Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not routinely collate or hold this data. Details of hen harrier nest sites on RSPB and non-RSPB nature reserves are collated and analysed through the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme coordinated by British Trust for Ornithology. Annual data from 2016-2020 relating to the breeding success of hen harrier nest sites are available from their website at Hen Harrier | Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme

The Scottish Government does not believe it is necessary to hold information on the number of successful and unsuccessful hen harrier nest sites on RSPB and non-RSPB nature reserves prior to introducing any legislation on the licensing of grouse moors.

There have been no discussions with Police Scotland which have resulted in a delay to implementing the short-term lets licensing scheme.

During 2022 officials have engaged regularly with licensing authorities and partners, including Police Scotland, to prepare for the start of short-term let licensing on 1 October 2022. Police Scotland is now completing fit and proper person checks as part of the process undertaken by licensing authorities to determine licensing applications from new and existing short-term let hosts. Although resourcing is a matter for Police Scotland to consider, they have been planning this for some time and we remain engaged to support this element of the scheme.

In recognition of the wider cost of living crisis that is placing pressure on existing short-term let hosts and businesses, we have announced that we will introduce legislation in January 2023 to extend the deadline for existing hosts to apply for a licence from 1 April 2023 to 1 October 2023. This is not a pause and we encourage hosts to keep applying throughout this period.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13278 on 12 January 2023. 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

The Scottish Government does not believe it is necessary to make a specific assessment of the implications of its policies of the reported greater success rate of hen harrier nests on non-RSPB nature reserves compared to RSPB nature reserves.

Hen harrier success rates are dependent on a number of different factors, as set out in the response to PQs S5W-20621 and S5W-26208. A significant reason for the lower productivity on RSPB reserves is because several are on Orkney where there is a high level of polygyny (males having 2-3 females). As males cannot provision up to 3 nests, failure of the 2nd & 3rd females is regular with fewer young raised (than a monogamous pair) even if they are successful.

The pandemic has changed drinking behaviour, particularly for those who were drinking heavily before the pandemic. There is more work to be done to better understand the continuing impact of the pandemic on alcohol harms.

We are working on a range of actions to make alcohol treatment services more accessible to those who need them to support individuals reduce their alcohol consumption.

Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) was introduced to reduce the consumption of alcohol by individuals whose consumption is hazardous or harmful as well as reducing the overall population level of consumption. We are evaluating MUP over the first five years of operation and will report to parliament in summer 2023.

We are currently in the process of evaluating minimum unit pricing (MUP) as a whole over its first five years of operation. Public Health Scotland will be producing a final report on MUP in 2023, which will inform our evaluation report which will be laid in Parliament and published in 2023.

We will review the final evaluation report from Public Health Scotland before drawing overall conclusions on whether the policy has achieved its aims.

We are concerned by evidence about the financial strain some economically vulnerable groups are experiencing, such as those dependent on alcohol. We are working on a range of actions to make alcohol treatment services more accessible to those who need them, to support individuals to reduce their alcohol consumption.

Anyone worried about affording essentials like food or fuel should contact their local authority where they can be put in contact with local advice and support.

Our cost of living website provides information on the wide range of advice and financial support available.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring people get access to person-centred support that is tailored to their needs. Through working directly with a wide range of stakeholders, which encompasses both NHS directors as well as Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) service leads and third sector organisations, a range of work is underway to ensure that any person that presents at any service with a mental health or substance use issue is offered support and guidance throughout their treatment.

This includes the recent Rapid Review of Mental Health and Substance Use Services; the development and implementation of standards for adult secondary mental health services, alongside the Healthcare Improvement Scotland Pathfinder project to design new approaches to care for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues.

The recently published summary of the 2021-2022 ADP annual survey reported that, over nine in ten (92%) ADPs routinely offer mental health support for people who use drugs or alcohol.

We will continue to work closely with local authorities, health and social care partnerships and people with lived experience to improve services and outcomes for people.

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on Thursday 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.

The suite of final reports presenting the recommendations of the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) will be published on the Transport Scotland website on Thursday 8 December 2022. This represents a key milestone for strategic transport planning in Scotland. Setting out a 20 year framework for capital investment to drive the change we need to achieve the Scottish Government’s strategic vision and move towards Net Zero – the majority of the 45 recommendations contribute directly towards achieving emissions reduction.

This marks the culmination of over three years’ intensive work.

The evidence gathering and robust objective-led appraisal work feeding in to this review has been informed by stakeholder engagement from the very outset. The public have been provided with several opportunities for involvement, not least the three month statutory consultation on draft versions of the reports during January to April 2022. All responses to this have been carefully considered and used to inform refinement of the final recommendations.

The intention was to publish a Delivery Plan for these recommendations, alongside the final report. However, due to the current huge lack of certainty around available capital budget and fiscal policy over recent months, this has not been possible as yet. As such the Delivery Plan will follow in 2023, which will include more detail on prioritisation and delivery timescales, however, I am pleased to note that work is already underway on 38 of the 45 recommendations.