Chamber and committees

The responsibility for public conveniences rests with the owner of the land, which could be a variety of different bodies such as local authorities, community organisations and tourist boards. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government.

We are not currently considering the introduction of a national set rate for adoption allowances. A National Review of Care Allowances was published in 2018 which highlighted that each local authority is able to develop their own adoption allowance scheme within the parameters of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (‘the 2007 Act’). Under the 2007 Act, local authorities have a duty to assess someone’s need for adoption support services and to provide this support.

The Adoption Support Services and Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2009 (‘the 2009 Regulations’) are designed to ensure that those persons identified in section 1 of the 2007 Act can access and receive the ongoing support for an adoption required to ensure the improved outcomes associated with adoption. It is the duty of local authorities to implement these duties to ensure that adoptive families receive this support.

The Regulations outline the circumstances in which adoption allowances may be paid and the factors that an adoption agency must take into account. Adoption allowances are not a universal entitlement, but are based on a child’s current and potential future needs.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that adoptive families receive the support they need, when and where they need it throughout life. Despite the challenging fiscal environment, we are providing over £770,000 to organisations delivering services and support to adoptive families and practitioners in 2024-25.

As outlined in the Promise Implementation Plan update published on 19 September 2024, we will publish an adoption vision statement which sets out the place of adoption in Scotland today and our strategic priorities moving forward. This includes a focus on understanding the needs and priorities in relation to improving the consistency of post-adoption support across Scotland.

We have laid before Parliament today the third annual progress report against our Heat in Buildings Strategy and the first report against the Heat in Buildings Monitoring and Evaluation Framework: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836018100.

The report describes significant activity in key areas, including through our delivery schemes, new build regulations, heat networks, the energy efficiency of our homes and steady growth in clean heat installations. This follows our recent consultations on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill, a Social Housing Net Zero Standard and EPC reform, and in relation to which we will confirm next steps shortly.

Development of the 43 UK Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) is an important element of the UK Fisheries Act (2020) and the 2022 UK Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). The four UK fisheries policy authorities (UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and DAERA) have been working together and in partnership with stakeholders to develop the FMPs according to the parameters set within the JFS.

A significant amount of work has already been completed, however, this work is complex and further stakeholder engagement and consultation is needed. The statutory deadlines therefore need to be amended to ensure the right time and space to develop and deliver robust and effective plans.

A consultation paper proposing amendments to Annex A in the JFS, which contains the list of FMPs and the revised timetable for their delivery, has today been published. The consultation will be led by DEFRA and will run for 6 weeks from 10 October to 21 November. The deadline for the Scottish-led FMPs will be moved to the end of 2026.

We already have a strong suite of management measures in place to sustainably manage our fisheries and safeguard our fish stocks. FMPs will support further improvements where these are needed and will help deliver increased transparency in the way in which fisheries management takes place across the UK.

Scottish Government officials meet with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) representatives regularly to discuss fire safety issues in Scotland, including the safety of battery energy storage sites (BESS). The role of SFRS in relation to BESS sites is regularly discussed, and SFRS continue to develop and update their operational processes, as appropriate.

In addition, if SFRS receive information about proposed BESS sites they refer those duty holders (site operators) responsible for the plant in any application process to the National Fire Chief Council's best practice guidance for such sites and continue to engage with them around emerging issues and updated guidelines as required. These guidelines detail, amongst other things, minimum standards for fire safety systems and design features, water requirements for firefighting and access requirements.

The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund is a five year demand led fund of up to £25 million from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget and is available to local authorities and registered social landlords to purchase existing suitable properties in rural and island areas to provide affordable homes for key workers where there is identified need. The fund will run from 2023-24 to 2027-28. There are no plans for the fund to be made available to landlords in the private rented sector.

At the recent SFRS Annual Performance Review (APR) on 10 September, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety raised the issue of battery energy storage sites (BESS) with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Scottish Government officials also meet with SFRS Prevention, Protection and Preparedness representatives regularly to discuss fire safety issues in Scotland, including the safety of BESS sites, most recently on 3 October.

Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) publishes the number of staff it employs in its Annual Report. The 2023-24 Annual Report will be published later this month.

The information relating to 2022 is available on the CHS website: Reports and Planning (chscotland.gov.uk).

The Scottish Government fully supports the work being undertaken by the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) partnership project. The project has been working in strategic areas to protect, maintain and promote existing red squirrel populations, and to defend these populations from the spread of squirrelpox. With support from project staff, professional Grey Squirrel Officers have been working with volunteers and landowners to deliver strategic grey squirrel control in four priority areas: Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling; Tayside (collectively the Central Lowlands); North East Scotland; and South Scotland.

The SSRS Project has recently been awarded just over £1m by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund. Over two years, this funding is enabling the creation of new community-focused rapid response monitoring and control networks across the northern Central Lowlands, made possible by increased year-round professional grey squirrel control activities in the area. This will pave the way for a long-term southward shift of the current “Highland Line Control Zone” – the 10km zone stretching from Balloch to Montrose and buffering the diagonal Highland Boundary Fault Line, where Scotland’s Highland red-only squirrel population intersects with the most northly reaches of grey squirrels incurring from the Lowlands.

This funding has enabled a concentrated effort to eradicate the last remaining isolated population of grey squirrels in the North East of Scotland. The project also aims to eradicate grey squirrels from the islands of Loch Lomond with the support of partners and landowners and additional funding from the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority.

Funding for land managers for grey squirrel control is also available through the Sustainable Management of Forests under the Scottish Government’s Forestry Grant Scheme.

The Scottish Government and partners will continue to be involved in discussions on taking forward the work currently being undertaken by SSRS.The Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation was published in 2015 and we are currently reviewing this with a view to publishing a revised strategy in 2025.