Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government wants patients to get the help they need, when they need it, and we understand how important a timely ADHD diagnosis is for individuals.

While local Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) have responsibility for putting in place services to meet local needs, including the needs of adults with ADHD, we fund the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) to support HSCPs to consider best practice and improve services in the redesigning of neurodevelopmental diagnostic services.

NAIT provides HSCPs with resources to help them support these adults, and works with them to ensure that Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways, which provide diagnostic services and support tailored to the needs of each neurodivergent individual, are implemented.

We also provide funding to NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to deliver training resources to meet the needs of staff working in ADHD services across health and social care. These include webinars on Assessing ADHD and Understanding ADHD in Girls and Women, which are available to all NHS and Social Care staff via an online knowledge hub.

Our intention is that these steps will help streamline diagnostic and support processes, thereby reducing existing backlogs.

Following reports from members of the public on 11 November of a number of dead fish found in Linlithgow Loch, SEPA officers inspected the site on the morning of 12 November. During the inspection, no visible signs of pollution were identified and water quality samples, taken at various points around the loch, did not reveal any pollutants. SEPA is satisfied that there is no ongoing pollution incident within the loch.

(A) The draft route map to achieving a 20% reduction in car use was published in 2022 and was followed by a period of engagement and consultation. Analysis and consideration of the consultation responses are shaping the updated route map which will be published in due course.

The route map is co-produced with CoSLA, in recognition of the joint commitment to a just transition to reducing car use, and we are continuing to work closely with local and regional partners to update the route map and will publish it on completion of that engagement.

(B) Scotland now has over 6,000 public charge points and has achieved the delivery of 6,000 public charge points two years ahead of the 2026 target date. In late 2024 we will publish a draft Implementation Plan identifying the key actions to be taken to deliver our Vision for public EV charging. This draft Implementation Plan is being developed with the key stakeholders who share responsibility for delivering public EV charging across Scotland and will include a route map for delivering approximately 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030.

(C) In January 2024, Scotland introduced the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes (VETS) legislation, alongside England and Wales, extending to UK-wide from January 2025. VETS will deliver 411 MTCO2e of savings between 2024-2050 across the UK by increasing the sale of ZEVs as a proportion of overall annual sales to 80% cars and 70% vans by 2030) as well as reducing emissions on non-ZEVs.

Since 2011, support has been provided for the purchase of ZEV cars and vans equating to £39 million in interest free loans which has helped businesses purchase 1,382 ZEVs, alongside grants provided through the LEZ Support fund.

(D) Consideration for a new national integrated ticketing system for Scotland was detailed in the 2024 Smart Delivery Strategy, aligning with wider work to advance the future of public transport in Scotland. In 2025 consideration for this system will be undertaken, including the technical, financial and legislative impact.

We have begun commencing the smart-ticketing measures from the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, establishing the National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board in 2023. The board comprises operators, transport authorities, users, and technical experts, to provide independent advice to Scottish Ministers on the future of smart-ticketing, including a technological standard, in line with their published August 2024 workplan.

(E) Development of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) Delivery Plan is underway. This takes account of the current financial climate and is examining existing schemes across all modes in addition to the longer term STPR2 recommendations.

The latest Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts, following the UK Government Autumn Budget Statement, show an improved medium term outlook for capital. The Scottish Government will continue to consider its longer-term infrastructure plans after we receive clarity from the UK Government over our multi-year capital funding envelope in the Spring.

(F) The Scottish Government will set out the high-level principles of Air Departure Tax in due course, following which we will work towards implementation as soon as is practicable. However, this first requires a solution to the Highlands and Islands exemption, and we are working with the UK Government to achieve this.

(G) The foundations of the Whole Farm Plan have been co-developed with industry and rural partners and will go live in 2025. As part of our commitment to enhanced conditionality, in 2025, in return for their basic payment, all farmers and crofters will need to have in place two from the following five baselines: Animal Health and Welfare Plan, Biodiversity Audit, Carbon Audit, Integrated Pest Management Plan or Soil Analysis.

All farmers and crofters will be required to have a proportionate carbon audit in place by 2028 at the latest as part of the Whole Farm Plan.

From 2028 farmers and crofters will be required to produce a nutrient management plan (NMP) to complement their soil analysis. We therefore recommend as part of the current Whole Farm Plan guidance that once a business has received their soil analysis, they use this information to create a nutrient management plan. We will continue to work with our industry and rural partners to co-develop the Whole Farm Plan.

(H) The Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy announced several new measures aimed at accelerating Scotland’s journey to net zero, including a pilot scheme with some Scottish farms to establish future appropriate uptake of methane supressing feed products.

There has been significant development in this area in recent years and it is taking time to develop the details of a pilot which could explore options for recognising appropriate use of these products and other practices which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms. Further information on the timetable of a pilot project will be shared as soon as possible.

(I) The Scottish Government is working with the NorthWest 2045 (Highlands), South of Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders), Cairngorms National Park and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Regional Land Use Partnerships (RLUPs) to transition from a pilot to a formal initiative. We remain committed to the long-term delivery of RLUPs, however, taking into account wider fiscal pressures and subject to lessons learned from the ongoing transition, the phased rollout of new partnerships will begin in financial year 2026-27 at the earliest.

(J) With partial rewetting, the water table in peatlands or peaty soils is held deeper underground than with full rewetting or restoration. In theory, this delivers a carbon benefit but also allows certain types of agriculture that may be limited by full rewetting to continue.

The Peatland Science and Technical Advisory Group have advised there may be some potential in lowland grassland systems and at the edges of some raised bogs where the use of ‘leaky dams’ may have a part to play in finer control of water table depth. However, significant areas of lowland agricultural peats are difficult to identify and map.

We have commissioned scientists at the James Hutton Institute to advise on the distribution of grassland on peat and on the relationship between water table depth and carbon emissions in peat grassland systems. When complete, this will inform on-going work in government considering options for incorporating peatland protection, management and restoration within the new four-tier agricultural support framework.

(K) The Scottish Government is committed to reducing high deer numbers in order to help us to achieve our biodiversity and carbon objectives. Three deer management incentives pilot schemes led by NatureScot and the Cairngorms National Park Authority launched this autumn to incentivise deer managers to increase deer culls in specific parts of Scotland.

These pilot schemes have been implemented this year in different parts of Scotland to test different approaches to incentives and to better understand the barriers to deer management.

While these pilots do not constitute a single national scheme, we will use the findings from them to inform decisions on future incentive schemes.

(L) The Scottish Government is committed to considering options for a carbon land tax, to further incentivise peatland restoration and afforestation.

Any potential new measures must be rigorously assessed and based on strong evidence to ensure they serve their objective and avoid unintended consequences.

The Scottish Government will work with the Scottish Land Commission to consult with a range of stakeholders and to develop the evidence necessary to identify and assess options for a carbon land tax.

(M) The Scottish Government welcomes the work of the independent Green Heat Finance Taskforce and looks forward to receiving its Part 2 report shortly. Following publication of its Part 2 report, the Scottish Government will formally respond to the Taskforce, setting out the actions we will take, in partnership with others, on recommendations from both Taskforce reports.

Our response will be informed by the New Deal for Business sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) which will, alongside other matters, consider how non-domestic rates levers support Scotland’s transition to net zero.

(N) The Scottish Government has committed to the development of a just transition plan for Mossmorran following completion of the just transition plan for Grangemouth in 2025. As with the Grangemouth just transition plan, this work will be co-designed with key stakeholders including industry, the workforce and the community. The Scottish Government is actively engaging with relevant stakeholders as part of the scoping phase of this programme of work.

Some positive progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathways report, which aims to provide local single pathways for adult autism and ADHD, including diagnosis and support.

4 Health Boards are undertaking strategic planning to aid implementation. Separately, 2 Boards with established adult autism pathways are working to incorporate ADHD diagnosis and support into those pathways.

However, the Scottish Government recognises that we have more to do to ensure that progress on implementation is maintained.

We are aware that there are differing approaches between NHS Boards in establishing local single pathways for adult autism and ADHD, including approaches that are less neuro-affirming with higher diagnostic thresholds.

We will continue to work with NAIT to encourage these Boards to take approaches aligned to the adult neurodevelopmental pathways report and look to fully implement the recommendations of the report.

Last year we published our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture, which sets out the Scottish Government's long term aspirations for the sector.

The Vision makes clear that communities that host aquaculture should be engaged in the sector’s development, share in its success and be supported through a range of lasting benefits.

Building on recent Crown Estate Scotland aquaculture lease increases, we are working to enhance community engagement through the consenting system, and we have committed to delivering good practice principles for community benefits from aquaculture developments in future. I look forward to discussing and developing the scope and timing of that work with the Scottish Aquaculture Council and other stakeholders.

A breakdown of the Scottish Government workforce by sex is available in table T7 of the Scottish Government Workforce Statistics Scottish Government workforce information - gov.scot (www.gov.scot). The latest available data from June 2024 shows that 56.4% of the workforce are female and 43.6% are male.

The SPCB recognises the pressures staff face in effectively balancing the responsibilities of work with their personal commitments and is committed to providing appropriate support for staff. A comprehensive range of measures are available to support staff in relation to fertility and other family planning areas. 

The SPCB will, as good practice, support staff by granting non-statutory special leave with pay for assessment or treatment relating to fertility.  MSPs, as employers, also have access to the same time off arrangements for their staff.  Recognising that no two cases are the same, individual circumstances are taken into account.  For example, the SPCB recognises that staff may require time off to attend appointments for IVF/fertility treatment.  Staff may also want to accompany their partner if they are undergoing treatments. 

Time off is provided equal to the duration of an appointment for preparing for treatment, undergoing treatment and accompanying a partner who is undergoing treatment.  MSPs, their staff and parliamentary staff (and their partners) also have access to a free and confidential counselling service which can support those in these circumstances.

We are currently considering all the issues raised in response to our recent consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill. We will confirm our decisions and the nature and timing of next steps as soon as practicable.

As set out in the 2024-25 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has committed to introduce the Natural Environment Bill as part of the year four legislative programme. Due to parliamentary procedure, we are unable to provide the precise date for introduction. The Scottish Parliament will announce the introduction date shortly before the introductory process begins.

When introduced, the Bill will establish the framework for statutory targets to restore and protect nature. It will also include provisions to modernise the way in which national parks and deer are managed and provide powers to update environmental impact assessment and habitats legislation to support delivery of our net zero and biodiversity goals.

In February 2022, an application under section 36 of the Electricity Act seeking consent for construction and operation of the Peterhead Low Carbon Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Power Station was formally lodged with the Energy Consents Unit. This is currently before Ministers for determination and as such, it would be inappropriate for Ministers to make any comment.