up of clinical leads and HCV co-ordinators, local health protection organisations and third sector agencies works to promote and support a ‘once for Scotland approach’. A key principle of the Network is to target specific populations, particularly those most at risk.

Following a recommendation in the last iteration of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework to introduce opt-out BBV testing within the Scottish Prison Establishment. Specific guidance was produced to support the delivery and monitoring of opt-out BBV testing within prison which is in line with the National guidelines and public health policies. We will continue to build on this progress as we develop the next iteration of the Framework.

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) and the Scottish Government were informed of The Crown Estate’s Round 4 results at the same time. These results indicated a significant change in the offshore wind market. As the ScotWind registration and application process had already opened, CES informed Scottish Ministers that it intended to pause the process in order to conduct a rapid review. The Scottish Government provided advice on process and implications for broader offshore wind policies in Scotland. During the review, Scottish Government were kept regularly informed of the review’s progress through to completion as delivery of the review as swiftly as possible was key to keeping the ScotWind process on track.

We want disabled people in Scotland to have choice, dignity and freedom to access suitable homes, built or adapted to enable them to participate as full and equal citizens.

Our Housing to 2040 strategy sets out a vision for housing in Scotland to 2040. This includes housing for disabled people.

We are working to increase the supply of accessible and adapted homes. Whenever possible, all new affordable homes are designed to be flexible so that they meet people’s needs as they change over time. We are also delivering a programme to retrofit homes in the social rented sector to make them more accessible.

We know that there are issues with the way in which adaptations are being accessed and delivered locally, so we are considering how the process can be streamlined and made easier for people who need adaptations.

In our consultation on a draft rented sector strategy ‘A New Deal for Tenants’ we sought views on how we can further protect and strengthen the rights for people living in the rented sector in Scotland and improve accessibility, affordability choices and standards across the whole rented sector in Scotland. We worked with Disability Equality Scotland (DES) to help increase accessibility to the consultation. The results of the consultation are currently being analysed and will inform future policy development.

We are also reviewing the Housing for Varying Needs design guide to help provide homes that are easy for all to access and navigate, and to improve their flexibility to adapt to meet changing health needs. We have engaged with Disability Equality Scotland regarding the upcoming consultation on the Housing for Varying Needs review and plan to work with them to gather feedback on the proposed updates.

There are a range of factors which must be considered as part of our developing model for Scotland to effectively tackle and challenge men’s demand for prostitution, including online aspects, such as “online pimping”.

The regulation of internet and online service providers is a reserved matter and we are continuing to liaise closely with the UK Government and Ofcom on the UK Online Safety Bill.

Procuring for the purposes of prostitution is still an offence if committed online and Police Scotland will actively investigate all reports of sexual exploitation, including online sexual exploitation.

An evidence review on international approaches to challenging demand is being carried out by Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Services, and will be published later this year as an official social research report.

This analysis will support the development of a model for Scotland which effectively tackles and challenges men’s demand for prostitution, whilst taking into account Scotland’s unique legal and societal landscape.