Chamber and committees

The Acquisition of Land (Authorisation Procedure) (Scotland) Act 1947 governs the making and confirmation of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs). It sets out requirements relating to the issuing and publication of notices regarding the making of a CPO, its submission to Scottish Ministers for confirmation, opportunities to object to it, and as regards the decision on whether to confirm a CPO. Guidance on the process is contained in Circular 6/2011: Compulsory purchase orders: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-planning-series-planning-circular-6-2011-compulsory-purchase-orders/.

In addition, the Scottish Government publishes a register of CPOs submitted to the Scottish Ministers for confirmation since 2012, which is updated quarterly. The current register, published in December, includes CPOs received up until the end of October 2024: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-order-register/.

The Scottish Government estate is always under review to allow us to plan for accessible, modern and secure, energy efficient buildings to meet our changing needs and net zero ambitions, as well as to ensure best value for taxpayers’ money.

Estate decisions are informed by key estate data, for example the condition, usage, carbon emissions, accessibility and capacity. We prioritise funding towards ensuring our buildings are fit-for-purpose, inclusive and accessible for all staff and stakeholders and contribute to our net zero ambitions.

The Scottish Government’s compulsory purchase web page contains information, guidance and advice relating to compulsory purchase order procedures and compensation arrangements: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-orders-introduction/. This includes Compulsory purchase in Scotland: guide for property owners and occupiers: https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-scotland-guide-property-owners-occupiers/. This contains guidance on the statutory requirements regarding the payment of compensation.

Scotland uses the ICD-10 classification for coding diagnoses. Public Health Scotland understand that no changes or updates for any codes in ICD-10 are planned, as work is currently focused on implementation of ICD-11, which in Scotland is likely to be around 2029-2030. It is also understood that there is currently no reference to e-bikes in ICD-11.

The number of cancelled operations under ‘non-clinical/capacity reasons’ is the most granular level of detail that’s provided from PHS’s website, breakdown as follows:

From April 2019 to March 2024, the total number of hospital admissions in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary hospital for pedestrians injured in collisions involving pedal cycles, is 9.

During the same period, less than 5 hospital admissions were recorded for pedestrians injured in collisions involving two- or three-wheeled motor vehicles. The source is SMR01, Public Health Scotland, extract: January 2025.

The Scottish Government is currently conducting a programme of work to reform and modernise compulsory purchase to make the system simpler, more streamlined and fairer for all parties. The reforms are intended to support the delivery of all types of project, not just those related to renewable energy infrastructure, net zero and climate adaptation. Our aim is to move towards a system that is:

• Equitable: compensating claimants fairly and timeously;
• Effective: supporting efficient decision-making, whilst ensuring procedural fairness, openness, and transparency; and
• Easy to understand, providing all parties with certainty and clarity about how the process works and their rights, roles and responsibilities within it.

In March 2024, we appointed an expert advisory group to help support the reform process. We are working with the advisory group and engaging with a range of stakeholders to develop reform proposals ahead of a public consultation later this year. A Compulsory Purchase Reform Progress Report was published in December 2024, which recaps progress to date, summarises emerging proposals and sets out next steps:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/compulsory-purchase-reform-scotland-progress-report-december-2024/.

More information on the Compulsory Purchase Reform Programme, can be found at https://blogs.gov.scot/planning-architecture/2024/07/09/compulsory-purchase-reform/.

Number of hospital admissions of pedestrians injured is shown in the following table. The source is SMR01, Public Health Scotland, extract: January 2025.

Buildings owned by the Scottish Government on the Core estate fall into the following EPC categories.

A – 0 Buildings

B – 1 Building

C – 4 Buildings

D – 5 Buildings

E – 2 Buildings

F – 3 Buildings

G – 2 Buildings

All buildings owned by the Scottish Government use electricity supplied via a REGO tariff (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin).

6 buildings have solar PV which contributes approximately 5% of each building’s electricity use. 1 building has an air source heat pump which provides 100% of the buildings heating requirements.