Chamber and committees

The setting of fire could include the act of igniting the fire and the burning of could include managing and controlling the fire.

The Scottish Government news Fairer funding for charities - gov.scot provides details of the announcement on 5 February 2025 of the new Fairer Funding multi-year funding pilot. It will give organisations the ability to plan for the future and make the most of their resources. The Pilot’s focus on grants connected to tackling child poverty and the delivery of frontline services to our communities will maximise the impact of longer term funding.

Officials are working with third sector partners to identify lessons and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Pilot in meeting their needs, as well as demonstrating value for taxpayers’ money.

In his address to third sector organisations at The Gathering, the First Minister stated that this was a small step, but one that signalled a clear direction of travel to increasing the number of multi-year funding agreements across the third sector.

The Pilot, which has been welcomed by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, is part of a wider package of policy measures under the Fairer Funding heading, which also includes improvements to the grant making process, more timely notifications of grant offers, streamlining reporting requirements and improving grant conditions.

a) Scottish Government has not made any budget provision in this or future years to underwrite private investment in nature restoration.

b) No capital allocation has been made in the 2025-26 budget to pilot blended finance models in nature recovery. Any payments associated with it will not finalised until the pilot progresses. Resource to take forward the pilot will be from within existing staff time.

There may be contingent liability implications to the agreements entered into as a part piloting blended finance models for nature restoration and these will be managed in line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

I visited Salmar Aker Ocean’s Ocean Farm One, the world’s first offshore salmon farm, in Norway in August 2023, where I learned about high farmed fish survival rates, alongside reduced environmental impacts, made possible through farming in higher energy locations.

SalMar Ocean (previously Salmar Aker Ocean) has since met with the Scottish Government to discuss the consenting process for developing a salmon farm between 3 – 12 nautical miles.

Alongside work which builds on the fish farm consenting pilots aimed at delivering improvements to our consenting system, we have also been working to address regulatory gaps and to consider the long-term policy and regulatory framework required to support ‘offshore’ salmon farming in Scotland, as committed to in our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture.

This includes our recent consultation on proposals to extend marine planning zones, to allow developers to submit planning applications for aquaculture developments out to 12 nautical miles to the relevant local planning authority. Results of the consultation are currently being analysed and will be published in due course.

Due to the innovative nature of the proposed development, Scottish Government officials and aquaculture regulators have met with the business to advise on consenting processes.

The Scottish Budget 2025-26 identified funding of £5 million to help support independent hospices deliver pay parity with Agenda for Change (AfC) levels for 2025-26. Officials are undertaking work to explore the mechanisms for providing this funding, while respecting local commissioning arrangements. Funding will be provided in financial year 2025-26. Officials continue to take forward positive discussions with the Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group.

This funding does not bring hospice staff under AfC terms and conditions and is only intended to provide pay parity with NHS levels. Independent hospices will have their own terms and conditions for the staff they employ.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I can confirm that to date, the liquidated damages provisions have not been triggered.

The Scottish Government fully accredited one provider (Motability Operations Ltd) under the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme in 2019 and rejected five providers. One provider withdrew from the process. Four additional providers were offered conditional accreditation in 2023. We are working with these additional providers to include them as part of the Scheme.

We have simplified the accreditation process and have waived the accreditation fee to encourage smaller organisations or social enterprises to apply, subject to meeting the technical security standards necessary. Our intention is to ensure the scheme offers a choice of providers and continues to provide a valuable service for disabled people in Scotland.

FOI/202500450646 contained the spend category, Catering; Bar Equipment and Accessories. The following items are within this category -

Items for sample processing (knives, potato peelers, chopping boards, scoops, mills)

Protective clothing (disposable aprons/lab coats)

Storage boxes, plastic trays and jugs

Catering trolleys

Mops and cleaning chemicals

Water boilers to sterilise sample processing equipment

Freezers

Servicing of mills, and replacement of parts

Dishwashers

Compact Mobile Trolley

Vacuum Milk Jug

Replacement boiler for crew mess

Fridges

Crockery and cutlery

Chefs whites

Pots and sauce pans

Miscellaneous kitchen equipment

Bed sheets and linen for crew cabin areas

Milk Fridge, including materials, Powder/Hotwater/ Tank and maintenance agreement

Coffee Machine

Water Filter, Filter Cartridge

Cleaning Container and Carriage

Glass Rack 16 compartment x 5

Glass Rack 16 compartment x 4

Folding table,

Turbofan Convection Oven

Catering supplies for family and witness rooms

Kettle

Flasks for Tea/Hot Water

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS recognise and appreciate the patience and understanding shown by our neighbours as we try to deliver a lasting solution to the impact of noise.

We have taken a number of actions relating to the estate and supporting the women in our care to minimise the impact of noise.

We are in the final stages of designing and implementing a physical adaptation to the estate that is expected to deliver a significant reduction in noise from parts of the establishment identified as impacting our neighbours.

Local residents’ association and local elected representatives have been invited to a meeting at the establishment on 24 March, where SPS will present an update on progress and answer any queries presented by the group.

Scotland already has the strongest protections for tenants in the UK. The rent adjudication process is in place to protect tenants from above market rent increases and it is one of a number if protections tenants have in place. An appeal can be made to the First Tier Tribunal if a landlord or tenant is not happy with a rent adjudication decision.

Raising awareness of the strong existing rights tenants have is critical. That is why we have launched a further Renters’ Rights Campaign. This will support tenants understand their rights, how to use them and where to seek further advice and support.