As of April 2024: 309,761 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the 6 nautical miles limit adjacent to Scotland.

15,660,261 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to Scotland.

28,962,015 hectares were closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the UK Continental Shelf adjacent to Scotland.

The Hydrogen Action Plan, published in December 2022, set out a clear commitment to support renewable hydrogen production.

Under schedules 1 and 3 of the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Fishing and Fishing Methods) (Scotland) Order 2004 - 167,773 hectares are closed to both scallop dredging and bottom trawling within the 6 nautical miles limit adjacent to Scotland, as of April 2024.

The Scottish Government is absolutely clear that there is no place for hatred and prejudice in Scotland. We work cooperatively with a range of organisations throughout the country to tackle all forms of hatred and prejudice, including Irish community organisations in Scotland.

Our Hate Crime Strategy Delivery Plan sets out our immediate actions over the next two years, up to April 2026, to implement Scotland’s Hate Crime Strategy. This reflects our commitment that everyone in Scotland lives free from hatred and prejudice and that all our communities, including our Irish communities, are empowered, inclusive and safe.

The Delivery Plan supports the implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. The Act consolidates, modernises and extends existing hate crime legislation and is an essential element of our wider approach to tackling hate crime. The Act includes legislative protections against offences aggravated by prejudice against race and religion.

As of April 2024:9,011 hectares were closed to creeling within the 6 nautical miles limit adjacent to Scotland.

522,485 hectares were closed to creeling within the UK Exclusive Economic Zone adjacent to Scotland.

3,700,024 hectares were closed to creeling within the UK Continental Shelf adjacent to Scotland.

Following the UK Chancellor's July statement, the Scottish Government continues to face the most challenging financial situation since devolution.

We have sought to protect mental health funding, despite difficult decisions about reductions which affect all of Government.

Despite this reduction to the 2024-25 budget, we remain committed to taking forward our work across mental health, working closely with our key delivery bodies, partners and stakeholders. Our collective focus has to be on making as much difference as possible with our funding.

No elements of the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme will be discontinued in 2024-25. Savings were realised through pre-agreed changes in funding to the original pilots, which from 2024-25 will be funded by local areas rather than centrally by the Scottish Government. The DBI programme continues to grow – it is now live locally in 29 of the 31 Health and Social Care Partnership areas, with the remaining 2 actively preparing to go live in October 2024. In addition, 3 national pathways to DBI are live – via NHS24 and via call handling centres operated by Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

The Scottish Government is continuing with its due diligence process, which includes a value for money assessment.

A] The Scottish Government believes that the community social work model remains an important approach and undoubtedly, in the right circumstances, offers a targeted early response to tackle a wide range of issues which may in some circumstances lead to crisis.

B] The Scottish government recognises that, as part of range of approaches, the community based social work model holds an important place in responding to the needs of deprived communities with the main strength being the proactive and accessible nature of the approach.

The Scottish Government recognises that the community social work approach may provide assistance for people experiencing a range of circumstances. We know that children, young people and families benefit when they can access the support they need when and where they need it. Communities across Scotland are currently supported through national initiatives including Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), the Promise, and UNCRC legislation. Multi-agency community support hubs - which include social work - exemplify the ways in which national and local partners are working with their communities to provide effective whole family support in a place-based way that works for people.

We will continue to invest to provide a template for future change and improvement, however there are currently no plans to pilot the community social work approach across Scotland. We also acknowledge the role of local authorities in understanding and responding to the needs of people in local communities through the provision of services which promote people’s wellbeing.

In December 2023, given the extremely challenging capital funding position, NHS Boards were instructed to stop any project development spend and instead direct capital budgets towards maintenance of the existing estate and essential equipment and digital replacement. Boards were notified that the Scottish Government does not anticipate starting construction of any new project over the next two years at least.

We are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system infrastructure plan which reflects on the needs for the whole of Scotland and will support continued safe operation of existing facilities and well as determination of longer-term investment priorities.