Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

The Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) for Scotland has safeguarding duties in relation to people who are subject to the protection of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. This duty includes monitoring the use of welfare guardianship orders to determine how and for whom the AWI Act is being used. Hearings take place within 28 days of the application being submitted to the court. The Commission is notified of the date of an Adults with Incapacity hearing in court and also the date the order is granted. The most recent AWI monitoring report (covering 2021-22) was published by the MWC in October 2022. A link to the report can be found on the MWC website.

The public consultation on the Bill, “Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation”, was open from the 4 July until the 30 October, and received over 540 responses. The responses were published on 22 December 2022, and we aim to publish the analysis of them in early spring 2023. This analysis will inform the development of the proposals and we remain committed to the introduction of the Bill by the end of 2023.

The cap on claims for the Mother and Baby Unit Family Fund is currently being reviewed, in line with feedback received from the consultation analysis. Both Scottish Mother and Baby Units are aware of this and until the review is complete, the £500 cap can be waived on a case by case basis, subject to local judgement.

This information is not held centrally.

The Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) have published related figures on the levels of staff vacancies in Scotland’s care services, in their recent 2021 Staff Vacancies in Care Services report:

The 2021 Staff vacancies in care services report | Scottish Social Services Workforce Data (sssc.uk.com)

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06593 on
 4 March 2022. 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

Our consultation document on the next Land Reform Bill proposes a series of important changes to the framework of law and policy that govern the system of ownership, management and use of land in Scotland. The proposals are in line with the recommendations of the Scottish Land Commission. They include the introduction of a Public Interest Test (PIT) "to assess whether, at the point of transfer of a large-scale landholding, a risk would arise from the creation of continuation of a situation in which excessive power acts against the public interest." The consultation also set out proposals on the criteria for triggering the PIT, and the possible outcomes of it. The Commission has not recommended the introduction of a cap on the total amount of land that can be owned.

We have received 540 responses to the consultation, and these include a wide range of views on the threshold for land acquisitions that could be subject to the PIT. The responses are being analysed and will be taken into account as we develop measures for inclusion in the Bill.

As with previous land reform legislation, it is imperative that any proposals are fully compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.

The introduction of body-worn cameras is an operational decision for Police Scotland, acting under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

As outlined in the answer to S6W-12605 on 12 December 2022, the SPA Resources Committee approved Police Scotland’s Initial Business Case for the Introduction of National Body Worn Video on 10 November 2022, ahead of consideration by the SPA Board. Police Scotland are expected to undertake a full procurement exercise in 2023 which will provide costs for 2023-24 and future years.

In 2023-24, the Scottish Government will invest £1.45 billion in policing. This includes a 6.3% increase to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) resource budget.

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

Marine Scotland bases its decisions on the best available scientific evidence at any particular time including any relevant peer reviewed literature. Any such literature is subject to a critical review to determine its applicability. Marine Scotland’s decisions will reflect the outcome of this process as well as consideration of information provided by the applicant and any expert advice received.

A licence to disturb European protected species (“EPS”) can only be granted if three licensing tests are met, including that there is no satisfactory alternative to the proposed action.

Marine Scotland has published a document that provides guidance and advice for any aquaculture production business that wishes to apply for a licence to disturb EPS as a result of ADD use –

faq_adds_and_eps_including_annex_1_and_annex_2_-_version_5_-october_2021_-_final.pdf (marine.gov.scot) . Applicants are required to provide an analysis of alternative methods of predator control tried or considered and if they have been discounted provide reasons for this. All EPS licence applications are considered on a cases by case basis and it would not be appropriate to pre-determine the outcome of the satisfactory alternative test without consideration of any justification provided by the applicant.