Chamber and committees

sport scotland has made a provisional allocation of up to £5m in its forward budgeting for the development of a potential tennis facility at Park of Keir, consisting of a mix of Scottish Government and National Lottery funding.

However, at this stage, a full application for a tennis facility at Park of Keir has not been received. Any decision on whether to make a capital award and the appropriate level of any award will only be taken on completion of a full application by the applicant and following a sport scotland assessment process. This assessment process would consider among other issues the strategic need and demand for a facility, the impact it will have on sport and physical activity and whether the project is financially viable in capital and revenue terms.

Further to the answer to question S6W-00511 on 21 June 2021, the Scottish Government has had no discussion regarding the use and release of imidacloprid-based treatments in Scotland’s marine environment with SEPA, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Benchmark. No applications have been received for imidacloprid use or release.

Birds of Conservation Concern, often referred to as the UK Red List for Birds, is published by the British Trust for Ornithology. The report, which reviews the status of all regularly occurring birds in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, is compiled by a coalition of bird conservation and monitoring organisations from across the UK, including RSPB.

All bird species in Scotland are protected through the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Schedule 2 of the 1981 Act sets out the quarry species, i.e. those species that may be killed or taken outside of the closed season.

There are a range of reasons that may be responsible for a decline in a species’ population or a contraction of the species’ range leading to them being listed as a species of conservation concern. Where there is evidence that quarry species status is causing or exacerbating conservation concerns we will take steps to remove the species from Schedule 2 in accordance with the procedure set out in section 26(3) of the 1981 Act.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-05153 on 5 January 2022. 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

Transport Scotland has produced extensive guidance on travelling safely for all forms of transport since the start of the pandemic and this is available via the following web links (for operators and passengers respectively).

https://www.transport.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/guidance-for-transport-operators/

https://www.transport.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/advice-on-how-to-travel-safely/

Transport Scotland has also worked closely with operators across all modes to help reinforce the messaging to transport users and staff.

Enforcement of the law remains the responsibility of Police Scotland and the British Transport Police. Officers can issue a fixed penalty notice to anyone 18 or over if they have reason to believe an offence has been committed. Throughout the pandemic, Police Scotland officers have continued to use the “4Es” approach (to engage, explain, encourage and only enforce as a last resort to protect public health).

As we set out in our 2021 Programme for Government we will: ‘ deliver the recommendations of the Grouse Moor Management Review Group as a matter of urgency, including the licensing of grouse moors. Licensing or further regulation will cover the key areas identified in the review, including muirburn, wildlife control, the use of medicated grit and wildlife crime .’

The Grouse Moor Management Group chaired by Professor Werritty did not make any recommendations for a system to quantify and publish the number of gamebirds and other quarry species that are shot in Scotland each year and we have no plans to introduce such a system at present.

We are working with NatureScot to develop proposals for a licensing scheme for grouse moor businesses and it is conceivable that such a system might require records of quarry species shot on grouse moors. We will engage closely with relevant stakeholders as those proposals are developed.

Transport Scotland has undertaken to evaluate the Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme following the first full year of operation. The evaluation will assess the short, medium and long term impact of the scheme by comparing conditions at different stages.

Baseline data collection is under way, including an online survey with children, young people and parents, secondary data collection, and assessment of travel behaviour, attitudes and perceptions of travel prior to the scheme’s starting on 31 January 2022.

During the first year of operation, short term outcomes such as uptake of entitlement and travel behaviour will be evaluated. This will be followed by a more thorough evaluation following the first full year of operation which will assess medium and long term outcomes such as changing travel behaviour and improving access to education, training and employment.

Further evaluations are planned to take place periodically to ensure that the scheme is meeting its stated objectives and offers public value.

The under 26’s review has been undertaken during a period of time where there has been considerable changes in the policy landscape within which concessionary travel rests, and there currently remains a level of uncertainty as the long term impacts of COVID-19 on public transport are not yet known.

During the review process a commitment was made to introduce free bus travel to under 19s, which was then extended to under 22s which is due to be introduced on 31 January 2022. The impact of the under 22s scheme will provide useful real-world evidence for examining further cost-benefit analysis and determining the value of any future extensions of free bus travel (or other modes) for targeted age ranges or groups of society.

The under 26’s review is being finalised for publication and will be published following the introduction of the under 22s scheme.

I am pleased to inform Parliament that the Scottish Government has today laid its response to Scotland’s Climate Assembly.

The Assembly has been a truly historic process resulting in recommendations which are already guiding the future of our country. Our response has been a cross-Government effort and we have set out the actions that we are taking in response to each recommendation.

These actions include the roll-out of support for a new network of sharing libraries across Scotland, work with Scottish landowners to increase woodland creation and peatland restoration, and integrating emissions and emission reduction topics into education programmes across the country, ensuring people of all ages are supported to learn about and act on climate change.

We have been clear where action is already underway, and where we need to explore the feasibility of proposals or consult further. As we work towards net zero, we will ensure the Assembly's recommendations continue to guide decision-making. We will also take relevant recommendations to the UK Government to urge them to act in areas that would enable Scotland to reach its full emissions reduction potential.

As you will know, the Climate Assembly worked closely with the Children’s Parliament, ensuring that for the first time, children have directly been involved in such a process. The responses to their calls to action have been integrated into our main response. Additionally, we will respond directly to the Children’s Parliament.

I look forward to hearing the outcome of the eighth and final meeting of the Assembly and will make a statement to Parliament following this.

Scotland’s Climate Assembly, as representatives of our nation, told us what they want to see to meet net zero, and I am delighted to support this package of recommendations.