Marine Scotland Directorate's– Licensing Operations Team (“MS-LOT”) are currently consulting with NatureScot on the written report by Seagreen Wind Energy Limited in respect of unexploded ordnance clearance activities. MS-LOT intend to publish this report on its website (marine.gov.scot) once the consultation is complete.

Regulation 10(5)(b) (the course of justice) was invoked when this document was requested under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004, as the late submission of the report was at that point being investigated as an instance of non-compliance with statutory timelines.

The Scottish Government does not collect this data.

Data on local authority instrumental music services is collected by the Improvement Service. Their reports can be found at www.improvementservice.org.uk .

The Scottish Government does not carry out any monitoring to ensure public transport operators apply the guidance, Women and Transport, which was written in 2000, prior to this Government’s time in office.

I am taking forward a focussed consultation, announced recently, to look specifically at improving women’s experience and safety across public transport. Initial discussions with Engender and women’s organisations will inform how we can best take forward this important work.

ScotWind, the recent leasing round for commercial-scale offshore wind projects, is administered by Crown Estate Scotland who are responsible for completing the process of due diligence in line with relevant guidance.

Crown Estate Scotland released a statement on 10 March in regards to ScotWind leasing in light of recent actions by Russia against Ukraine. The statement can be found here:

Statement regarding ScotWind Leasing and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The 17 successful ScotWind applications are mainly consortia of different project partners.

Crown Estate Scotland have advised they are committed to taking all appropriate action to not support trade and investment activity with Russia.

In early March, Crown Estate Scotland carried out an initial check of applicants for Russian ownership and / or registration. This did not uncover any Russian ownership or registration.

Crown Estate Scotland have confirmed they have taken a further step of seeking formal, written assurance from all applicants and project partners involved in each of the 17 applications that they will adhere at all times to the relevant sanctions regime. Project partners are subject to sanctions imposed by the state in which they are registered. UK registered entities will need to confirm they adhere to UK sanctions. Entities registered in another state will need to confirm that they adhere to the sanctions imposed by that state.

If Crown Estate Scotland do not receive sufficient assurance, Crown Estate Scotland will take appropriate action.

Crown Estate Scotland have advised that all applicants who secure an option agreement will be required to adhere to relevant sanctions throughout the term of the agreement.

In addition, Crown Estate Scotland have asked applicants for details of any Russian or Belarussian interests and steps that are being taken to divest of those interests.

The Scottish Government and Crown Estate Scotland will continue to work closely together to ensure each party is fully informed and taking appropriate action in what is a rapidly evolving situation.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce, subject to consultation, regulations requiring Scotland’s homes to meet EPC Band C, or an equivalent standard, where that is technically feasible and cost effective from 2025. We plan to consult over the next year on our proposals for such regulations, and this will include details of any exemptions including those linked to cost and availability of finance, clarity on the burden of responsibility, and matters relating to compliance and enforcement.

As the censuses across the UK are taking place at different times, people moving from Scotland to other UK countries before March 2022 will not participate in Scotland’s Census 2022.

However, the primary objective for the census is not to collect a record of specific individuals, households, or addresses but to gather demographic information which government, councils, the NHS and a range of users in the public, private and third sectors need to inform future public services.

We continue to work closely with our colleagues in the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) to produce harmonised outputs to meet a range of user needs wherever possible.

The Scottish Government does not hold or maintain any data on the number of registered gas engineers in Scotland who are also certified as installers under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

The Gas Safe register is the official registration body for gas businesses and installers in the United Kingdom and is operated independently on behalf of the UK Government and the UK Health and Safety Executive. We do not hold or maintain information on the number of Scottish based operatives registered with Gas Safe.

Unlike Gas Safe, MCS operates at a corporate level, rather than individual operatives. We do not routinely maintain data on the number of companies registered with MCS, however, in 2020 there were 134 companies based in Scotland accredited to carry out heat pump installations under the Scheme.

We know that the number of heating engineers trained in zero emissions heating systems will need to grow in line with the ambitions set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy and we are working with Scottish Renewables and Skills Development Scotland in a project to quantify the likely demand for new skills.

The evidence from this project will help inform our Heat in Buildings Supply Chains Delivery Plan which we will publish later in 2022.

The information requested is not held centrally, but instead concerns day-to-day operational matters best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland. Please be advised I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to write to the member with the answer to his question.

Further to this enquiry, I understand that Historic Environment Scotland have offered Donald Cameron MSP a site visit to Dun Carloway Broch with Historic Environment Scotland experts, to learn first-hand about the type of issues that the property is facing, and I look forward to learning the results of this visit.

Information on the routes of referral for metastatic breast cancer patients is not held centrally.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) requires education authorities to identify, provide for and to review the additional support needs of their pupils. We support local authorities through the provision of statutory guidance to inform policy and practice, including guidance to the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

Education Scotland works in partnership with the Scottish Government, ELC, schools and local authorities to improve the outcomes and educational experiences for all learners, including those who require additional support through a range of activities. These include:

• Support and challenge from Education Scotland Inclusion Wellbeing and Equality Officers through the national and regional focus.
• Information, guidance, professional learning and reflective opportunities which include a focus on additional support needs and inclusion.
• The HM Inspection model of education which provides support and challenge to promote improvement for all learners through the fulfilment of statutory duties, inclusion and equality.

In addition, we published our joint response to the independently chaired review of implementation of additional support for learning in October 2020. Angela Morgan’s report sets a clear direction in how we can continue to build on progress in this area. The joint action plan sets out the measures we will take to implement her recommendations.

We published an updated action and progress report on 1 November 202. The action plan and governance arrangements for this work are available from: Additional support for learning action plan: progress report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

An updated action plan will be published in Spring 2022.