The need for an Environmental Impact Assessment would be dependent upon the site and whether there is any material change of use with regards to existing permissions. Ultimately, that is a local planning matter and determining whether the operator requires further planning permission is for the relevant planning authority to consider.

Minutes from the Scottish Bracken Working Group meetings are available at the following link: Bracken: Scottish Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

A number of alternative methods of control are available to aid bracken management, which should be determined on a case by case basis.

UK Preliminary Best Practice Guidance for bracken management was published in June 2024 and can be viewed at the following link: Bracken | NatureScot .

In 2023, the Health and Safety Executive, the pesticides regulator, did not authorise Asulox for use in Scotland because of the risk it poses to the environment and human health.

The Scottish Government recognises that there is a lack of information on which areas in Scotland are most impacted by bracken and how coverage is changing. We are working closely with NatureScot to progress development of a bracken map. Mapping the presence of bracken would better identify concerns, support treatment methods and allow prioritisation of potential further research.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to improving Scotland’s transport and trade links to the Continent, which carries even more importance after the UK Government’s damaging exit from the EU.

I have personally engaged with parties interested in introducing new ferry services, and Transport Scotland officials continue to communicate regularly with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports.

I also met with Lord Davies of Gower, then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, in London on 5 February regarding this issue. I subsequently received written confirmation from Lord Davies that the UK Government was not willing to financially support a new service from Rosyth, highlighting the risk of potential litigation should other operators consider such support to be subsidy.

Due to UK Subsidy Control restrictions, any service is required to operate on a commercial basis. I hope that prospective commercial operators are able to commit to operating a successful and profitable service, however this is ultimately a decision for those operators.

We will continue to engage with port operators and others to explore opportunities for new commercial services, so that Scottish exporters have more direct routes to markets on the Continent.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with our international partners to secure a global transition to a net zero and nature positive future in a way that is fair and just for all.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant and unique challenges faced by our rural communities, and is committed to understanding and tackling those challenges.

For example, the forthcoming Mainland Rural Delivery Plan will set out how all parts of the Scottish Government are delivering for Scotland’s rural communities, and will cover a range of topics, including healthcare, education, social justice and transport. Furthermore, the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, sets out how we will work with regional, local and community partners to ensure that we collectively deliver a sustainable solution to the key challenges in rural communities.

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions regarding regeneration of Niddrie with the City of Edinburgh Council or other stakeholders.

We are committed to supporting our most disadvantaged communities and places to build their capacity, resilience and sustainability through a place-based approach to regeneration, which is underpinned by our Regeneration Strategy. However, as set out in the Scottish Budget, we are in an extremely challenging financial position which has resulted in this year’s pause of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme. As such, we do not have plans to provide funding support for the Niddrie area.

Given the nature of Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) funding, it is the responsibility of local authorities to administer and manage their respective PBIP allocations. As such, the Scottish Government does not hold that level of information on local authorities’ provisional plans for use of their PBIP funding.

We hope to be able to provide further clarity on the full PBIP allocation for 2024-25 in the autumn.

As set out in the Scottish Budget, the financial position for 2024-25 is extremely challenging and we continue to operate in a volatile period, with difficult decisions being made and robust spending controls in place. In light of the potential financial risks and uncertainties, we are unable to confirm the 2024-25 Place Based Investment Programme (PBIP) funding position for local authorities at this current time.

Ministers have, however, authorised an initial release of PBIP funding to support projects that are well underway and at risk of stalling, to protect significant investment made to date, and to reduce the risk of losing match funding. Scottish Government officials have been working closely with councils to identify these priority projects.

We hope to be able to provide further clarity on the full PBIP allocation for 2024-25 in the autumn.

The final spend for 2023 survey amounted to £155,238. The final spend for 2024 is yet to be finalised but will come within the total approved spend allocation of £111,954.