Chamber and committees

Please see the following data from both the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and the Scottish Government’s Justice Analytical Service. Please note that The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into force on 5 November 2021. The 2021 Act amends the offence under the 1953 Act, so all proceedings are still under the 1953 Act (as amended).

Data on charges under Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Scotland) Act 1953 or the amendment, reported to COPFS, prosecuted, and convicted are given in Table 1.

Table 1: Charges under:- Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 S1(1)&(6)-Worry livestock on a farm – attack, reported to COPFS, prosecuted, and convicted.

Financial Year Reported

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00115 on 28 May 2026. 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 information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Information about the responsibilities of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice is publicly available online and can be found on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/cabinet-and-ministers/cabinet-secretary-for-justice/.

Scottish Ministers determine applications made under Section 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 for major electricity transmission infrastructure. The Energy Consents Unit administer these applications on their behalf and there are currently 14 officials directly undertaking this work.

The Scottish Government has submitted a research access request to the Lord Justice General and awaits a decision.

The Scottish Bracken Working Group will next meet on the 22 June 2026. The frequency of the meetings varies; it is dependent on the actions being pursued and the need for input from the group as well as availability of members.

Minutes from the Scottish Bracken Working Group meetings are available at the following link: Bracken: Scottish Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The Scottish Government is committed to providing support to the City of Glasgow to complete the refurbishment of the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens to see them reopened to the public. We are currently awaiting an update regarding the restoration project which will inform a decision on what support is needed, as well as a revised timescales for reopening.

Storage requirements for offshore wind are project-specific and vary depending on a wide-range of factors such as: the type of foundations, whether floating or fixed; project location; infrastructure availability; and deployment timelines. Each offshore wind developer will determine specific construction and storage solutions specific to their project.

The last update was provided to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in late February 2026. An external contractor, funded by the Scottish Government, has completed the creation and validation of the Scottish Bracken Map and the project is now in the final stages of reporting, knowledge, and data transfer to Scottish Government geospatial analysts. The mapping layer is expected to be available for general use during summer 2026.