Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19946 on 3 August 2023. 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 .

Deer management covers a range of work, including culling deer and other damage mitigation actions such as deer fencing which can have an effect on deer movement and impacts.

We do not hold figures for the overall breakdown of deer management actions undertaken in Scotland. However, the annual cull data collected by NatureScot, plus estimates of unreported private sector deer culls, suggests that culling estimates that in 2020-21 approximately 20% of deer culled in 2021 were culled by Scottish Government agencies and 80% by private land managers and non-governmental organisations.

The Scottish Government understands that a Dundee consortium, led by Abertay University, have been successful in their bid to house one of three regional CoSTAR labs, which attracts a portion of the £12.5m funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council for these regional labs.

We welcome engagement with all relevant parties to help ensure the success of this project, and all work that contributes to a sustainable future for Scotland’s creative industries and related technology sectors.

Since May 2021, the Scottish Government has not held any Ministerial meetings with All Perspectives Ltd, which owns GB News.

Within this period, Scottish Government culture officials have also not met with All Perspectives Ltd on either a formal or informal basis.

Since May 2021, the Scottish Government has had 5 Ministerial meetings with STV.  

As outcomes, there was a shared commitment to ensuring the sustainability of public service broadcasting, STV licence renewal, and support for the wider screen sector and creative industries.

Since May 2021, the Scottish Government has not held any Ministerial meetings with Sky UK Limited.

Within this period, Scottish Government culture officials have also not met with Sky UK Limited on either a formal or informal basis.

Since May 2021, the Scottish Government has had 2 Ministerial meetings with Channel 4.

As outcomes the Scottish Government reiterated its opposition to the proposals from the UK Government to privatise Channel 4. We welcome that these proposals have now been dropped.

Also discussed were Channel 4’s wider plans and opportunities for Scotland Channel 4.

I met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Glen on 20 July to discuss the review of the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Framework.

Following a series of negotiations, we have agreed on an updated Fiscal Framework, which will be published today. This follows the completion of an independent report into the Scottish Government’s block grant adjustments, which will also be published today.

This agreement updates the 2016 Fiscal Framework following a Parliament’s worth of experience and helps to keep the Scottish Government’s devolution settlement up to date.

Alongside this agreement both governments acknowledged the important independent work undertaken by Audit Scotland and the Scottish Fiscal Commission in providing scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s finances. Both Governments reaffirmed their support for these bodies and the calls from the Finance and Public Administration committee to increase this reporting as set out in their letter to the Commission of May 2023. Both governments noted that the Framework for Audit and Accountability which sits alongside the Scottish Government’s Fiscal Framework will also be reviewed in due course.

I would also like to thank the Finance and Public Administration Committee for its contribution to the public discourse on the Framework since 2016, including the evidence submitted to the call for stakeholder input to the Independent Report, and which have informed this revised agreement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09277 on 4 July 2022. 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 .

Through the Corra Foundation, a Research Programme Fund was developed by the independent Drug Deaths Taskforce. The requested information is publicly available at Taskforce Funded Projects - Drug Deaths Taskforce (knowthescore.info) .