Chamber and committees

Where planning applications come forward, planning authorities have a responsibility to consider the environmental implications of all proposals on their individual merits.

In cases where a proposal is likely to have a significant environmental effect, these powers are further supplemented by the procedures set out in the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

We have created a clear pathway from LHEES to delivery with respect to heat networks: LHEES identify potential heat network zones, and our HNSU is working with local authorities to delve into these opportunities further to commercialise them, in preparation for any capital funding bid to SHNF.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a national assessment of the remit the member has specifically outlined on data centres. However, we are currently engaging with industry and partner agencies to better understand the cumulative impacts of data centre developments on the environment.

When new planning applications come forward, Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) ensures the potential impacts of proposals, including cumulative impacts, are important considerations in the decision-making process. NPF4 policy 5 (soils) sets out policy protections for peatland and carbon rich soils, including prime agricultural land.

Heat networks can help to reduce fuel poverty, particularly where they have access to low-cost sources of heat. The Heat Networks(Scotland) Act 2021 includes powers for heat network consents which would scrutinise how proposed new networks are designed and the outcomes that they expect to provide in areas including fuel poverty. Detailed proposals for a heat network consents regime will be bought forward in due course.

To help address this, it provides support through Energy Saving Trust, including grants of up to £400 through the Domestic Charge Point Fund for eligible households installing a home charge point, with support targeting rural and island households facing additional barriers to EV adoption. It also provides grants of up to £3,500 through the Cross-Pavement Charging Grant for approved charging solutions where off-street parking is not available, subject to local authority approval.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01635 on 31 July 2026. 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

St Mary's Kenmure was jointly inspected by the Care Inspectorate and Mental Welfare Commission in August 2025. The service was evaluated as 3 - adequate. St Mary’s Kenmure took immediate action to respond to the report’s four recommendations, within the timescales stipulated by the Care Inspectorate.

A follow-up unannounced inspection took place in March 2026 to examine progress. The inspection found that St Mary's had successfully met three of the four requirements. The fourth requirement would be further assessed at the next full inspection, this year.

Findings included:

• The service had taken positive action to ensure the safety and security of young people and staff.
• Staff were knowledgeable and confident regarding authorisation for restrictive practices.
• The detail and quality of the information recorded within incident reports varied, and this would continue to be a focus of the next inspection.
• The service demonstrated a comprehensive approach to staff recruitment.
• Care planning documents were reflective of the individual needs of young people.
• Young people's experiences could be evaluated through effective quality assurance systems

The full report from the most recent annual inspections at St Mary’s and the other three secure centres can be found on the Care Inspectorate website.

Local Authorities are legally required to set a balanced budget for each upcoming financial year and all 32 councils agreed balanced budgets for 2026-27, ahead of the statutory deadline of 11 March 2026.

The Scottish Government recognise the pressures facing Local Government and that is why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant and full flexibility on council tax.

Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

While the Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment of food bank use in Scotland, an evaluation of our Five Family Payments, published 4 Sept 2025, shows that The Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Foods have helped reduce food insecurity.

We set out our ambition for a Scotland without the need for food banks in the “Cash-First: Towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland” Plan. This Plan outlined nine actions to be delivered over the period 2023–2026 to improve responses to financial crisis, with a focus on increasing access to cash support so that fewer people need to rely on emergency food provision. This included a new Cash-First Programme (the Programme) to improve urgent access to cash in a crisis.

We invested over £1.5 million in the Programme, which concluded on 31 March 2026, to provide funding and practical assistance to eight area-based Partnerships to improve urgent access to cash in a crisis alongside wider support.

An interim evaluation of the Programme, was published July 2025. The final evaluation will be published later this summer and while there are no plans at present to extend the Programme, the learning will allow us to better understand the needs and priorities of households and communities to strengthen rights-based action on food insecurity across Scotland at both local and national level.

The Scottish Government ran a public consultation on the future of secure care between January and April 2026. We expect to receive independent analysis of the consultation responses and outputs over the coming weeks. Consideration will be given over the autumn to next steps and action to be taken. Future Government action will also be informed by the findings from the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and other key information sources.