Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats recommends that all cat owners should consider neutering and microchipping their pets as the best way of being reunited with them should they be separated.

The findings of the Cats Protection’s survey suggest that the owners of around 71% of cats have accepted that recommendation and voluntarily microchipped their pets.

The Scottish Government does not currently consider that microchipping should be made compulsory for cats but is aware of the Defra call for evidence and recent public consultation on the microchipping of cats. We will give full consideration to the results of this consultation when they are available.

Our shared priorities with the BMA were set out in the joint letter of 02 December 2021.

https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/publications/DC20201203GMS_Contract.pdf

This letter sets out the actions we are taking across all the work streams supporting the 2018 GP Contact offer. This includes musculo-skeletal, urgent care practitioners and primary care mental health nurses.

We are taking additional steps on mental health as set out in our PFG. By 2026, every GP Practice will have access to a mental health and wellbeing service. This will fund 1,000 additional dedicated staff who can help grow community mental health resilience and direct social prescribing.

We have further increased our Primary Care Fund from £195m to £250m in 21-22 in direct support of general practice. As part of this investment support for the Primary Care multi-disciplinary team has increased for £110 to £155 million.

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme delivered over 951,500 fibre connections across Scotland with over 841,600 of those capable of delivering superfast speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps), the vast majority of which were in rural areas. The Reaching 100% (R100) programme will build upon this by delivering universal access to superfast broadband, regardless of remoteness or rurality. However, the contracts we have signed with BT for all three lots (North, Central and South) – alongside greater than anticipated commercial build – will also go significantly beyond our superfast commitment by delivering a substantial amount of full-fibre connections, meaning many premises will be capable of accessing download speeds of up to 1 Gigabit (1,000 Megabits) per second.

The £463 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme delivered over 101,300 fibre connections in the West Scotland region with over 96,600 of those capable of delivering speeds of 24 Megabits per second (Mbps) and above. The Reaching 100% (R100) programme will build upon this work by ensuring all homes and businesses can access superfast broadband – including those in the constituencies of Clydebank and Milngavie, Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Dumbarton, Eastwood, Greenock and Inverclyde, Paisley, Renfrewshire North and West, Renfrewshire South, and Strathkelvin and Bearsden. The £600 million R100 contracts will deliver a substantial number of fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections, and the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) will also ensure that anyone who wants a superfast connection of 30Mbps and above by the end of 2021 can have one.

The Scottish Government has been using our contact with the UK Government to strongly make the case that Scottish civil society groups should have their voice heard in the Civil Society Forum, including through adequate representation of all four nations in its membership. We are also currently engaging with civil society groups to understand what further support they would find helpful to achieve this aim.

The Sectoral Marine Plan – Offshore Wind for Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (“INTOG”) is at an early stage and the Scottish Government is currently consulting on the Areas of Search, areas where projects under this planning process may be located, and on the details of the Plan Specification. This includes the 100 MW cap for Innovation and Test and Demonstration projects. The consultation will close on 20 October and all views will be considered before the next stage of the planning process commences.

It is important to clarify that the INTOG plan allows for any scale of project to proceed, provided it meets the purpose of the plan – to decarbonise oil and gas infrastructure, through electrification of platforms. The 100 MW threshold applies only to smaller projects seeking to test and demonstrate new technology or innovative solutions in the real environment. The planning process allows for both categories of projects to proceed in a sustainable manner with minimal impact to the environment or other sea users.

The Scottish Government unequivocally condemns any form of hatred or prejudice, including towards our Muslim communities. Scotland is a diverse, multi-cultural society and this diversity strengthens us as a nation. That is why we are determined to tackle all forms of prejudice and discrimination.

In June 2017, we published our Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Plan in response to recommendations made by the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime, Prejudice and Community Cohesion. We established a ministerial-led group to take this ambitious action plan forward. A report on implementation of these actions will be published and we will begin development of a new hate crime strategy in conjunction with key partners and stakeholders later this year. The new strategy will support implementation of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021.

It is in all of our interests to eliminate prejudice in Scotland, regardless of race or religion, and we would like to reiterate our commitment to working collaboratively with you and the Cross Party Group on Islamophobia to do so, including offering engagement on the range of issues highlighted within the report of the public enquiry into Islamophobia in Scotland.

Further to the work of the Public Audit and Post-Legislative Scrutiny Committee in the previous session of Parliament, the Scottish Government has begun the process of reviewing the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (“the 1991 Act”). Earlier this year we published a consultation on dog control measures, with a specific focus on the criminal offence of a dog being allowed to be dangerously out of control contained in the 1991 Act. The views offered in response to the consultation have been analysed and will help to inform and formulate policy as to what specific legislative changes and non-legislative action should be progressed by the Scottish Government through further consultation. This work will include consideration of how banned breeds legislation operates.

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our criminal justice system, and others throughout the world, in ways never seen before. Our priority was, and remains, to ensure that our system can operate as effectively as possible for everyone involved in it: victims, witnesses, accused and offenders, and for society as a whole

We have committed an additional £50 million to increase capacity across the justice system as we tackle backlogs built up while public health restrictions are in place. This includes recruitment of additional staff, greater use of digital tools and improved support for victims and witnesses. We continue to work with partners, including victims organisations, the Scottish courts and prosecution services, and the legal profession to identify the best way to deal with the backlog.

We have also taken action to ensure victims have been able to quickly access practical, emotional and financial support. This includes providing an additional £10.75 million since the start of the pandemic to frontline domestic abuse and rape crisis services and awarding £157,000 through the Victim Surcharge Fund to meet the immediate financial needs of the most vulnerable victims.

Furthermore, as part of the early release of a limited number of short-term prisoners in response to the pandemic, we ensured public protection was paramount through a ‘triple lock’ set of restrictions. These included the exclusion from the process of those in prison for the most serious crimes, including sexual offences.

We remain committed to delivering solutions which keep victims at the centre of our decision making, whilst balancing the rights of the accused to ensure a fair justice system for all.

As noted in the Programme for Government, we intend to consult shortly on proposed reforms to the law relating to bail and release from custody. Public protection and victims’ safety are at the heart of our proposals for reform, which focus on reduce reoffending and associated victimisation.

In relation to bail, we will be consulting on proposals to refocus how remand is used, especially for those who pose little or no risk to public safety. With regards to release from custody, we intend to consult on reforms to support release arrangements, with a focus on enabling reintegration into the community.

The responses to this consultation will inform a year 1 bill.