The Scottish Government regularly discusses a wide range of fire safety topics with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) including battery energy storage systems (BESS). A dedicated working group within SFRS continues to monitor the number of BESS applications and their development, alongside the Service’s role in the planning, consultation, and progression of these sites.

Designation as a statutory consultee places certain statutory obligations on the relevant body to provide comments on any application notified to them within a set time period. These obligations have to be met and funded by the organisation in question. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has not requested to become a statutory consultee at this time and we do not have plans at this stage to take this forward however we will of course continue discussions with SFRS on this matter as and when appropriate.

Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts for income tax include judgements for behavioural responses which are based on evidence from academic literature on how taxpayers have responded to previous changes to income tax policy in Scotland, the UK, and internationally. The SFC applies behavioural responses to policies over the course of their full forecast. More detailed information is available at the following link: How we forecast behavioural responses to income tax policy | Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Scottish Government officials remain actively engaged with Public Health Scotland (PHS), who are responsible for the implementation of the Fracture Liaison Service audit. Progress against the business case requirements to develop and then implement the new audit is reviewed on a regular basis.

I also refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-35534 21 March 2025. 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 was pleased to meet with the Scottish Huntington’s Association (SHA) recently to discuss the provision of Huntington’s Disease services.

The Scottish Government is currently supporting the SHA’s youth services through the Children, Young People, Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund, to improve the resilience and confidence of young people with Huntington’s and support young carers.

Through the Neurological Care & Support Framework 2020-25, we have been working to ensure that everyone with a neurological condition, including Huntington’s Disease, can access the care and support they need. As the formal Framework strategy concludes, we have been engaging with clinicians, patients, carers and third sector organisations to explore a joined-up policy approach to long-term conditions. A full public consultation will commence shortly, following which a strategy will be developed and published later in 2025.

We have recently established a Neurological Conditions Improvement Network and are working with providers across Scotland to consider ways of ensuring statutory and third sector organisations collaborate on decision-making around the provision of care. This aims to ensure the best use of resources while encouraging person-centred support for people with neurological conditions.

The Scottish Government wants to ensure families affected by Huntington’s Disease are given the best possible care, information and support and I was pleased to meet with the Scottish Huntington’s Association recently to discuss services in Scotland.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Health Boards and Local Authorities, and it is ultimately for local partners to agree a joint, integrated budget which will enable them to meet the needs of local people in line with their Strategic Objectives.

While agreeing budgets is the responsibility of partnerships, we expect that these decisions be made in consultation with people who use services.

We recognise the importance of this issue to harbour users; however, ports in Scotland are mostly independent statutory bodies – each governed by their own local legislation – and are deemed commercial entities. Therefore, the Scottish Government has no say in the day-to-day running of their business, nor can it dictate business decisions made by a company on how to best utilise its resources. These are matters for the port authority.

I am delighted to be able to confirm investment of £10 million over the next two years to increase the number of Changing Places Toilets in Scotland.

Access to toilet facilities is a fundamental human right. Changing Places Toilets are larger accessible toilets designed to meet the needs of disabled people who need carer support and specialist equipment to use the facilities and maintain their dignity.

This funding will allow disabled people, their carers and families to participate more fully in society and access community resources, activities and events that most people take for granted.

I expect to launch the Fund in Summer 2025, with funding awards confirmed in the Autumn. Further information on the Fund will be provided in due course.

Between 2022-23 Rape Crisis Scotland were funded £408,675 through the Delivering Equally Safe fund. This funding supports the implementation of the Equally Safe at School whole school approach to preventing GBV and the continued delivery of the national sexual violence prevention programme.

Additionally, Rape Crisis Scotland was funded £43,000 in 2022-23 to fund a prevention and training post which oversees the effective implementation of the Equally Safe at Schools programme.

The Scottish Government also funds and supports other education-based programmes and initiatives aimed at tackling violence against women and girls and the attitudes which perpetuate it such as; the Mentors in Violence peer education programme, the preventing and responding to gender based violence: a whole school framework and Rape Crisis Scotland’s national sexual violence programme for secondary schools.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold the information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water Group's (including Scottish Water Horizons) generating capacity by technology (2023-24) is detailed in the following table: