Chamber and committees

Scotland’s independent environmental regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), monitors and investigates impacts on our water environment and takes steps to ensure it is protected on a daily basis.

Scottish Ministers introduced the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011, updating legislation first introduced in 2005, giving SEPA enforcement powers and a duty to control activities liable to cause pollution of the water environment.

On Monday 11th September, SEPA responded to reports it received of large dead fish along a section of the River Spey. SEPA has conducted a range of water quality and ecology monitoring of the River Spey along with investigating local regulated activities. However, no water quality issues have been identified and no impact on other aquatic species and smaller fish has been observed. This would not be expected from a chemical spill where all aquatic species and fish populations would be impacted.

A multi-agency group has met in response to the incident to consider all potential causes of the incident. SEPA is continuing to liaise with partners and assess all reports in an effort to identify any possible factors responsible for the fish mortalities and the outcome of this will determine next steps.

We take reports of this kind very seriously and encourage anyone who finds dead fish on or near any watercourse to contact SEPA via our Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report .

There are currently no plans to amend the gambling questions in the Scottish Health Survey.

However, the Gambling Commission have commissioned NatCen Social Research to run a new UK wide survey, which will include approx. 20,000 adults annually, with a sample of approximately 1,000 adults in Scotland.

To date the Gambling Commission results have been experimental statistics but the Gambling Commission will be publishing their first set of Official Statistics in a quarterly publication in Spring 2024. Once this new data is available we will consider it and any implications for the Scottish Health Survey.

The most recent Scottish Health Survey (SHeS) found that the proportion of adults undertaking any gambling activities in Scotland (including the National Lottery) has decreased significantly between 2012 and 2021 – from 70% to 58%.

However, notwithstanding this positive trajectory, the Scottish Government recognises the adverse impacts that gambling can have on health and wellbeing, such as debt and deterioration of physical and mental health, and that this can lead to an increased risk of suicide for people affected by problem gambling. A recent evidence review by Public Health England (updated in January 2023) sets out the many health and social harms associated with gambling – including homelessness, crime, relationship harms, mental health problems and suicide.

At present, comparable Scotland specific data is not available. However work is underway in Public Health Scotland to identify and understand what data is currently available, analyse that data to inform future developments (linking to Scottish Health Survey data), and consider what further data collection may be necessary. PHS are also piloting a whole systems approach, working with partners in Glasgow, to mitigate the impact of gambling harm in a specific local authority area.

Betting, gaming and lotteries are largely reserved matters and their regulation is primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) sets out how gambling in Great Britain should be regulated.

The Gambling Commission has responsibility for regulating commercial gambling in Great Britain and requires gambling operators to hold a licence to operate. The Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice require operators to comply with the Advertising Codes, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Officials are working with social care employers and partners to consider what support the Scottish Government can provide to expand graduate apprenticeship options and career pathways in social care.

Noting that Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition (TNZJT) is a significant portfolio, there are currently a number of Scottish Government working groups that fall under the remit of TNZJT. The following non-exhaustive list includes currently active groups that would fall under TNZJT portfolio and are managed by the Scottish Government.

• National strategy for 20mph Working Group
• Zero Emission Truck Taskforce
• Private Water Supply Working Group
• Scottish Blue Carbon Forum
• Contaminated Land Advisory Group
• Zero Emission Truck Taskforce
• Marine Litter Strategy Steering Group
• Transport Sector Skills & CESAP Transport Policy Working Group
• Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan Implementation Steering Group
• Single Use Cups Charge Advisory Group
• Waste Data Strategy Board
• National Flytipping Forum
• Food Waste Reduction Programme Board
• Recycling Improvement Fund Programme Board
• Waste & Resources Sector Forum
• Joint Scottish Government/Local Government Strategic Steering Group on Circular Economy & Waste
• National Strategy for Economic Trans Private Investment in Natural Capital Working Group
• Biodegradable Municipal Waste Landfill Programme Board
• Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group
• Biodiversity Programme Stakeholder Engagement Group
• Science Advisory Group for Scottish Biodiversity Strategy
• Deposit Return Scheme Ministerial Strategic Assurance Group
• Deposit Return Scheme Executive Oversight Group
• Deposit Return Scheme Sector-specific Producers and Hospitality Providers Working Group
• Deposit Return Scheme Sector-specific Retailers Working Group
• National Transport Strategy Delivery Board
• National Transport Strategy Business Group
• Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Force
• Shetland Ferry Replacement Task Force
• A83 Taskforce Group
• Forth Bridges Forum
• LEZ Leadership Group
• LEZ Communications Group
• LEZ Consistency Group
• LEZ Enforcement Group
• Queensferry Crossing Ice Accretion Working Group
• Queensferry Crossing Ice Accretion Peer Review Group
• A9 Road Safety Group
• Road Safety Strategic Partnership Board
• Road Safety Operational Partnership Group
• Motorcycle safety group
• Three Local Partnership Forums for Road Safety across Scotland (east, west and north)
• The Parking Standards Advisory Group
• The Traffic Regulation Order Review Group
• Scottish Road Research Board
• National strategy for 20mph Working Group
• Road Traffic Fatality Working Group
• Transport Scotland Pavement Forum
• Scottish Traffic Signs Working Group
• Roads for All forum
• The Active Travel Delivery Partners’ Data, Monitoring and Evaluation Group
• Mobility as a Service Working Group
• Accessible Travel Steering Group
• Operators Smart Steering Group
• Zero Emission Truck Taskforce
• Bus Taskforce
• Environment and Economy Leaders' Group (EELG)
• Cleaner Air for Scotland 2: Ministerial Group

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19366 on 21 July 2023 in relation to the desktop review and a full list of the 254 properties identified as having two or more characteristics consistent with the presence of RAAC was placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 64387). NHS Scotland Assure also published the information on their website on 15 September. An update on progress with the national survey programme, including the list of NHS buildings where RAAC is identified, will also be published by NHS Scotland Assure and each local NHS Board.

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 values the impressive work that the Scottish Civic Trust does to coordinate the national Doors Open Days festival each year, which is the largest free heritage festival in Scotland and delivers many benefits by connecting people with their local historic environment. This is why the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development was pleased to provide an opening address for the festival and met with the Scottish Civic Trust recently in-person to discuss the opportunities and challenges the festival offers.

Financial support for the Scottish Civic Trust’s Doors Open Days and My Place Photography Competition has been secured through our lead public body for heritage, Historic Environment Scotland, which has committed over £100,000 each for this and the next two years from its Partnership Fund.

Telecommunications policy is Reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on access to 5G services across Scotland.

However Ofcom’s mobile coverage checker ( https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/mobile-coverage ) provides a spatial view of this data. Raw coverage data, at local authority and various Parliamentary constituency levels, is available at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/spring-202

The Scottish Government is considering options around the appointment of an independent Chair of the National Joint Negotiating Committee.

This must be explored fully, and in partnership with employers and trade unions, to ensure the Scottish Government continues to maintain its position of not intervening directly in the national collective bargaining process.