Chamber and committees

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission recently investigated the use of electronic dog training collars at our request. We will consider their findings carefully as part of our ongoing commitment to improve and enhance animal welfare.

Energy retail policy is reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is fully aware of the challenges that some consumers with prepayment meters faced when trying to access the Energy Bills Support Scheme vouchers. We would urge anybody in this position to contact Advice Direct Scotland who will be able to help redeem vouchers ahead of the UK Government’s deadline of 30 June 2023.

The Scottish Government is very disappointed that the UK Government did not choose to extend the Energy Bills Support Scheme – a decision which has left many vulnerable households struggling to pay their bills and heat their homes.

The disproportionate impact of high energy prices on fuel poor households across Scotland will be a key focus of my early ministerial engagement with the UK Government

The Scottish Government is committed to a service design approach to policy making involving user-centred co-development. Appropriate testing and measurement will be applied at each stage of development and following implementation of measures to evaluate their ease, cost and impact against the outcomes of the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture.

Examples underway this month include testing the list of measures published on 10 February directly with farmers who engaged in the Testing Actions for Sustainable Farming survey . This is being done through interviews conducted by professional researchers to understand how stakeholders view the measures and their applicability within future agricultural support mechanisms as well as areas for improvement.

The Deputy Minister and I had a constructive meeting at the Bled Strategic Forum in August last year during which we discussed the priorities for Czechia’s EU Council presidency.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

We regularly discuss matters relating to the operations of the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB) with the NLB and the UK Government and have discussed the issue of potential industrial action by NLB employees with both the NLB and UK Government counterparts. As an Arm’s Length Body of the UK Department for Transport, the NLB is responsible for the detailed negotiation of their annual pay remit, and is subject to the pay setting arrangements outlined in the UK Civil Service Pay Guidance.

In Scotland, guidance in relation to preparing for emergencies is generally structured around key consequences or themes, rather than specific risks. The Scottish Government’s suite of emergency planning guidance, “Preparing Scotland” ( https://ready.scot/how-scotland-prepares/preparing-scotland-guidance ), covers topics such as response, exercising, scientific and technical advice, preparedness assessments, public communications, and recovery from emergencies, which are all directly relevant to pandemic preparedness.

This guidance is developed in consultation with the organisations which have legal duties in relation to emergency preparedness under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which includes all local authorities.

The following table shows permitted incineration capacity figures held by SEPA to 2023.

The first report of the independent review of the role of incineration in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, made assumptions about capacity beyond 2023, although in doing so, noted that it is unlikely that all facilities in the pipeline (i.e. those not build and at various stages of planning and permitting) will be built. The first report from the independent review is available here: Stop, Sort, Burn, Bury (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is a separately constituted statutory body, independent from the Scottish Ministers, that has primary regulatory responsibility for protecting and improving the environment. Scottish Ministers are not responsible for SEPA’s operational matters, including the exercise of its enforcement functions. It is up to SEPA to consider its enforcement position in relation to this matter.

As a non-Police specialist reporting agency, SEPA has the option to submit reports to the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). Both SEPA and COPFS are clear that such enforcement action is a last resort, used for the most significant offending. SEPA is an independent regulatory agency and is not required to consult with COPFS or others when taking regulatory positions. This includes the published position concerning online takeback for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) which provides reassurance to retailers that no enforcement action will be taken by SEPA with respect to DRS takeback obligations whilst this aspect of the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 is under review.

Circularity Scotland provides services to drinks producers and retailers to help them comply with their obligations under the Deposit Return Scheme Regulations.

By helping these companies do so, they will ensure the benefits of Scotland’s DRS will be achieved.

There have been no recent discussions between the Scottish Government Culture and Major Events Directorate (a) ScotRail and (b) Transport Scotland.

However Culture and Major Event Officials, along with relevant transport stakeholders, routinely take part in the multi-agency Events Planning and Operations Group (EPOG) dealing with Summer Events. EPOG is run by the City of Edinburgh Council as the lead planning authority in respect of Summer Events within Edinburgh, such as Edinburgh Festivals.

Outwith Edinburgh, Transport Scotland continue to discuss planning arrangement for major events with transport deliver partners and key stakeholders through quarterly Major Events Planning meetings in addition to regular event specific meetings.

In addition, ScotRail is required under the terms of its grant agreement to use all reasonable endeavours to provide for reallocation of Passenger Carrying Capacity to serve Special Events.