The Scottish Government is not aware of any staff reductions that would impact upon rail services in Scotland. The member may wish to contact the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) as the safety and economic regulator of Scotland’s railway.

Our draft NPF4 sets out how our approach to planning and development will achieve a net zero, sustainable Scotland by 2045.

Draft NPF4 includes green energy policies which support renewable energy development other than in National Parks and National Scenic Areas, subject to an assessment of their impacts on a case by case basis. Through the draft NPF4, we are also proposing to designate a national development which would establish the need for a large increase in renewable energy generation and substantial reinforcement and expansion of grid infrastructure throughout Scotland.

We laid the draft NPF4 in the Scottish Parliament on 10 November 2021. Alongside Parliamentary scrutiny of the draft, we are running a public consultation, supported by an extensive engagement programme, and comments are invited by 31 March 2022. Following this period, we will consider the responses received and any appropriate amendments to the draft NPF4 before presenting a final draft to the Scottish Parliament for its approval, in advance of adoption by the Scottish Ministers.

As was made clear in the letter to the Committee, an undercut of a door was only one element of an example set of remedial measures used to calculate the up-to-£5m fund.

The Scottish Government has not issued any guidance to local authorities recommending the use of door undercuts in specific spaces. Expert local authority teams fully understand that all remedial work undertaken should be in line with guidance on ventilation and based on expert assessment of the ventilation issues in a specific space.

The precise number of problematic spaces will be dependent on a range of factors over time, and many of the problematic spaces will already have been addressed. The Scottish Government has agreed formal reporting requirements regarding the number of remaining problematic spaces with local authorities.

This is a requirement for the online process but applications can also be made directly to a local authority, including where the legal guardian is not named on the birth or adoption certificate.

Local authorities can look at other documentary evidence to prove the connection. Proofs from school records or through other interactions with the local council are often available.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Following the decision by Scottish Ministers to transfer HMP Kilmarnock Prison to the public sector on expiry of the 25-year contract on 16 March 2024, SPS will become responsible for the management and operation of the establishment.

In preparation for this transfer:

(a) SPS is in continued dialogue with the contractor KPSL, and their sub-contractor, Serco Justice Services. SPS has also been engaging with surveyors to carry out Dilapidation Surveys of the existing site.

(b) The management of the transfer of HMP Kilmarnock into public ownership, will be undertaken by SPS. As part of this work SPS will liaise with key partners and Third sector service providers to ensure the transfer is successfully concluded.

There has been no assessment of impact on services as there has been no reduction to Network Rail’s maintenance budget in Scotland.

The informal feedback referenced in the letter related specifically to the percentage of learning, teaching and play spaces local authorities had identified as problematic at the point in time when the fund was being developed. Problematic spaces are defined as those having consistently high CO2 readings (above 1500ppm) despite basic mitigation measures being implemented.

During meetings of the local authority-chaired Scottish Heads of Property Services network, which are attended regularly by Scottish Government officials and Scottish Futures Trust, local authorities indicated that around 2-4% of spaces they were monitoring had proved problematic to date. The upper limit of this band was used to calculate the potential number of spaces requiring further remedial action, to ensure sufficient funding was made available to local authorities.

It is important to note that the precise number of problematic spaces will be dependent on a range of factors over time, such as weather and occupancy levels, and many of the problematic spaces will already have been addressed. The Scottish Government has agreed formal reporting requirements regarding the number of remaining problematic spaces with local authorities.

Our Adult Learning Strategy will be launched in May. It has been co-produced with adult learning stakeholders, including senior staff from adult learning organisations and adult learners themselves, and aims to improve life chances for adult learners across Scotland. We want to create the conditions for connected adult learning opportunities that link Scotland’s communities, local authorities, third sector organisations, colleges and universities around an offer of learning for adults, particularly those furthest from inclusion and experiencing disadvantage.

To improve the lives of adult learners we need to ensure that there is a strong, well-understood, well-connected and well-resourced system of adult learning in Scotland. The strategy will set out our commitment to evaluating the suitability and levels of future funding arrangements for community-based adult learning. Through the delivery of the strategy we want to ensure that appropriate levels of funding are available to engage and support adult learners across Scotland to meet their needs.

Planning Circular 01/2021 remains the current guidance on these matters.

The Scottish Government is working to update Planning Circular 01/2021 to reflect minor changes to the regulations which came into effect on 1 March 2022 and will publish a revised Circular in due course. The changes to regulations relate to definitions of certain types of property or tenancy and have no impact on either the designation process or the process for Ministerial approval.

The Scottish Ministers will consider any applications for approval of a proposed short-term let control area in accordance with the relevant legislation and the considerations set out in Planning Circular 01/2021.