Chamber and committees

Public Health Scotland is leading the comprehensive evaluation of minimum unit pricing which is a five year programme, with a final evaluation report due in 2023. The evaluation includes assessing the impact of minimum unit pricing on the alcohol industry in Scotland. It is too early in the evaluation to say anything definitive about the impact on producers and retailers. However, an initial qualitative assessment, Evaluating the impacts on the alcoholic drinks industry Report , found that, overall, effects on retailer revenue and prices are small as increased margins have compensated for decreased volumes, and the effect on producer revenues and profitability is negative but small. A final report, which will analyse quantitative data, is due in 2022.

Snaring is reviewed every 5 years under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the next review is due to be completed by December 2021. The Scottish Government will consider any recommendations from the review and will take further action if necessary, including introducing further legislation.

At 31 March 2021 there were 7816 directly employed staff within the core Scottish Government, however all staff continued to work from home where possible during this time.

The headcount of staff normally based in each Local Authority is in the table below.

The operation of the MV Arrow on the Ullapool – Stornoway route is primarily a consideration for operator under the terms of the Time Charter. The Scottish Government has not requested detailed reports regarding the breakdown of the MV Arrow from either CalMac Ferries Ltd or Seatruck Ferries Ltd but was made aware of the situation as it developed.

The MV Arrow was removed from service on 24 July 2021 due to a fishing net or rope having been caught around the port propeller hub causing damage which required repair. The MV Arrow resumed the Ullapool – Stornoway freight only service on the evening of 3 August 2021.

The aim that 21% of Scotland will be afforested by 2032 was informed by the targets for woodland creation set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan 2018-32. The Plan is informed by the legislative targets set out in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019.

The Scottish Government is committed to protecting Scotland’s marine wildlife. The current regulatory framework provides a high level of individual and site based protection measures for our iconic marine wildlife with processes in place to ensure that action can be taken where required. It is an offence to deliberately or recklessly disturb European protected species, including whales, dolphins and porpoises. Under the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020 these offences could result on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding £40,000 (or both) or on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or a fine (or both).

The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code provides advice on how to minimise disturbance to marine wildlife, when enjoying the Scottish coast. We would encourage anyone watching or encountering marine wildlife to follow its advice at all times.

There are voluntary agreements in some parts of Scotland around the use of jet skis, including duration of use and timings. We are not aware of a specific agreement covering Wardie Bay. These agreements are not a statutory requirement. If someone suspects that a wildlife crime has been committed, they should report the incident to Police Scotland.

The Scottish Land Fund supports urban and rural communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets.

It has a two-stage application process. At Stage 1 groups are asked for basic information about their project and organisation. At Stage 2 groups are asked to complete a full application form for funding for the acquisition of the asset.

The following table sets out figures for applications received for both stages.

1. Stage One Applications received

The available information is provided in the following tables which has been produced from the Scottish Government’s criminal proceedings database . The latest available criminal proceedings in Scotland data is to 2019-20.

Number of people convicted in Scottish courts receiving a financial penalty for littering offences (where main crime), 1999-00 to 2019-20.

refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on
‎ 26 August 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02027 on
‎ 26 August 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