The Scottish Government regularly monitors for hazardous substances in the Scottish marine environment. Hazardous substances highlighted to be of particular concern and routinely monitored include heavy metals (cadmium, mercury and lead), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These contaminants are measured in biota (mussels and fish) collected as part of the UK Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Programme for four biogeographic regions: Irish Sea (Clyde and Solway), Minches and Western Scotland, Scottish Continental Shelf and Northern North Sea.

More information related to the testing for contaminants in marine animals in Scottish waters can be found in the Scotland's Marine Assessment 2020 | Scotland's Marine Assessment 2020 .

The approximate average length of time, since 2015, for a section 36 energy consent application to receive a determination is as follows.

Onshore proposals over 50MW:

• Onshore wind – 33 months
• Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – 14 months
• Hybrid (Solar and BESS) – 13 months
• Hydro – 18 months
  Offshore proposals:
• Offshore wind - 11 months
• Wave & Tidal - 24 months

It should be noted that these timeframes include the time taken for Public Local Inquiries, should they be necessary, and also any delays caused by missing or additional application information being required from developers, such as that under EIA legislation.

All bat species found in Scotland are classed as European protected species. They receive the highest level of species protection under the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994.

This protection also extends to bat roosts. As bats return to the same places every year, a bat roost is protected even if no bats are present. Any action taken which might disturb or damage a bat roost requires a licence from NatureScot.

NatureScot bat workers and Licensing staff advise residents on bat species protection and how to manage the bat roosts within their homes in line with this protection through the Bats in Houses helpline or, for more complex cases, a home visit. NatureScot staff encourage residents in the first instance to retain these roosts, though in some circumstances they need to be excluded under licence because of the public health issue they can pose to residents. The licence to exclude bats contains conditions for the actions to safeguard the bats during the exclusion.

The Scottish Government is aware that supplies of various ADHD medicines continue to be intermittent. At present, market data and information provided by the UK Government indicates that some of these supply issues will continue into Autumn 2024. Scottish Government officials continue to monitor the situation for any further developments and are maintaining a close dialogue with all Health Boards to help manage these medicine supply disruptions and provide support when needed.

The supply of medicines and associated legislation are a reserved matter for the UK Government, and we continue to engage with them on this supply issue and other medicine shortages. The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for Scotland is a member of a UK-wide Medicines Shortage Response Group, set up to identify and co-ordinate responses to medicines shortages across the UK and provide advice to prescribers on alternative therapeutic options.

The UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care, on behalf of all four nations, regularly meets with the manufacturers of ADHD medicines to discuss their supply chains challenges and any issues where they may require assistance, including providing an overview of current and forecasted demand to assist manufacturers with planning to increase production forecasts. T he Scottish Government has not had any separate engagement with the manufacturers of ADHD medicines.

There are three licensed Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal use (CBPMs) available on the NHS in Scotland to treat specific conditions. These are:

• nabilone, a synthetic cannabinoid, as an add-on treatment for adults with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting;
• Sativex®, a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol for moderate to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis;
• and Epidyolex®, a cannabidiol for treating seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)

The decision on whether to make a licensed medicine routinely available on the NHS in Scotland is made by healthcare professionals and other experts who make up the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), following an application by the manufacturer. This is independent of Scottish Ministers. If a medicine is recommended for use,- Health Boards’ local Area Drug and Therapeutic Committees will consider and decide whether to include it in their prescribing formulary.

Clinical guidance does not recommend the prescribing of unlicensed CBPMs, other than in clinical trials. The biggest barrier to the prescribing of other CBPMs on the NHS is that most products remain unlicensed with a limited, or non-existent, peer-reviewed clinical evidence base for their use.

The Scottish Government’s recent investment into diabetes technologies will specifically support children and adults to access closed loop systems.

Alongside this additional investment, we will also encourage all NHS Boards including NHS Lothian to utilise the national onboarding team based at Centre of Sustainable Delivery as well their own local diabetes clinical teams to support technology starts.

This should increase the rate and scope at which individuals will be able to access closed loop systems and therefore have a positive impact on waiting times.

The performance of the Energy Consents Unit has recently been considered through the Onshore Wind Sector Deal and the Transmission Network Short Life Working Group. Work is ongoing to implement the actions derived from the recommendations of both groups. At an individual level, all members of the Energy Consent Unit have agreed work objectives which are reviewed as part of our performance management process.

The Young Person’s Guarantee was introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic as a measure to prevent long-term adverse impacts for young people in the labour market. It contained a number of aspects, covering skills, education, and employability.

Employability support available through the Young Person’s Guarantee was delivered through Local Employability Partnerships, with Local Authorities acting as lead accountable body. Specific details on funding are not held by the Scottish Government, therefore requests for this information would need to be directed towards Local Authorities. Employability contacts for each local authority can be found on the Employability in Scotland website which can be accessed here: https://www.employabilityinscotland.com/local-employability-services/

Employability support for young people is now delivered through the No One Left Behind approach across Scotland including Edinburgh, as part of the long-term ambition to simplify the employability landscape for service users.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering up to £85 million to support a range of projects across the south through the BorderlandsInclusive Growth Deal.

The Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) has paid £11.63m to applicants who were awarded total funding of £14m in 2023-24. Individual awards are published here - https://www.gov.scot/publications/marine-fund-scotland-grants-awarded/ . The Scottish Government publishes all payments over £25k here - https://www.gov.scot/collections/government-spend-over-gbp25000-monthly-reports/ .

The remaining £2.37m funding supported data collection on stocks in the North Sea and the West of Scotland. This information is combined with data from other European nations who fish in these waters and is then considered by the International Council for Exploration of the Seas (ICES).