Chamber and committees

Part five of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 (ASBA) was designed to provide a swift effective deterrent to the problem of antisocial neighbour noise. The decision to use dB(A) was based on the research report commissioned to inform the legislation. The report can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Research/About/EBAR/19670. Principally, environmental noise levels are generally described in terms of an A-weighting which simulates the response of the ear. The dB(A) weighting network is the most widely used. dB(C) weightings do not correlate well with human subjective tests. In addition a dB(C) weighting protocol would involve a much more complex measurement regime and thus negate the principle of a swift deterrent.

If the permitted noise levels are not exceeded, local authority officers or the police can still use other powers to abate the noise nuisance, for example, under the statutory nuisance regime. There is no statutorily defined limit for the volume of noise, including low frequencies, which constitutes a statutory nuisance. Each case is for investigation by an environmental health officer (or equivalent) who is trained to decide whether the law is being breached according to the specific circumstances.

Nuclear safety is a reserved matter, however, the Scottish Government continues to work closely with the UK Government, Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and all relevant emergency responders on contingency planning and keeps its arrangements under continual review.

The scope and structure of a Periodic Safety Review is a matter for the licensee.

As defined in ONR’s annual plan, the decision on the Hunterston B periodic safety review will be issued, we understand, by 31 January 2017.

The scope of this work has yet to be agreed, but will be subject to engagement with a range of public, private and third sector stakeholders.

Guidance on Pre-school Teacher Deployment was last published in May 2009.

The Scottish Government believes that children must have access to highly qualified staff with expertise in early childhood learning and development – and that this is particularly vital for those facing particular disadvantages. That is why we are committed to ensuring that nurseries in the most deprived areas will have an additional teacher or graduate from 2018 and we will set out more details as to how this commitment will be delivered later this month.

We have also sought views on a wide range of policy areas as part of our consultation on the expansion of early learning and childcare in Scotland, A Blueprint for 2020. The consultation closed on 9 January 2017 and the Scottish Government will set out its response in the Spring.

Scotland's Road Safety Framework envisages a future where no one is killed on Scotland's roads, and the injury rate is much reduced. We remain committed to implementing the Framework and a mid-term review in 2016 identified cyclists and pedestrians as priorities for further consideration.

The Scottish Government funds a number of road safety initiatives for cyclists, including:

• Cycling Scotland's "Give Everyone Cycle Space" campaign, which is run annually and nationally both on TV and radio, which asks all drivers to be aware of cyclists on the roads at all times and to give cyclists as much space as you would another vehicle;

• adult cycle training sessions, which are available across the country from cycle retailers, and a downloadable APP from Cycling Scotland, which take you through various road safety exercises, including road positioning;

• the Big Bike Revival run by Cycling UK, which has held over 500 community-led sessions since September 2016 and will continue in 2017, together with free Dr Bike maintenance checks, cycle training and community led rides;

• Sustrans' Workplace Champions' programme, which is currently delivered in Edinburgh and Glasgow and engages with workplaces to deliver cycle training to those who wish to cycle to work;

• funding support to local authorities to deliver the three levels of the UK national standard Bikeability Scotland cycle training in schools;

• support for the implementation of 20mph streets/zones in communities across Scotland to improve road safety; and

• Sustrans' Community Links and Community Links PLUS programmes, which offer matched funding for on-road and fully segregated cycle paths to improve safety for cyclists.

We expect the study announced on 3 November to report in February/March and a decision will be announced as soon as possible thereafter. Peter Brett Associates have now been appointed to carry out the study.

Membership of the Further and Higher Education Student Support Review Working Group is published on the Scottish Government website at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/UniversitiesColleges/studentsupportreview.

The Scottish Government is keen to hear the views of students and other stakeholders and the review process will offer a variety of ways to do this including social media, focus groups and surveys. Further information will be available on this soon.

The Scottish Government commissioned research into the impact of change in sea fishing on the social well-being of Scotland’s fishing communities in 2013. The report titled ‘The impact of sea fishing on social well-being in Scottish fishing communities’ is available on the Scottish Government website.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the bus sector through the provision of £50m funding through the Bus Service Operators Grant. This substantial funding helps keep fares at affordable levels and helps enable operators to safe-guard bus services which otherwise may not be commercially viable. The Scottish Government also provides the funding for local authorities to deliver nearly £60m a year to support their local bus services.

It is our intention to establish a working group on the review and consult on draft refreshed guidance next year.

The draft guidance will be subject to public consultation to ensure that the contributions of a wide range of interested individuals and organisations can be made and heard.