The Scottish Government does not hold this data. Court operational matters, including the system and arrangements for jury service, fall within the remit of the independent Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

Despite the reserved nature of telecommunications in the UK, the Scottish Government has chosen to step in and make substantial investments in both broadband and mobile digital connectivity across Scotland.

The over-£600 million investment in the Reaching 100% (R100) programme is building upon our strong track record of delivery, with Scottish Government led programmes delivering improved broadband to over one million properties so far.

Through a rolling Open Market Review, the Scottish Government continuously monitors broadband coverage across Scotland. This process enables the identification of premises that are eligible for future publicly subsided interventions, including those to be delivered through the UK Government’s Project Gigabit broadband investment, for which the Scottish Government will act as contracting authority for local and regional procurements.

We also recognise how vital access to mobile connectivity is, especially in rural areas. We have recently published an evaluation of our £28.75 million Scottish 4G Infill Programme, which has delivered 4G connectivity to 55 ‘notspots’ across rural and island Scotland, highlighting the transformational benefits that this new coverage is delivering to businesses and communities alike.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the victim surcharge broken down in this way.

The victim surcharge came into force in Scotland on 25 November 2019 and applies to all persons who commit an offence on or after that date and who are subsequently convicted and receive a court fine. The amount payable is proportionate to the value of the fine imposed by the court. The surcharge is collected from offenders by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, in the same way it collects fines. Monies are then paid into the Victim Surcharge Fund, administered by the Scottish Government.

We publish an annual report detailing payments into and out of the Victim Surcharge Fund. Victim Surcharge Fund: annual report 2023 to 2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The reduction of £1 million referred to in the letter from the Finance Secretary to the Scottish Parliament's Finance and Public Administration Committee dated 3 September relates to the nature restoration budget line, rather than the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF). The £1m reduction will result in reduced scope of some projects and delay in implementing other projects.

The Edinburgh Process strand of the NRF is provided directly to Local Authorities and the £5 million allocated to this strand for 2024-25 has been redirected to help meet the public sector pay offer. Scottish Ministers have made a commitment to replace this funding in 2025-26. The Edinburgh Process strand of the NRF supports the devolved delivery of nature restoration projects that best meet local priorities for climate and nature. It helps Local Authorities to deliver upon their commitment to the Edinburgh Declaration for biodiversity, and to meet their Biodiversity Duty in taking action to conserve biodiversity.

In the period 2021-22 to 2023-24, individual Local Authorities across the Highlands and Islands have received around £2.4 million from the Edinburgh Process NRF strand, to support a range of nature restoration projects.

This funding announcement has not affected the competitive strand of the NRF which is administered by NatureScot. Funding awarded is supporting 14 projects across Scotland including the Highland and Island region in 2024-25, for river and woodland restoration, rainforest regeneration, and restoring coastal habitats. Full details of projects funding by the NRF competitive strand can be found at Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) - Supported Projects | NatureScot.

The Scottish Government freeze on public sector marketing expenditure for the remainder of the year is a necessary decision to ensure we have a balanced budget.

There will be some limited Scottish Government marketing activity where costs have already been committed, or an essential need is identified, and the process to identify exceptions is still underway.

The remaining capital budget for coastal change will be distributed in 2025-26. As in all previous years, it will be allocated via a distribution method agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders via the local authority general capital grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

The Scottish Government continues to routinely engage with local authorities across Scotland as part of ongoing work ensuring all key stakeholders such as building owners, representative organisations and professional bodies can share information and best practice on RAAC management, where required. Engagement is primarily through the Scottish Government led Cross Sector Working Group but also via Scottish Futures Trust for school estate interests and the Scottish Heads of Property Services (SHoPs) network.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

Following the announcement of funding from the Scottish Government, on 20 September 2023, to build cyber resilience in communities and enable more people across the country to keep themselves safe and secure online;

(a) 961 people participated in Scottish Union Learning workshops, and

(b) over 950 people participated in workshops organised by Community Enterprise.