Chamber and committees

The Green Freeports bidding process closed on 20 June and five bids were submitted from: North East Scotland Green Freeport; Clyde Green Freeport; Forth Green Freeport; Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; and Orkney Green Freeport. Neither P&O Ferries nor DP World are involved in any of these bids.

The Scottish Government has been clear that fair work practices sit at the heart of Green Freeports and any application which does not show a clear commitment to fair work practices will not be supported by the Scottish Government. We are determined to ensure that Green Freeports will create significant numbers of good, green jobs, and deliver positive benefits for Scotland’s businesses, workers and communities.

Through the ClimateXChange centre of expertise the Scottish Government has received expert advice on the use of animal feed additives which have the potential to reduce methane emissions. This advice has suggested that more data are needed to assess the full potential of feed additives and feed materials in reducing methane emissions from livestock.

FSS and FSA are responsible for assessing animal feed safety in GB. Any new innovative feed material would be considered through the feed risk analysis process. For feed additives these are products that require to be authorised by the GB regulated product process before they can be sold and used in animal feed in GB and may only be used for the purpose stated in the authorisation. The FSA and FSS carry out the risk analysis process for regulated products such as feed additives and provide advice to Ministers who decide whether the product can be placed on the market in England, Wales and Scotland. Feed additives intended to reduce methane production in ruminants are new and highly innovative feed additives and within the GB regulated products application process are being categorised and risk assessed as; zootechnical feed additives under the functional group ‘as substances which favourably affect the environment’.

The following table provides a breakdown by local authority area of all applications to the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme received in Round 1, for funding in financial year 2021-22.

Responses to the public consultation and Parliamentary scrutiny on Draft National Planning Framework (NPF4) are being carefully considered and we intend to lay a final NPF4 in the Parliament in the Autumn.

The Draft proposed support for the delivery of high quality homes, particularly those that improve affordability and choice, including accessible, adaptable and wheelchair accessible homes.

Local authorities are already required to set targets for the delivery of wheelchair accessible housing across all tenures as part of their local housing strategy. The target should be informed by evidence of what is required locally.

The Scottish Government published the Learning/Intellectual Disabilities and Autism: Towards Transformation Plan in March 2021. The plan looks at the actions needed to shape supports, services and attitudes to ensure that the human rights of autistic people and people with learning disabilities are respected and protected and that they are empowered to live their lives, the same as everyone else.

In the plan we have committed to work with Inspiring Scotland 'Support in the Right Direction' and other partners to ensure that more people with learning disabilities access their rights under the Social Work (Self Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 to direct their own support. With the aim of providing as much freedom and choice in directing that support as they want in order to achieve their own outcomes.

We are also working with strategic partners such as Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) who have been commissioned to gather and provide insights into different approaches to the redesign of learning disability day services and recognition of the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has created for service users, their families and service providers, including where there are changes to delivery models away from building-based services.

Fair Start Scotland Service Providers offer specialist support for people with learning disabilities and those who are neuro-diverse, as well as the opportunity to access Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and Supported Employment where this would be of benefit to the individual.

IPS (Individual Placement and Support) and Supported Employment are integral parts of the Scottish employability support landscape. Independent reviews of each model within Fair Start Scotland were commissioned by the Scottish Government and are due to be published by autumn 2022. These reviews will allow us to build on success factors, whilst identifying areas for improvement to ensure the continuation of this vital element of support for individuals as they move towards and into work.

The Scottish Government welcomes the announcement that the former Dawnfresh site in Uddingston will continue to operate under new owners, Thistle Seafoods, and understands that the sale included the transfer of 40 employees. We strongly encourage the company to take forward its plans to develop and grow the business with Fair Work as a key driver for achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency, has engaged with Thistle Seafoods and is arranging a meeting with the company to understand its future plans for the business and will explore potential support, whilst outlining the expectations of businesses trading in Scotland including around Fair Work and Net Zero ambitions. In line with the Bute House Agreement, the Scottish Government will introduce a requirement on public sector grants recipients to pay at least the real Living Wage to all employees and to provide appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition.

It is important to note that while employment law remains reserved to the UK Government, we will use our Fair Work policy to promote fairer work practices across the labour market in Scotland.

The UK is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of avian influenza to date, which has affected commercial and backyard flocks of poultry and other captive birds, as well as wild birds, including our internationally important seabird colonies.

While maintaining high levels of biosecurity among domestic flocks helps protect against disease, addressing the disease among wild birds can pose significant challenges. The Scottish Government is taking the current situation very seriously and continues to work with a range of partner organisations to monitor and respond to the situation where action can be taken, recognising the importance of communication and coordination in preparedness and responses.

As part of the co-ordinated GB response to avian influenza, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government, carries out year-round surveillance, including testing of dead wild birds reported to Defra’s GB-wide national telephone helpline. This helps us capture information on the general location and strains of avian influenza that might be prevalent across Great Britain, as well as species affected.

Dedicated monitoring at key colonies can also assist in the response to the outbreak in wild birds, which is why we welcome the significant work by NatureScot, the National Trust for Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and other partners to collect data on the number of dead wild birds located at key colonies, as well as monitoring apparent population changes.

Working with our partners, the Scottish Government will continue to review its response planning to current and future avian influenza outbreaks, based on the latest scientific advice and existing disease control measures. We will also be identifying with partner organisations whether anything else can be done to respond to the outbreak and improve the resilience of our internationally important seabird populations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09352 on 12 July 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

In line with the requirements of the Scotland Act 1998, Boundaries Scotland must report its recommendations to Scottish Ministers by 1 May 2025. The timing of the review is otherwise a matter for Boundaries Scotland but it is likely that it will start the review this autumn with initial consultation taking place in the first half of 2023.

The Scottish Government are committed to continuing to improve the promotion, quality, and implementation of Self-directed Support.

Due to changes in SG accounting systems and SG Retention Policies it has not been possible to obtain details of all funding awarded since 1997. Since the Self-Directed Support Scotland Act 2013 came into force in 2014, Scottish Government has provided a total of £46.6m to Strategic Delivery Partners which include Social Work Scotland, Inspiring Scotland, In Control, Self-Directed Support Scotland, The Alliance and Transformational Funding to all Local Authorities.

It has not been possible to estimate funding spent solely on promotion of direct payments and Self-Directed Support since 1997. This is due to funding recipients not recording actual spend for direct promotional activities, however all funding recipients promote the use of direct payments and self-directed support in all activities funded