Chamber and committees

I have asked NatureScot to respond. Their response is as follows:

"Lichens and hazel are considered typical species of the Ness Woods SAC woodland habitats and impacts to these species have been considered in the context of the relevant conservation objectives throughout the assessment process for this development.

"NatureScot has agreed with the conclusions of the Habitats Regulations Appraisal for the proposal in relation to the SAC and also that the required mitigation and compensatory measures would be sufficient.

"These measures included a requirement for dust monitoring and management to mitigate the effects of dust deposition on the lichen species.

"NatureScot therefore did not participate in the public hearing and so did not submit a Hearing Statement, although it has responded to questions from the Reporter."

The Scottish Government remains committed to a public health approach to reducing drug-related harms and deaths. Our approach is set out in Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035, which brings together prevention, harm reduction, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery support. The use of any Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) premises including fire stations is an operational matter for the SFRS.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The planning system allows for a statutory right of appeal to be made by the person or organisation who made the application. There is no third party right of appeal to challenge the merits of a planning decision or action. There is recourse to raise a challenge against a planning decision on a point of law through the courts.

Amendments proposing third party rights of appeal were considered, and rejected, by the Scottish Parliament during its consideration of the Planning (Scotland) Bill, passed by the Parliament in 2019. The Scottish Government has no plans to review rights of appeal at the current time.

The deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable based on operational priorities.

Any assessment made for the potential for Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology (ANPR) to be combined with biometric enabled technology and/or artificial intelligence would be an operational matter for the owner of such technology.

Public Services Delivery Scotland are obtaining the requisite clinical, planning, financial and staffing information from NHS Boards to understand what would be required to make 24/7 thrombectomy available across Scotland.

We expect this financial case for expansion to be produced by the end of October. We will then work at pace to produce a delivery plan with timescales for service expansion.

The statutory review of the impact joint and several liability for council tax arrears has on victim-survivors of domestic abuse is currently underway.

The Scottish Government recognises that joint and several liability for council tax can create very difficult circumstances for victim-survivors of domestic abuse.

The review is taking a twin-track approach involving analysis of the available evidence base together with stakeholder engagement with groups such as domestic abuse support organisations, money advice and debt charities and local authorities.

On completing the review, we will lay a report on it before the Scottish Parliament by 6 November this year, which will include a statement of action we intend to take as a result. This is in line with the timescales established by section 76(2) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025.

The Intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pathway was developed in NHS Tayside and has been identified as best practice for the early detection and management of liver disease. A consortium of 12 NHS boards has procured a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Scotland and iLFT functionality is available within that system. NHS Fife was the first board to make use of this functionality through the National LIMS programme in summer 2023.

The National LIMS system is being rolled out across participating NHS boards. However, some NHS boards already have the capability to use iLFT through their existing laboratory information systems and are therefore not dependent on implementation of National LIMS to adopt the pathway.

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the date that iLFT became, or is expected to become, available in each NHS board area. Implementation is dependent on local laboratory infrastructure, digital systems and service arrangements and decisions on deployment are a matter for individual NHS boards.

The Scottish Government does not collect data on the employment status of newly qualified educational psychologists. Local Authorities are responsible for the employment of educational psychologists and any data about their employment status is held locally. However, we continue to work closely with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) on workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of educational psychologists to meet future demand.

Educational Psychology Services sitting within Local Authority Education Services are responsible for carrying out workforce planning in conjunction with NSSGEP and will provide information regarding the number of Educational Psychologists (EPs) within their service. This data is used by the Steering Group to inform further planning and to assess availability of placements for EP trainees.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role Educational Psychologists play in supporting learners, raising attainment, promoting inclusion and equality, and helping those who are most vulnerable. That is why we continue to invest in the training of educational psychologists, in partnership with COSLA.