Chamber and committees

The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 requires that regional marine plans (RMPs) state policies for and in connection with the sustainable development of the area. RMPs must also set economic, social and marine ecosystem objectives and objectives relating to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change. RMPs must be developed in accordance with any adopted National Marine Plan (NMP) and are subject to the agreement of Scottish Ministers.

Responsibility for regional marine planning is devolved to marine planning partnerships (MPPs). The current NMP provides guidance to support the development of regional marine plans but specifies that the precise approach and coverage of the regional plan, including the level to which certain activities are spatially represented, will be for MPPs to determine based on local priorities and alignment with other local plans.

The funding for Drugs and Alcohol in the 2025-26 draft budget is £80.9m. This includes £60m as part of our commitment to provide £250m in additional funding over 5 years to reduce drug deaths and improve the lives of people who use drugs and alcohol.

£19.1m of funding has moved to baselined funding which ADPs have highlighted as important for sustainability and recruitment.

Overall funding for Alcohol and Drugs, including Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) has been maintained at the record levels set in 2023-24.

No rehabilitation services will be directly impacted as a result of this budget.

As regulation for offshore oil and gas operations are a reserved matter for UK Government, Scottish Government does not record gas leaks from offshore oil and gas installations.

With the introduction of a new heat network authorisation and consumer protection regime being developed under the Energy Act 2023, my officials have focused their efforts on engaging with the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ofgem regarding the data that will be collected as part of this new regime and the system that will be used to collect it. Ofgem has recently published the Heat networks regulation: authorisation and regulatory oversight consultation which provides details on the registration and monitoring. Both processes will provide valuable data on heat networks.

We expect that the quality of data from the new regime will be significantly better than that submitted as Heat Networks Metering and Billing Regulations 2014 (HNMBR) notifications, for a number of reasons, including that Ofgem is developing a dedicated digital platform so that regulated entities can engage with Ofgem supporting the processes of Registration, Authorisation Application and reporting for monitoring.

The date for heat networks regulation taking effect has been confirmed as 1 April 2025 in the Heat Networks (Market Framework) (Great Britain) Regulations 2025 Statutory Instrument (SI) 2025, laid in the UK Parliament on 28 November 2024, with later commencement dates for some of the regulations within the SI.

The Heat networks regulation: authorisation and regulatory oversight consultation can be accessed at the following address: Heat networks regulation: authorisation and regulatory oversight.

Work is underway to review and allocate the budget across the schemes funded through the Heat in Buildings programme. The allocations will be submitted for review to the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy early in the new year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-22894 on 27 November 2023.

The National Marine Plan (NMP2) will inform if, where, when and how development takes place and provide guidance on reaching those decisions.

The regulation and management of activities are covered by sector specific regulations outside of planning. Fisheries management measures form part of our ecosystem-based management but are not a national or regional marine planning matter.

We have a live call for evidence under our Inshore Fisheries Management Improvement (IFMI) Programme, which closes on 04 February 2025. This seeks expert input to help us transition to a more agile management model and enable a regional approach.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32247 on 18 December 2024. 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.

With the draft 25-26 budget allocation, the total allocation for Heat in Buildings within this parliamentary session is £1.7bn.

Shipping safety is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for establishing maritime safety protocol and legislation, including in response to specific incidents, working in partnership with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch.

Transport Scotland are standing members of the Port Marine Safety Code Steering Group. The aim of the Group is to facilitate regular meetings and other information sharing opportunities between port authorities, related maritime industries operating within ports, and government, including the devolved administrations, in order to share best practice and discuss developments such as the application of new legislation which may have a bearing on the content of the Port Marine Safety Code and the way in which it is applied at ports.

The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and crew welfare standards, and for these to be applied in the case of those vessels and crews accessing Scotland’s waters.

The SPCB has a policy covering the flying of flags on the flagpoles outside Holyrood - Flag-flying | Scottish Parliament Website.  The policy sets out which flags are flown and how exceptional requests can be made to the SPCB for approval. 

During official visits by external dignitaries, a flag can be displayed inside the building, usually in a meeting room or event space, for the duration of their visit.