Chamber and committees

The reference to a green data centre has been taken directly from the description of development provided by the applicant as part of the planning application. It is a matter for the decision-maker to consider and conclude whether a proposal is a green data centre for the purposes of the National Development in National Planning Framework 4.

Historic Environment Scotland maintains the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. Due to digital security concerns, the Register webpage has been temporarily taken offline with the aim of restoring the site as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Register information remains publicly available through downloadable datasets on Historic Environment Scotland's Trove and Data Services platforms, including the dataset as it stood when the Register was paused in 2024. Enquiries about individual Register entries can also be made to Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to contact the member directly with more information.

The Scottish Government has held discussions with representatives from the fishing and offshore wind sectors regarding potential options for addressing the impacts of offshore wind development on fishers. These discussions have taken place through the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council's Barriers to Deployment (SOWEC-B2D) subgroup, with the most recent workshop held on 5 May 2026.

As at 15 September 2026, NatureScot employed 777 permanent staff and 74 staff on fixed-term contracts. SEPA employed 1,173 permanent staff and 57 staff on fixed-term contracts. Zero Waste Scotland employed 163 permanent staff and 7 staff on fixed-term contracts.

As organisations record and report workforce data differently, figures reported for "contractors" are based on staff employed on fixed-term contracts where applicable.

The Cabinet Secretary for Public Sector Reform was referring to the commitment made as part of the Programme for Government 2026 – 2031 to publish a new strategic approach to attracting and securing responsible green data centre investment in Scotland. This will include clear expectations around environmental sustainability, resource use, community benefit and the economic and strategic value these developments should deliver. We are progressing on work to deliver this, and a timeline is currently being developed with more details to follow.

No Code of Practice on investigation functions as set out in section 57 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 has been published.

Accordingly:

1.There have been no revisions to a published Code of Practice since the Act came into force;

2.No revised version has been in place; and

3.There have been no reviews of a published Code of Practice.

The Scottish Government, as part of the Marine Consultation on ‘Proposed Fisheries Management Measures in Scottish Inshore Marine Protected… has undertaken a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA).

In accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, there is a requirement to consider reasonable alternatives that fulfil the objectives of the proposed fisheries management measures as part of a SEA.

For the purposes of this assessment the reasonable alternatives are considered to be the two alternative management options under consideration, referred to in the consultation documents as Option 1 and Option 2.

Option 1 proposes a zoned approach in sites where possible – either spatial, temporal or in 2 sites by engine power for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and for proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas, the proposed measures are across a smaller spatial area. Option 2 represents a scenario of greater restriction for fisheries management measures in MPAs or proposed (PMF) management areas.

The SEA assessed the likely environmental effects of both Option 1 and Option 2. While both options were assessed as contributing towards the environmental objectives of the proposals, Option 2 generally represents a greater level of restriction on fishing activity and therefore has the potential to deliver greater environmental benefits where additional restrictions are proposed.

It is concluded the proposed fisheries management measures under either Option 1 or Option 2 are likely to result in immediate and future benefits and achieve the SEA objectives.

At this time, the Scottish Government has no plans to regulate this trade and correspondingly we have not consulted with stakeholders on any particular course of action. However, we continue to engage with stakeholders to inform future policy, including the need for further regulation.

There are currently no internal or external audit recommendations that are outstanding beyond their agreed implementation date.

In April 2026, the Scottish Government established an Advisory Group to inform and coordinate planning for implementation of the Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Act 2026. The group brings together key partners from across the residential outdoor education sector, local government and the education system. The group has met three times to date (April 2026, June 2026 and September 2026) and is progressing a number of key items of work including the gathering of baseline data in academic year 2026/27 and early deliberation on timeline options for commencement.

Ministers will make commencement regulations by 30 September 2027, in line with the provisions set out in the Act. Ministers will decide the precise date for laying the commencement regulations in due course.