Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is not aware of any specific guidance covering the installation of netting around hedgerows, trees and other wildlife.

There is currently no legislation that specifically prevents the installation of netting around hedgerows or trees.

However, Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 does makes it an offence to obstruct or prevent any bird from using its nest during the nesting season and this would include the use of netting.

The eligibility for Carers Allowance Supplement is based on the eligibility for Carer’s Allowance. All those who receive Carer’s Allowance on the qualifying date will be automatically eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce a four-year health MOT pilot for people over 40.

The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diverse communities having a direct say over decisions which affect them. We are taking a whole system approach. This means looking across Scotland’s public services, and ensuring that measures to empower people and places in different spheres of governance are cohesive and mutually supportive.  

We will shortly be consulting on a new National Transport Strategy for Scotland. Part of the development work for the Strategy, included a review of transport governance which considered arrangements at national, regional and local levels. It is recognised that there is a need for change, in the current arrangements, and that further work is required to determine what a future model or models might be acknowledging that a one-size-fits approach all may not work. This work will commence when the outcomes from the NTS consultation are known.

Scottish Government support for the Green Party amendments to the Transport Bill on the Workplace Parking Levy was contingent on the exclusion of hospitals and NHS premises, because of their particular circumstances. The Workplace Parking Levy provisions give wide powers to local authorities to apply local exemptions to reflect local circumstances. It would be for each local authority to determine if there was a need for a workplace parking levy in its area and to determine any additional local exemptions that might apply.

The Scottish Government jointly launched the Local Governance Review with COSLA to consider how powers are shared across national and local government, and with communities. The Review reflects our shared commitment to Scotland’s different places and diverse communities having a direct say over decisions which affect them.

Talks with opposition parties and COSLA, our local government partners, to identify options for the replacement of the present council tax that would be supported by Parliament are progressing.

The Children & Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce was charged with taking forward the 2018/19 Programme for Government (PfG) commitment of developing services to aid community mental wellbeing.

Following the resignation of the Chair in May 2019 due to ill health, a joint announcement from Scottish Government and COSLA on 4 July 2019 advised that the work begun by the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Taskforce would be taken forward by a new programme board – the Children & Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Programme Board. The Board will develop and monitor the delivery of support in the community as set out in the PfG commitment.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-24309 on 30 July 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Programme for Government sets out the actions the Scottish Government will take in the forthcoming year. In the case of the commitments announced by the 2018-19 Programme for Government, these will begin implementation from the 2019/20 financial year onwards. It is too early in our financial reporting processes to record an accurate breakdown of spend at this time.

Psychopathy is antisocial personality disorder. The Scottish Government has no plans at present to produce guidance on this. NICE clinical guideline [CG77] on “Antisocial personality disorder: prevention and management” was published in January 2009, and updated in March 2013. This guides clinical practice in the UK. The Royal College of Psychiatrists also publishes information for the public on personality disorders that includes information on psychological and physical treatment: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/personality-disorder