Chamber and committees

The Freight Facilities Grants (FFG) is intended to bring about a number of benefits from the removal of freight from roads to other modes of transport. This includes but is not limited to emissions reduction.

I am aware of the recently reported worrying that is doing the rounds and that leading up to lambing I will once again be reminding people of their obligations to understand the responsibilities they have when in the countryside with dogs.

The worrying of livestock by dogs is completely unacceptable and is something the Scottish Government takes very seriously, recognising the distress and the serious welfare and financial implications it causes.

That is why we supported the introduction of the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill, which came into force on 5 November 2021.

The Scottish Access code is quite clear as to what is considered responsible behaviour when dog walking in the countryside. I would encourage people to familiarise and remind themselves of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and to exercise caution and vigilance when in and around farms and fields with livestock to help prevent livestock worrying incidents.

Please see the data below from both the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Service. Please note that The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into force on 5 November 2021. The 2021 Act amends the offence under the 1953 Act so all proceedings are still under the 1953 Act (as amended).

Table 1: Charges reported to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) under:-Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 S1(1)&(6)-Worry livestock on a farm – attack.

Detailed below is a table containing Freight Facilities Grant awards linked to the development of intermodal transport facilities with the commodities that were removed from being transported by container from road onto rail or water instead.

With all applications, Transport Scotland officials are available to discuss any proposal and provide assistance on what information should be included in an application and what evidence is required prior to any formal decision being made on awarding a grant.

Since the introduction of Freight Facilities Grant in 1997, the Scottish Government has received no applications for an inland waterways project.

Please see the following table for a breakdown of how the staff budget contributed to the overall FSS’ baseline budget in each financial year since the establishment of FSS. FSS staff costs are not dependant on where staff are located but by pay grade, therefore there are no comparisons to be made between Aberdeen and other locations.

Food Safety is regulated through various pieces of legislation including the Food Safety Act 1990 and assimilated Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 on general food law, which create the regulatory framework in this respect.

In relation to public events, the Food Standards Scotland website provides specific advice on Food Safety at Community Events where those providing foods on an occasional basis may not be registered food businesses.

The SG has today published a Legal Aid Reform Discussion Paper which sets out the three areas of work the Scottish Government will be undertaking to improve legal aid. We will bring forward Regulations by the end of 2025 to simplify the regulatory framework which governs the eligibility for legal assistance and to improve the application process, reducing the burden on both solicitors and those that need legal services and ensuring funding is provided as quickly and easily as possible.

We will also resume work to conduct research on legal aid fees and to implement changes informed by that research. Both of these areas of work will make it easier for solicitors to work with legal aid funding and for those who need help to obtain it.

Longer-term we will take forward a review of the whole system to ensure that it is adaptable, flexible, affordable and sustainable for the future.

We are committed to working with private sector law firms, third sector organisations and users of legal assistance services to develop that system and identify what primary legislation would be required to deliver it.

We recognise that online platforms, including social media, can have both positive and negative impacts on children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and that support must be in place to help children use social media in a healthy and balanced way. It is important to note that regulation of the internet is a reserved matter to the UK Government, however we have previously successfully engaged on its Online Safety Act to strengthen protections for young people.

Affordable housing has a clear priority in this year’s Programme for Government. We are investing nearly £600 million in affordable housing in 2024-2025, which includes the additional £40 million capital for acquisitions and voids announced earlier this year. The 2025-2026 draft budget of £768 million is an increase of over £200 million when compared to the current financial year’s original published budget and reinforces our commitment to delivering affordable housing.

In the year to September 2024, Official Statistics: Housing statistics quarterly update: new housebuilding and affordable housing supply - gov.scot show an 8% decline in new build starts through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) and an 8% decline in all starts through the AHSP. We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent and 10% in rural and island areas, including new build, rehabilitation and acquisitions. We continue to work with partners to increase the delivery of more affordable homes, the majority of which will be for social rent, including supporting acquisitions of existing properties. This includes meeting the existing commitment to the targeted use of £80 million for acquisitions and voids over this and next year.

We have also committed £100 million over the longer term to grow institutional investment to at least £500 million and support the construction of around 2,800 mid-market rent homes.

Since 2007, we have supported the delivery of more than 135,000 affordable homes, over 95,000 of which were for social rent, including 26,000 council homes. Of these, between 23 March 2022 and end of September 2024, we have delivered 24,382 affordable homes towards the 110,000 target, of which over 18,000 have been homes for social rent. We continue to work closely with partners to deliver the right homes in the right places.