Chamber and committees

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-26002 on 18 March 2024, which provides an update on implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers .

On child contact centres, the Scottish Government is preparing Scottish Statutory Instruments on the regulation of these services. We hope to be in a position to lay these SSIs before Parliament later this year.

We have implemented extensive reforms to streamline and improve the planning system to support our economy and give greater certainty to developers and investors. Our reforms include removing certain applications from the system, increasing capacity to focus on applications where most value can be added; extending the review cycle of Local Development Plans to allow planning authorities to focus on delivery; and appointing Scotland’s first National Planning Improvement Champion to work with all those involved to support improvement within the service.

We recognise there is scope to improve on current planning timescales with the most recent annual data for the 2022-23 period showing that the average timescale for major developments is 39.5 weeks, and local (non householder) development is 14.4 weeks. It is important to note that there can be many reasons for delays in determining applications, including requests for and submission of additional information, delays with responses from consultees and the requirement for a legal agreement. However, constructive and collaborative working between applicants and authorities means that consistently over 93% of applications are approved annually.

Our current consultation "Investing in Planning - a consultation on resourcing Scotland's planning system" aims to further support improvement in the delivery of planning services, including streamlining the assessments required to support applications, project managing applications, improving engagement and taking a proactive approach to development and consenting.

The Scottish Government continues to engage regularly with key stakeholders regarding implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act). We are currently prioritising work across the Scottish Government in light of increased budget pressures.

There has been detailed discussions with the Care Inspectorate on child contact services regulation, with a view to the Care Inspectorate taking on the role of independent regulator.

We plan to establish a short-life working group later this year with key stakeholders on child welfare reporters, which will inform the development of policy around the new register under the 2020 Act.

There has also been engagement with stakeholders in relation to special measures for vulnerable witnesses and parties. Part 3 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, if enacted, will extend provisions in the 2020 Act, relating to certain family cases, to civil cases more generally.

An annual report will be published by Scottish Government in Summer 2024 detailing progress made in the first year of the Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023-2026 . Officials have been working with third sector organisations to determine what additional measurements for monitoring improvements in blood and neurological cancer pathways would be useful. Officials also continue to work with Public Health Scotland (PHS) to progress developments in data availability, including emergency presentation data.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-26002 on 18 March 2024, which provides an update on implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) and refers to a recent section-by-section breakdown provided to Parliament of the 2020 Act’s commencement status.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers .

The Scottish Government has accepted a recommendation in the recent ‘Hearings for Children’ report to commence section 3 of the 2020 Act, relating to the views of the child in proceedings under the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011. We are taking forward relevant work in that regard and are considering whether further provisions could be commenced.

Phase 3 of Scottish Government’s Permitted Development Rights (PDR) review has focussed on new and extended PDR for domestic and non-domestic renewable energy equipment. The measures streamline the planning process for various low carbon technologies and for altering/replacing windows by removing the need to apply for planning permission. The purpose is to support households and businesses, including those in conservation areas, seeking to adapt their properties in the face of the cost and climate crises.

The new PDR allow windows on buildings located in a conservation area to be altered or replaced. However, where windows are located on a building’s front elevation or side elevation fronting a road, prior approval arrangements will apply in certain circumstances. This process allows the planning authority to consider the design and external appearance of the proposal. Furthermore, the new PDR do not apply in World Heritage Sites – and listed building consent will still be required for listed buildings. In this sense, planning controls will still apply in the most valuable heritage assets.

We consider that the measures achieve an appropriate balance which supports owners/occupiers improving the environmental performance of their properties while safeguarding the overall character and appearance of the historic environment.

New guidance to accompany the regulations will be published on 28 May.

The Scottish Parliament Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee considered the negative instrument on 14 May and agreed to make no recommendations. The legislation comes into force on 24 May 2024.

While it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to meet its obligations for data has a wide range of obligations to meet in discharging its statutory and regulatory responsibilities regarding the processing of data.

These obligations include Data Protection legislation, Public Records (Scotland) legislation, Biometrics and Communications legislation and security requirements overseen by the Home Office, Cabinet Office and National Police Chiefs Council.

Police Scotland has designed and implemented a suite of technical, procedural, physical and behavioural controls which are overseen by the Deputy Chief Constable for Professionalism.

An essential security control for data is a policy that police databases are not accessible from personal or private devices. This is carefully managed and monitored with technical capabilities to ensure compliance. Officers and staff that require access to police databases are provided with appropriate equipment and devices that enables that functionality and which have commensurate security applied. Civilian Scottish Government employees are not able to access this information.

Police Scotland in common with all Data Controllers, is also subject to oversight from regulators including the Information Commissioner and the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner who from time to time make recommendations or provide advice on measures that will enhance security of the data Police Scotland processes. Additional safeguards for the management of data is also ensured with further scrutiny by Internal Auditors.

The Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS) continues to be an integral part of the remuneration package for teachers in Scotland. A Defined Benefit scheme, it offers the security of a guaranteed income in every year of retirement for all its members. Pensions in payment to retired members are inflation proofed and adjusted each April in line with the Consumer Prices Index. In April 2023, pensions increased by 10.1% and in April 2024 by a further 6.7%.

While Scottish Ministers have executively devolved responsibility for the STPS, they exercise those functions within a reserved framework. The Scottish Ministers must therefore implement policy which reflects UK government primary legislation and any secondary legislation introduced by Scottish Ministers requires HM Treasury approval.

The design of the STPS, including accrual rates and benefits payable from the scheme, are determined by reserved UK Government primary legislation. Scottish Ministers have no powers to vary the accrued benefits payable from the scheme to retired teachers without HM Treasury consent.

The latest Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme Annual Report and Accounts show that the average annual pension in payment from the Scheme as at 31 March 2023 was £13,842. In addition, the accounts show that lump sums totalling £133.5 million were paid to 2,723 new retirees in 2022-23, an average lump sum of £49,063.