Chamber and committees

FFIS is a competitive scheme and, as with the 2025 round, no application is guaranteed funding. Where demand exceeds the available budget, eligible applications will be prioritised in accordance with the published scoring and ranking methodology. This will ensure applicants understand in advance how funding decisions will be made.

We have been working closely with stakeholders on how we can improve FFIS, including ways to ensure more farmers and crofters are able to benefit from this support. Co-development is ongoing and we will provide further details on these improvements later this summer.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) carries out an annual programme of sewer network and wastewater site compliance assessment, proactively targeting higher risk sites and also maintaining a rolling programme of inspections across all authorised sites, to determine operator compliance, including sampling of sites and the environment.

SEPA also requires these operators to provide data returns and report incidents. Recorded data and site operations are assessed during SEPA inspections. In addition to compliance inspections, SEPA responds to Scottish Water pollution notifications and public reporting of pollution incidents.

The Scottish Government’s public health approach to violence has prevention at its core and our focus is aimed at preventing and reducing harm for people in Scotland’s communities.

My heartfelt condolences go to Lisa Petrie for the heartbreaking loss of her son, John McNab. I commend Lisa on the work she has been doing to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives as well as her campaign to roll out bleed kits which helped inform our commitment.

Scottish Government will engage with partners to inform how bleed kits are rolled out to community settings and what quantities would be appropriate and effective.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), I have asked them to respond. Their replies are as follows:

Scottish Water will need time to review and respond to the Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) report once it is issued.

SEPA has publicly offered to meet the WASP group to discuss the evidence it has prepared in its draft Report and the work already under way to monitor and improve Scotland’s water environment further through River Basin Management Planning.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water has responded to requests for data from Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP) under a number or FOI/EIR requests. Where data was available, Scottish Water has made efforts to provide this, as requested. Where data is not held by Scottish Water, as per the request, it has not been able to provide it - and Scottish Water has provided explanations. This is being tested by the Scottish Information Commissioner under appeal from WASP, reflecting the appropriate process in these circumstances.

This would be an operational matter for Scottish Water.

Any discharge from a wastewater asset is covered by the requirements of authorisations issued under the Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations 2018. In the event of a potential non-compliance identified by the appropriate regulator, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), this would be investigated by Scottish Water and action taken as appropriate.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of data centres to Scotland’s digital infrastructure and is engaging with planning authorities, the energy sector and other stakeholders to understand emerging development trends. Whilst there are no current proposals for sector-specific guidance or regulatory changes, the need for further guidance will be kept under review and considered as part of ongoing work, and the National Planning Hub will continue to work on Data Centres, developing knowledge, capacity and understanding with Local Government.

As planning authorities, local authorities are able to regulate development including the creation of new shops. Changes to the specific range of goods sold within an existing shop do not constitute development so are not within the scope of planning control.

Scotland has a Tobacco and Vapes Retail Register. All businesses need to be registered to be able to sell these products in Scotland. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register in their local areas.

The Scottish Government supports the development of a paediatric palliative care suite in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. We want to ensure that children and young people receive high quality palliative care and that their families and carers have flexible support, based on their individual needs, in a location that suits them.

‘Molly’s suite’ will build on the work done by young cancer patient Molly Cuddihy to ensure children and young people at the end of their life are properly supported and treated with dignity. Work to develop it is being led by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC), working in partnership with Children’s Hospices across Scotland (CHAS).

My officials have asked the Board for an update on progress, which I will share with the Member in due course.

Trading standards officers are appointed by local authorities in order to comply with their statutory obligations.

While it is up to each local authority to manage its own day-to-day business, including decisions in relation to the delivery of statutory services locally, Scottish Government retains a strategic interest in the effective delivery of trading standards services across Scotland.

Scottish Ministers have asked Consumer Scotland to develop recommendations that will inform Scottish Government’s continued support for local authorities in delivering effective, well resourced, trading standards services that deliver positive outcomes for people and communities.