Chamber and committees

The approximate average length of time, since 2015, for a section 36 energy consent application to receive a determination is as follows.

Onshore proposals over 50MW:

• Onshore wind – 33 months
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – 14 months
• Hybrid (Solar and BESS) – 13 months
• Hydro – 18 months
  Offshore proposals:
• Offshore wind - 11 months
• Wave & Tidal - 24 months

It should be noted that these timeframes include the time taken for Public Local Inquiries, should they be necessary, and also any delays caused by missing or additional application information being required from developers, such as that under EIA legislation.

The performance of the Energy Consents Unit has recently been considered through the Onshore Wind Sector Deal and the Transmission Network Short Life Working Group. Work is ongoing to implement the actions derived from the recommendations of both groups. At an individual level, all members of the Energy Consent Unit have agreed work objectives which are reviewed as part of our performance management process.

The Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 requires relevant authorities to publish a Good Food Nation Plan within 12 months of the date that Section 10 of the Act comes into force. It is the Scottish Government’s intention to commence this part of the legislation at around the same time as the final version of the national Good Food Nation Plan is published in 2025. Relevant authorities will therefore be required to publish their own Plans in 2026.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering up to £85 million to support a range of projects across the south through the BorderlandsInclusive Growth Deal.

The Scottish Government regularly monitors for hazardous substances in the Scottish marine environment. Hazardous substances highlighted to be of particular concern and routinely monitored include heavy metals (cadmium, mercury and lead), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These contaminants are measured in biota (mussels and fish) collected as part of the UK Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Programme for four biogeographic regions: Irish Sea (Clyde and Solway), Minches and Western Scotland, Scottish Continental Shelf and Northern North Sea.

More information related to the testing for contaminants in marine animals in Scottish waters can be found in the Scotland's Marine Assessment 2020 | Scotland's Marine Assessment 2020 .

The GP Sustainability loan scheme was paused in March 2024 due to a greater than anticipated number of loans having completed this year with the result that our budget for loans was oversubscribed.

The Scottish Government’s position on GP premises remains that set out in The 2018 General Medical Services in Scotland document: we recognise and support a long-term shift that gradually moves towards a model which does not presume GPs own their practice premises.

We intend to resume Tranche 1 of the Sustainability Loan Scheme in 2024-25 once we have completed the disbursement of funds for those loans already completed and confirmed a budget. This will likely not be until midway through the financial year.

Our preference remains to continue the loan scheme into Tranche 2 and beyond – however, this will depend on whether the UK Government resumes the allocation of Financial Transaction Capital to the Scottish Government.

In the meantime we have carried out no assessment of the potential impact of the suspension of the GP sustainability loan scheme on health inequalities as we intend to resume the scheme as soon as possible.

MPV Minna was commissioned in 2003 with an expected service life of 25 years. Concept designs for the vessels replacement have been developed and we are currently looking at funding options for a replacement in the near future. To ensure service continuity, upgrades and replacement of machinery and equipment have been scoped so we can safely extend the service life of the vessel should that be required.

The Scottish Government is aware that there are global supply issues with Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) medicines, including Creon ® , which are licensed for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency for those with cystic fibrosis.

While the supply of medicines and the associated legislation are a reserved matter for the UK Government, Scottish Government officials continue to engage with them on this supply issue and other medicine shortages. The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) for Scotland is a member of a UK-wide Medicines Shortage Response Group (MSRG), set up to identify and co-ordinate responses to medicines shortages across the UK and provide advice to prescribers on alternative therapeutic options.

In May, the Scottish Government issued a Medicine Supply Alert Notice (MSAN) and National Patient Safety Alert (NatPSA) which outline actions to be taken by prescribers to ensure patients are moved onto alternative treatments and measures to help conserve stocks of PERT medicines, including Creon ® .

Toxics use reduction as a concept is already well embedded in the regulatory system on chemicals safety in Great Britain. This system includes UK REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) regulation, part of the post-brexit chemicals regulatory framework we inherited from the EU. It includes specific provisions to prevent the use of harmful substances, ensure mitigations are in place to reduce exposure from such chemicals where their use is essential, and reduce risks associated with chemical use more generally.

While the Scottish Government are responsible for the strategic direction of the NHS, territorial Health Boards and Integration Authorities are responsible for delivering services in their areas, including the amount spent on each of the service areas delivered by the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). Integrated Authorities must work closely with local communities and other stakeholders to ensure that Primary Care Improvement Plans address specific local challenges and population needs while taking into account the guidance in the GP contract and accompanying MoUs as well as amended regulations.