Chamber and committees

Network Rail advise that the cost of work done (to 29 th April 2023) on the project is £6.7m. The amount spent reflects the efficiency in which the early development stages are being carried out.

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

The following table provides detail on the revenue generated from telephone usage over the last 10 years within public prisons, measured against the expenditure associated with operating the prisoner PIN telephone system which is inclusive of contracted maintenance costs, line rental and call charges across all 13 public sector prisons. The detail below does not include any costs for prisoner mobile phones.

The delivery of the actions in the Report of the City Centre Recovery Task Force 2021-22 is being carried out under the auspices of the Scottish Cities Alliance, in agreement with our local authority partners. As a member of the Alliance, the Scottish Government will work with the cities to progress the strategic objectives in the report as part of the Alliance’s Operational Programme 2022-2026.

In addition, the Scottish Government has also adopted the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in February 2023, which references the ambitions of the Report and directly influences all planning decisions. NPF4 recognises that our cities and towns are a national asset and their centres bring together a wide range of functions and land uses. Its policies help centres adapt and be vibrant, healthier, creative, accessible and resilient places for people to live, learn, work and enjoy. In March 2023 we also introduced new permitted development rights that provide greater flexibility to change the use of buildings and place furniture outside specified hospitality premises.

The Scottish Government does not have responsibility for overseeing the functioning of the Loch Awe Improvement Association. As a community lead organisation, who holds a number of fishing rights within the Loch Awe area, the Association administers the Loch Awe and Associated Waters Protection Order 1992. This involves applying to the Scottish Government for the granting of water warden warrants, which is a responsibility that rests with Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Ballet does not manage any buildings fitted with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

We are continuing to work with the Learning Together Steering group, Education Scotland and other key stakeholders to develop a refreshed policy framework for parental engagement. This work is being taken forward as part of the broader Education Recovery Strategy to further improve parental involvement and engagement in schools. The refreshed action plan will take account of the recently published findings of the National Discussion on Education, which demonstrated a significant appetite from parents and carers for involvement in their children’s education. The Learning Together Action Plan will be published later this year.

The total cost for the helicopters utilised at the Cannich fire is not known at this stage, as the incident is still ‘live’ with damping down activity ongoing, and the two suppliers (PDG Aviation Ltd and Skyhook Helicopters) have not yet submitted their respective invoices.

The final cost of the helicopter support will run to hundreds of thousands of pounds, with the majority of the cost being met by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).

FLS deployed the helicopters to the incident at the request and in liaison with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Cost allocation has not yet been discussed with neighbouring land owners/managers.

During periods of dry weather when the fire risk is moderate to high, Forestry and Land Scotland posts alerts on their web site and social media to warn members of the public about the risks. This includes advice on campfires, stoves, and portable barbeques.

At popular visitor destinations, warning signs are erected on approaches to the site, including electronic signs on the route to Glenmore in the Cairngorms National Park.

Throughout the summer, FLS staff patrol the popular visitor destinations and monitor them for irresponsible and antisocial behaviour. When campfires are found, the people involved are advised to extinguish them as soon as possible and if necessary, the emergency services get involved.

Throughout the summer period, extra Seasonal Rangers are employed across the country to assist with the patrols around popular sites, particularly at weekends.

The Rangers work in partnership with other Public Bodies, neighbours, and partners in their area.

FLS has a Duty Officer on call 24/7 in each region throughout Scotland. The Duty Officers have support in place to be able to react at short notice to any incident, including wildfires.

FLS works closely in collaboration with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and has run training events for staff regarding how to deal with campfires safely and avoid them becoming a wildfire.

There were 34 Fixed Penalty Notices issued for infringements detected at sea by Marine Scotland officers from our Marine Protection Vessels in the last 12 months. Of these 3 were not paid within the required time and were reported to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Office (COPFS). No other prosecutions were reported directly to the COPFS.

In Scotland, children and young people's needs are met by planning for their learning and support through an individualised educational programme or Additional Support Plan. These set out targets for learning and the support to be provided. For children and young people who have complex or multiple needs, which require significant support from education and another agency or agencies, a statutory co-ordinated support plan (CSP) may be required. The purpose of the CSP is to support co-ordinated multi-agency planning to meet pupils' needs.