Chamber and committees

NPF4 encourages, promotes and facilitates development that adapts to the current and future impacts of climate change so that our places are more resilient. Our response to climate change has shaped the long-term spatial strategy and national developments and Policy 1 gives significant weight to the climate and nature crises in all plans and decisions. Policy 2 in NPF4 sets out that development proposals will be sited and designed to adapt to current and future risks from climate change, and development proposals to retrofit measures to existing developments that reduce emissions or support adaptation to climate change are also supported.

20 projects were funded through the 2022 Islands Programme resource funding to support delivery of the National Islands Plan. These can be found in the following table:

Our recent consultation on restricting alcohol advertising and promotion set out a range of potential options to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion, in order to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms.

The consultation closed on 9 March. An independent contractor will comprehensively analyse the responses and a report will be published later this year. We will then further consider possible restrictions.

The Scottish Government consulted on proposals for a Circular Economy Bill - Delivering Scotland's circular economy: Proposed Circular Economy Bill - Consultation analysis - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot ). A Bill will be brought forward before summer recess.

In the period since this commitment was made in 2021 we have invested £38 million directly into Scottish businesses and associated digital support for them to access. This does not include the value of the programmes that our enterprise agencies deliver on our behalf.

A breakdown of the £38 million is as follows.

DigitalBoost Development Grant - £30 million

Digital Development Loan - £5.1 million

DigitalBoost National Programme - £2.9 million

Digital Productivity Labs Pilot - £600,000

Data Readiness Tool - £170,000

Total - £38.77 million.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the Orkney Internal Ferry Replacement Task Force. The timing of the next meeting will be agreed with relevant stakeholders in due course.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly made the case, to all relevant departments of the UK Government (in correspondence and in a range of established forums) for a guaranteed role in all stages of the negotiation and implementation of UK Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to protect and promote Scottish agricultural priorities. This is because, while the negotiation of FTAs is reserved to the UK Government, trade deals cover many devolved issues which have significant implications for Scottish agri-food producers and for our economy.

The Scottish Government had previously not been given full sight of relevant FTA chapter texts or supporting data from the Department of Business and Trade in the negotiation of the recent agreements such as UK-Australia and New Zealand deals. Through a recent information sharing agreement with the Devolved Administrations, the UK Government has now accepted the benefits of sharing greater information on trade negotiations, such as the agri-food elements of the agreement in principle on CPTPP accession.

We welcome this progress, and the Scottish Government will continue to work regularly and collaboratively with the UK Government in the interests of the Scottish agri-food sector, including by seeking further assurances from the UK Government about the agri-food elements of the UK-CPTPP agreement at the recent 17 April meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will inform the Scottish Government’s transport investment programme in Scotland over the next 20 years. The Scottish Government have set out 45 recommendations for future investment in Scotland’s strategic transport network, published on 08 December 2022, with 38 of the 45 recommendations already underway.

The scope and timescales of the rail freight market study have yet to be determined. However, a Delivery Plan to provide further insight on the prioritisation of the STPR2 recommendations will follow in the coming months, when there is more clarity and greater certainty on the available capital budget and fiscal policy for the coming years.

As I set out in my recent answer to S6W-16591 on 26 April 2023, the Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland. However, the Scottish Government is aware that appropriate species reintroductions can be beneficial to ecosystems and restoring biodiversity.

Neither the Scottish Government, nor NatureScot, have carried out any formal assessment of any potential impact that lynx would have on livestock in Scotland.

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/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Prison Service are committed to treating everyone in their care with dignity and respect and do not provide the personal information of prisoners.

Any transgender individuals in custody are supported and managed through an individualised risk assessment and case conference process that protects their rights and needs, as well as the welfare and rights of others around them, including staff, in order to achieve an outcome that balances risks and promotes the safety of all.