Chamber and committees

Scotland has a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities, including those from Hong Kong. We recognise the positive contribution of people who choose to make Scotland their home. They are assets to our society and communities: sharing their culture, building businesses, working in our public services, volunteering their skills and making friendships. We have recently published a British National (Overseas) Welcome Pack to support people in their integration into our communities.

The Chinese Government’s decision to implement the National Security Law in Hong Kong is of deep concern to the Scottish Government. This action seriously undermines the principle of ‘One Country, Two Systems’, which guarantees Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy, and will irreversibly diminish the rights and freedoms of its people.

We support the UK Government’s commitment to providing a bespoke pathway to citizenship for British National (Overseas) citizens from Hong Kong and their dependants and we welcome those who have chosen to move to Scotland.

The Scottish Government has no record of grant funding provided to The Seafarers' Charity in the period since 2007 and we are unaware of any funding provided prior to this period. There are a number of Scottish Government grant schemes that may be available to the Seafarers’ Charity to apply to, should it require grant funding for specific purposes which align with Scottish Government grant making criteria.

The Scottish Government published its Strategy for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Research in March 2021 which sets out future research priorities and governance arrangements. This was informed by extensive consultation including within the agricultural sector. The future governance structure for the research programme will provide for input from a range of stakeholders across the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.

With regard to your suggestion that support continues to be provided for the Rural Innovation Support Service I would advise that this service was delivered under a procurement contract which concluded on 31 March 2021. Decisions on whether and/or how future funding support will be provided in this area are currently under consideration.

Through Scotland’s Third Land Use Strategy 2021-2026 , we have set out our vision, and objectives to deliver multiple benefits through sustainable productive mixed land-use, including forestry and farming. To achieve our vison, we will continue to support the management of Scotland’s land in an integrated way.

The Scottish Government currently encourages the uptake of agroforestry through the Forestry Grant Scheme within the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2014-20. As we develop future agricultural and forestry support to replace the current Common Agricultural Policy, the Agricultural Reform Implementation Oversight Board will carefully consider the recommendations of the Farming 1.5 report, as well as the Farmer-led Groups, WWF Scotland, Just Transition, NFUS, Scotland's Climate Assembly's Recommendations for Action Report, the Climate Change Plan update and the Forestry Grant Scheme Customer Representatives Group, when devising practical measures for delivery.

NatureScot is developing a Natural Capital Pilot Programme that will run until 2024 and we are working closely with them to ensure linkages are made to the work underway on designing future agri-environment support. This will help deliver a sustainable, long-term approach that addresses the specific needs of Scotland’s rural landscapes.

We also work closely with farming stakeholders to encourage greater levels of woodland planting as part of farming enterprises. For example, facilitated by Scottish Government and Scottish Forestry, a new farmer-led initiative has recently been established called Integrating Trees Network . This network hosts events for farmers and crofters across Scotland and brings them together, along with experts, to share their practical knowledge, experiences and advice about the processes, objectives, challenges and outcomes of planting trees.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02280 on 7 September 2021. 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

Scotland did not vote to leave the EU, but the UK’s departure means that there is now a trade border between Scotland and the EU. While our preference remains to have tariff and barrier free trade with the EU, as a responsible Government, the Scottish Government started work to build a Border Control Post (BCP) to apply devolved sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls on EU goods arriving into Scotland through the Loch Ryan ferry routes from Belfast and Larne. Work began to consider our needs in this regard last autumn, including appropriate engagement and liaison with UK Government. Dumfries and Galloway Council and other devolved administration officials to determine the scope, scale and specification of what might be required as a BCP for these Loch Ryan routes. During this time, I have sought assurances from the UK Government regarding the funding for this infrastructure and the effect of its approach to guaranteeing access for Northern Ireland goods to the market in Great Britain (Phase 2 Unfettered Access) on transiting EU goods.

In the absence of any such assurances from the UK Government, and given the enduring uncertainty surrounding the UK Government’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, I have taken the decision to pause the construction of the BCP until there is greater clarity on the long term funding, the need for this infrastructure, and more information about the timescales when controls might come into effect. Once we have greater clarity, work on the BCP can recommence with a view to completion to accommodate Phase 2 Unfettered Access should that be introduced. Contingency plans are also being made to enable SPS checks to take place away from the ports, should that be needed. I will update Parliament of any relevant developments relating to this BCP.

The UK Government’s decision unilaterally to further postpone the introduction of border controls adds to this uncertainty. That decision was made without any prior or meaningful engagement with the Devolved Administrations, which I have continued to push for recently at an Inter-Ministerial Group meeting on 13 September and in a separate call with UK Ministers on 14 September. We have advised Dumfries and Galloway Council and will continue to engage with them regularly.

The Scottish Government intends to publish the British Sign Language (BSL) Progress Report by the end of October 2021, which will outline progress being made towards implementing the BSL National Plan.

The co-operation agreement between the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party seeks to provide effective and responsible leadership in the interests of the people of Scotland.

A number of machinery of government changes are being made to reflect the agreement:

• The membership of the existing Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation will contain a minister from the Scottish Green Party.
• A Cabinet Sub-Committee on the Climate Emergency will be established.
• A working group will be established to oversee the development of effective, deliberative engagement on sources of local government funding, culminating in a citizens’ assembly.
• To support growth in Active Travel, a task group will be formed to plan the most effective route for the implementation of the 20 mph speed limit on all appropriate roads by 2025.
• The previous Ministerial Working Group on Food will be reinstated

Revenue Scotland, in its role as Scotland’s fully devolved tax collection and management authority, regularly publishes data on its website regarding the number of property conveyances and non-residential leases subject to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT). These are available at https://revenue.scot/news-publications/publications/statistics .

Revenue Scotland’s Annual Summary of Trends in the Devolved Taxes 2019-20 provides an overview of LBTT returns related to conveyances, leases and lease reviews received from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2020. This includes estimates for residential and non-residential conveyances at a sub-Scotland level.

In particular, Figure 16 of this publication includes an estimate of the number of residential conveyance returns received, by local authority area and year, while Figure 21 gives an estimate of the number of non-residential conveyances received by Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) 2 area and year. Local authority level estimates of non-residential conveyances are not provided to minimise the risk of disclosing protected taxpayer information.

In addition, Revenue Scotland’s monthly LBTT publication provides Scotland-level information on the number of residential and non-residential LBTT returns, including leases, received by month of submission.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01075 on 22 July 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Written questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website

The answer as provided in S6W-01075 sets out the available information published on the number of long term empty homes through Scottish Government annual statistics on long term empty properties and unoccupied exemptions, most recently published at Housing statistics quarterly update: December 2020 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Detailed Excel tables are also available at Housing statistics: Empty properties and second homes - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , which provide local authority level figures on the number of long term empty properties from 2005 to 2020, and on the number of unoccupied exemptions from 1996 to 2020.

The figures are sourced from the Council Tax Base data return, and are based on an annual snapshot of properties on the Council Tax Valuation List as at the first Monday in September each year. Data on long term empty properties have been separately identified in the Council Tax Base data return from 2005 onwards, and so no information is held centrally for the earlier years 1999 to 2004.