Chamber and committees

The information requested is set out in the following table:

The Scottish Government will hold a data summit with all local authorities in Scotland on Additional Support for Learning focused on recommending actions for improving consistency of identification, support and reporting of children’s needs at a local level.

The Scottish Government has published some information already on costs. Final costs in relation to the case are still being determined and are not yet available. We will publish the total cost of the case when it is fully complete.

Legal costs for judicial review on gender representation on public boards: FOI release - gov.scot

Inner House appeal on the statutory guidance for the Gender Representation: FOI release - gov.scot

Legal costs of Supreme Court case against For Women Scotland: FOI release - gov.scot

The content of any legal advice is confidential.

Civil servants were involved in work related to For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers as part of their role to support and advise Ministers.

The Funeral Support Payment helps towards funeral costs, it is not intended to cover the full cost of a funeral.

There is a statutory duty to uprate the payment annually in line with inflation, unlike the UK Government equivalent which does not increase annually.

The Scottish Government published the Funeral Support Payment evaluation in July 2022, which found that the payment reduced the need for people to borrow money to arrange a funeral.

We are committed to continually improving Scottish benefits and last year made improvements to the payment, further supporting bereaved people.

There are multiple routes by which a child may be referred to secure accommodation. The head of each centre retains discretion over whether or not to accept any individual child’s placement.

If a placement is required, and secure accommodation capacity is reached, then all appropriate and safe alternatives will be considered by the relevant decision makers. They will ensure that the bests interests of each child are prioritised and that any risks are managed appropriately to protect each child and the community. The Scottish Government will assist in every appropriate way.

Where a children’s hearing includes a secure accommodation authorisation in their decision, the hearing also needs to decide where a child is to be placed if, for any reason, their secure authorisation cannot be implemented. This may be because of the professional judgement of the chief social work officer or the head of the relevant secure centre, or for other reasons.

An alternative to secure care should therefore have been prepared by the local authority and authorised by the hearing. This position, and its requirements, are unaffected by questions of capacity.

Where a child is remanded by the court to the care of the local authority and a secure place is not available, an alternative place of safety must be identified until a bed becomes available.

Refreshed guidance on community alternatives to the deprivation of liberty for children was published in March. This guidance highlights the importance of exploring alternatives that prioritise children’s rights and welfare, ensuring that secure accommodation is only ever used when absolutely necessary.

Recognising the complexities and demands and pressures this can bring to bear for professionals. The Scottish Government have agreed to fund a dedicated professional secure care lead at Social Work Scotland for the next 12 months.

In line with the Scottish Government’s policy, Scottish Enterprise does not provide support for the manufacture of munitions.

The responsibility for issuing export licenses sits with the UK Government.

In respect of offshore wind farms, six reports have been submitted to the Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team. Reports consider the distribution and abundance of seabirds around wind farms or protected sites and what this may mean in terms of their displacement from wind farm areas, with some reports discussing implications for collision avoidance rates used in modelling.

All information related to determinations made by Scottish Ministers in respect of onshore wind farm developments, which may include conditions such as post-construction ornithological monitoring, is publicly available on our Energy Consents website: https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationSearch.aspx.

Public sources of information indicate that BAE Systems is among the contenders to supply new frigates for the Royal Norwegian Navy. No discussions have taken place between BAE Systems, the UK Government and the Scottish Government on partnership in the Type 26 Norway frigate campaign. However, given the potential industrial and employment opportunities for Scotland are significant, officials from the UK and Scottish Governments have held constructive informal discussions around how the bid might be best supported.