Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23070 on 04 December 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.

In the 2022 – 2023 cohort, there have been 25 teachers who have achieved the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme. An award ceremony will be held on 11December 2023 in Stirling at Dyslexia Scotland’s Offices.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS sold the former remand institution site at Longriggend and its landholdings on 2 October 2003. The sale included the former remand centre car park and the social club site.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-23112 on 4 December 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 .

Information on the location, damage and costs caused by individual flood incidents is not held by the Scottish Government but detailed information may be held by local authorities, emergency responders and the insurance industry.

SEPA collect information on incidents of flooding from local authorities and also from members of the public through its Report–a–flood tool. Verified records are used to improve flood mapping and inform the National Flood Risk Assessment.

The Scottish Government have no plans to carry out any assessment of the impact of the dissolution of the Scottish Milk Marketing Board and are not considering re-establishing a Milk Marketing Board.

The dairy sector is supported by bodies such as Dairy UK, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), the Scottish Dairy Hub and the Scottish Dairy Growth Board.

An aim of the Scottish Government's scientific trial is to put in place appropriate regulatory arrangements to help ensure a sustainable fishery.

Officials are considering options for management measures, informed by scientific findings, and will engage with trial participants if further measures are considered necessary.

The Al-Mahdi Foundation received £372k of Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) grant funding for 2 projects between 2014-2020 to support awareness raising of climate change issues amongst disadvantaged and ethnic minority communities and to make their community building more energy efficient.

The CCF was delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful who were responsible for assessing all applications. Grant applications were subject to the relevant due diligence checks. Projects were monitored to ensure they delivered against their objectives and grants were paid out based on incurred expenditure.

National Security is a reserved matter. If there is any evidence of alleged criminality this should be reported to Police Scotland.

Scottish Government Ministers and officials have been in frequent contact with farmers and farming representatives regarding the impacts of the extreme weather and severe flooding in October, including Storm Babet. I held a roundtable with NFUS and other agricultural representatives following the flooding in early October to gain an overview of the impacts at that stage, and visited an affected farm in Perthshire to meet a range of agricultural representatives. Officials have also been in regular contact with farmers, including through our area officer networks, to understand the impacts of the severe flooding in early October and from Storm Babet across the country.

In the aftermath of Storm Babet, I spoke at the NFUS Autumn Conference on 26th October and confirmed there that we would work with the agricultural sector to bring forward support for the repair of the floodbanks damaged by the extreme rainfall during October that protect our vitally productive farmland. I then spoke with farmers at the AgriScot conference on 22nd November and confirmed that following that engagement with the sector the Scottish Government has now established and funded a scheme for agricultural flood bank repair, with a budget of £1.8 million set aside.

In relation to the ARC Bill, these outcomes bear their ordinary meaning.

The Agriculture Reform Route Map published a glossary of terms including an understanding for regenerative agriculture in June this year.