Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34982 on 26 February 2025. 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 provides funding for the National Concessionary Bus Travel Schemes for Older and Disabled People and for Young People which provide free bus travel throughout Scotland for eligible National Entitlement Card holders.

We have no plans to extend the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme to Edinburgh trams or the Glasgow subway.

Local authorities have discretionary powers under the Transport Act 1985 to provide and fund local concessionary travel schemes for their residents. The extent and terms of any such scheme are for individual local authorities to decide.

Although the Scottish Government contributed to the cost of the trams and the Glasgow Underground, it is for City of Edinburgh Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to determine whether to offer travel concessions for those travelling on these services.

Scottish Government are committed to providing an additional £250 million over the current parliamentary term to reduce drug deaths and improve the lives of people who use drugs and alcohol.

The increase in funding of £2.5 million to the alcohol and drugs budget announced in the budget revision will allow us to go further and build on our National Mission on Drugs. £1 million of this will specifically support work by Aberlour to support women in the peri-natal period. This additional funding will allow more women and infants to receive the support they need during this crucial period. £1.5 million is for broader alcohol and drug services and will allow us to support even more people to achieve their own recovery. Details of how the additional 2025-26 funding will be invested will be communicated in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to modernising deer management to tackle high deer numbers, specifically in order to help us to achieve our biodiversity and carbon objectives. We continue to pursue a range of actions to deliver this commitment.

The Scottish Government’s future legislative programme has been set out as part of the 2024-25 Programme for Government. The Natural Environment Bill was introduced to parliament on 20 February 2025 and will bring forward significant reforms to the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.

In addition to this we are working on the Deer Working Group recommendations that do not require primary legislation through the Strategic Deer Board.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), is the executive agency which manages Scotland’s national forests and land. The majority of deer management on land owned by the Scottish Government on behalf of the nation is undertaken by FLS. Alongside land owned by the Scottish Government, public bodies also manage deer on public land they are responsible for. A number of these bodies are represented on the Strategic Deer Board.

All deer culled on Scottish Government land are culled by shooting, which is undertaken by appropriately trained staff to ensure the highest standards of public safety and deer welfare and who adhere to the code of practice set by the Wild Deer Best Practice group.

Wind turbine developments on Scottish Government owned land follow the standard processes detailed in Scotland’s planning regulations.

There are two wind turbines located on land owned by Scottish Government. Both are located on the Isle of Barra. The total capacity is 930KW.

Our International Development work focuses on three partner countries in Africa. The Scottish Government has not had official or unofficial contact with representatives from Bangladesh in relation to International Development, for either infrastructure or financial projects in Bangladesh. Our International Development overseas investment partner countries are Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia. More information on our International Development work can be found online at <https://www.gov.scot/policies/international-development/>

As at 30 September 2024, the date of the most recently published Scottish Government workforce statistics, the total number of job titles registered in our HR management information system including a) diversity (including neurodiversity) was 8 b) equality (including equalities) was 35 and c) inclusion was 9. Some job titles include a combination of these terms, the total number of individual positions is therefore 46.

The total staffing cost for these positions for the period April to September 2024 (our most current figures) was £1,985,502.

Whilst regulation for decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government supports this vital activity happening in a way that facilitates an orderly, managed and just transition to net-zero and maximises the benefits for Scotland’s businesses and communities.

Through the Decommissioning Challenge Fund, the Scottish Government invested over £10 million over the period 2017 to 2020 to support innovation and build capacity in the Scottish decommissioning sector.