Chamber and committees

Previously the public were able to report flytipping via the Dumb Dumpers system (whereby reports could either be made online to Zero Waste Scotland, or via a telephone hotline hosted by SEPA) and to local authorities directly.

As of 1 April 2023, the Dumb Dumpers telephone line no longer accepts flytipping reports. A recorded message advises callers to contact the relevant local authority.

Online searches for the Dumb Dumpers hotline and web form are directed from the Zero Waste Scotland and SEPA websites to an online tool which helps visitors to identify the correct local authority to which the report should be made. A Frequently Asked Questions document has been developed and is available on both websites to inform the public of updated reporting arrangements and why this change has been made.

Scottish Government have been made aware of details of the bonus scheme for senior management at Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) (Holdings) Ltd. The scheme allocates payments on 3 levels with the CEO at level 1, directors at level 2 and other senior management at level 3. Table 1 sets the total amount paid in bonus payments to FMPG Senior Management from 2018-19 to date.

Table 1 Bonus Payments at FMPG 2018-19 to 2022-23

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14178 on 30 January 2023. 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

An update will be provided to Parliament upon the conclusion of the due diligence being carried out on the cost estimates for the delivery of MV Glen Sannox (801) and Hull 802. We expect this work to be concluded soon.

Section 22 of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000 enables the Auditor General to raise concerns of any public body. Audit Scotland, in their 2021-22 audit of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow Ltd (FMPG) criticised the payment of bonuses to senior managers of FMPG, particularly in light of the delays to delivery of vessels 801 and 802.

Scottish Ministers concur with the issue highlighted by Audit Scotland and do not support the payment of bonuses. That is why the Former Deputy First Minister’s Statement to Parliament on 16 March 2023, opened with an acknowledgment of the concerns and agreed with the criticism of payment of bonuses to senior managers at FMPG and committed to ensuring that new arrangements were being put in place to ensure that such as eventuality did not arise in the future.

The Scottish Government has been working closing with FMPG in formulating a revised remuneration model applicable to the senior management team at FMPG to apply in future years. Ministers will update Parliament as soon as details of this revised remuneration packages for the FMPG CEO and senior management team have been agreed.

The resource budget for SFRS is set each year in the Budget Act and the SFRS Board has responsibility for taking decisions on how that budget should be spent. There are no savings targets set out in the annual budget process and the SFRS Accountable Officer is responsible for ensuring that SFRS delivers a balanced budget and does not overspend. SFRS has achieved that each year since it was established in 2013.

We welcome NatureScot’s Avian Influenza Report on the H5N1 outbreak in wild birds and agree that our priority both now and in the future should be on continued disease surveillance, demographic monitoring and research to inform the long-term management of our wild bird populations in light of HPAI and other pressures.

The Scottish Government will continue working with the Scottish Avian Influenza Task Force to monitor and respond to HPAI in wild birds.

The Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) published the Shared Outcomes Framework (SOF) in March 2022, which set out our intent to develop a skilled workforce for Scotland. It includes a series of projects, including on apprenticeships and wider skills planning to help meet that intent.

The Shared Outcomes Assurance Group meets eight weekly during the Parliamentary year to review progress. Minutes of these meetings can be viewed at this weblink .

My predecessor in role, Mr Hepburn, wrote to the Public Audit Committee on 1 February 2023 to provide a progress update . Since that time, project implementation has continued and projects remain on track as set out in the published SOAG minutes.

In March 2022, the Scottish Government also published our National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET ). The work on the SOF aligns with the Skilled Workforce programme in the NSET.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of good governance, and takes this issue seriously. We undertake regular reviews of our corporate governance system and will consider the matter of a Good Governance Champion as part of this work.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to ban the breeding of the Scottish Fold cat. The breeding of this particular breed is however restricted under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 regulations).

The 2021 Regulations include a licence condition (section 8(4), schedule 2) which states that "no cat may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring". Given the well documented conformational health issues with this breed, the licensing authority is likely to refuse any application for a licence or a request to vary a licence where the intention is to breed the Scottish Fold. Comprehensive guidance produced for local authorities and cat breeders also makes it clear that persons seeking to breed the Scottish Fold are unlikely to be granted a licence to do so.