Scottish Ministers remain committed to working with councils to ensure that all households across Scotland benefit from a council tax freeze in 2024-25. Our offer to Argyll and Bute Council and Inverclyde Council to deliver a freeze in 2024-25 remains on the table.

The Bill was introduced on Wednesday 13 March, and published on Thursday 14 March 2024.

The independent reporter was required to make their decision on the planning merits of the case and in overall accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicated otherwise. The reporter concluded that the main issues in this case were the principle of the development and its potential benefits; the landscape and visual impact of the proposal; and its ecological impact. The reporter took full account of all submissions made by parties, including those from North Ayrshire Council and views expressed by members of the local community, consultees and other third parties with an interest in the proposal. A site inspection took place on 13 October 2023.

The reporter took full account of all the submissions made by parties, including the potential impact on the island's birds. This included the appellants Ecological Appraisal and comments from members of the local community.

The reporter concluded that the proposed development complied with development plan policies relating to biodiversity.

The reporter has included a condition to this permission setting out that prior to the commencement of the development a Construction Management Plan shall be submitted to the council for approval. This Plan will set out, unless otherwise agreed by the planning authority, that vegetation removal should be scheduled to occur outside of the nesting bird season.

Ministers are considering the implications and options for delivery of the regeneration budget in 2024-2025 and we have yet to make decisions on a future application round for the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.

The funding awarded through the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) over the last five years, from 2019-20 to 2023-24 by local authority area, is detailed in the following table. This table excludes projects that were subsequently withdrawn by local authorities.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) training procedures are an operational matter for the service to consider. SFRS consults both internal and external subject matter experts to ensure that all latest technologies, developments, lessons learned, and health and safety events are captured to ensure firefighter and public safety.

HM Treasury’s costing for the NHS productivity plan shows funding starting in 2025-26. Therefore no consequentials are expected in 2024-25 in relation to the plan, and the position is only expected to become clear at the next UK spending review.

The Health consequentials of £237 million for 2024-25 arising from the Chancellor’s Spring Statement are less than the £470 million in-year Health funding received for 2023-24 and less than is needed given the pressures faced.

While we are considering the outcome of the UK budget and what it means for NHS Scotland we are committed to passing on frontline health consequentials and have indeed gone further than consequentials in our investment in this budget.

Having regard to the development plan the reporter considered that the determining issues in this appeal were the principle of the development and its potential benefits, including renewable electricity generation; landscape and visual impact and ecological impacts.

The reporter took account of all submissions made on this appeal which included extensive environmental information containing an informal environmental report, landscape and visual impact assessment, extended vegetation survey, hydrological assessment, preliminary ecological appraisal, transport and access statement and a heritage impact assessment.

The reporter concluded the proposal would make a modest but worthwhile contribution towards the achievement of renewable energy generation targets and whilst the proposal would have some negative effects, the reporter found these impacts to be localised in nature, are capable of some mitigation and are outweighed by the benefits of the development.

The reporter takes account of all the evidence submitted by parties involved including those views expressed by consultees and members of the local community.

The reporter concluded that the proposed development accorded with the development plan with regard to ecological and landscape and visual impacts.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

By adopting a person-centred approach, SPS aims to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone in our care.

The placing of transgender individuals is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the persons individual circumstances, including an assessment of individual risk and need.

No transgender woman with violence against women and girls’ markers who presents a risk to women and girls will be admitted to or placed in the women’s estate.