Chamber and committees

The Strategic Investment Model (SIM), an initiative devised to respond to the recommendations within the Strategic Investment Assessment, is a novel industry-led approach which is delivering for the offshore wind sector in Scotland.

The SIM is helping the government, our agencies and the sector to identify key, shared priorities with an initial focus on investment in ports and harbours infrastructure improvements, manufacturing and fabrication. There is a strong pipeline of port infrastructure and supply chain projects now emerging through the SIM process.

On February 20 the SIM published details of 32 of the 38 projects that have successfully completed stage one of the process and have a completed project prospectus. 6 SIM projects have requested confidentiality. Strategic Investment Model Stage 2 projects announced | HIE (offshorewindscotland.org.uk)

An initial first three projects have been selected by the SIM to move into Stage 2 involving facilitated meetings between offshore wind developers and project proponents.

Currently, the 38 SIM projects have a combined total Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) of around £6.5BN.

Some project information is still commercially confidential. Therefore, the release of any further information will be undertaken by the SIM group.

All Scottish local authorities have a statutory duty under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) to appoint at least one officer for the purposes of the 2010 Act.

Local authority appointed 'authorised officers' (i.e. dog wardens) are expected to be skilled in the control of dogs, and also have the capacity to instruct and advise others in dog control matters.

The number of such staff employed in each council area is entirely a matter for each council to consider.

Scottish Government officials engage regularly with local authorities on matters in relation to dog control, via both COSLA and also the National Dog Warden Association (NDWA).

My statement to Parliament on 18 January 2024 committed the Scottish Government to working with key stakeholders to look at any improvements that could be made to the 2010 Act to strengthen and enhance the approach to preventative measures in the medium term.

Section 1 of The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (‘Dogs bred for fighting’) already prohibits owners of such dogs from giving away their pets.

This means that, for example, it is now illegal for the owner of an XL Bully to sell, give away or rehome their dog.

The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) introduced the dog control notice (DCN) regime. The 2010 Act gives powers to local authorities to issue DCNs to owners who allow their dogs to be out of control and this includes discretionary conditions that can be attached to a DCN. The Scottish Government recommends as best practice that when local authority authorised officers issue a DCN to an owner, this should include a condition that the owner is obliged to inform the local authority if they rehome their dog, and provide the name and address of the new owner.

The Scottish Government published updated statutory guidance on the 2010 Act in December 2020. The statutory guidance is designed to enhance understanding of the 2010 Act and assist local authorities and authorised officers: https://www.gov.scot/publications/updated-guidance-control-dogs-scotland-act-2010/

The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the 2010 Act to prevent dog owners who have a DCN against them from relinquishing ownership and/or responsibility for their dog, but does plan to consider opportunities to enhance and strengthen the 2010 Act in the medium term.

A Scottish Government led Short Life Working Group was established in 2022 to assist with taking forward the commitment to review the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The focus of the review was on the criminal offence in the 1991 Act of a dog being dangerously out of control. However, views on prohibited breeds legislation were also offered. The working group has undertaken this review, and we are now considering the wide range of views offered to determine what may be appropriate as next steps. The Minutes of all working group meetings have been published on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/groups/dangerous-dogs-act-short-life-working-group/

The Scottish Government previously consulted on practical measures to improve the operational effectiveness of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). The views offered in response to this consultation are helping to shape and inform policy development decisions.

Scottish Government officials also meet regularly with stakeholders to discuss issues in relation to dog control policy.

As I made clear during my Ministerial Statement on 18 January 2024, the Scottish Government is committed to working with key stakeholders and interested parties to look at any improvements that could be made to the 2010 Act to strengthen and enhance the approach to preventative measures in the medium term.

The Scottish Government recognises that the cost of living and doing business on islands can be higher compared to other parts of Scotland.

Our Islands Cost Crisis Emergency Fund has distributed £2.4 million to island local authorities since December 2022, giving councils flexibility in directing funding to those who need it most, including local businesses. Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar has been awarded £617,000 to date.

In 2024-2025, we will also offer a new 100% relief for hospitality businesses located on islands, capped at £110,000 per business.

The Scottish Government will continue to encourage the delivery sector to provide island communities with fair and affordable delivery options.

Police Scotland’s 2019 Estate Strategy outlined plans to replace outdated, underinvested and underused properties with a modern, fit-for-purpose estate. This will help develop modern premises, capable of delivering effective and efficient public services to meet the needs of people and the staff who use them.

For example, co-locations make the best use of the public sector estate and offer the opportunity for increased visibility, closer working and increased collaboration between partners. Police Scotland has over 60 examples of successful co-location, including at Marischal College with Aberdeen City Council.

It should also be noted that, under a single Scottish police service, police operate over three tiers – local, regional and national. This ensures that there is a core complement of officers dedicated to community and response policing. Local Area Commanders can also draw on specialist resources to further support local policing whenever they are needed.

Police Scotland is currently undertaking a national consultation on its estate plans. This forms part of its wider engagement activity to listen to feedback and views about the proposed estate change. I encourage anyone with an interest to engage with this conversation which is available on the Police Scotland National Conversation About Our Estate - Police Scotland - Citizen Space .

Matters concerning the police estate are operational issues for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority. I also have regular meetings with the Chief Constable, where a range of issues are discussed, including the police estate.

Following a comprehensive consultation process, the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan will be published by Summer 2024. Following an extensive consultation process on the draft strategy, we are engaging with key stakeholders as we work towards publication.

The Creative Digital Initiative was a £1 million national programme which ran from April 2021 to the end of March 2022 to help the sector develop digital capabilities in response to the limitations imposed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Led by Creative Scotland and involving all the national enterprise and skills agencies as well as the Scottish Government, the programme provided support to small and medium-sized creative and cultural businesses to help them continue to build their digital capacity and provide the tools needed to respond to the limitations they currently face. This included financial support to build digital capacity as well as practical help to increase confidence, provide new creative opportunities and mentor artists and cultural organisations.

As stated in our Culture Strategy Action Plan, enabling the creative workforce to keep pace with continuing digital innovation is a priority. We will consider learning from the Creative Digital Initiative to support the development of a skilled and resilient creative workforce and meet the needs of the future.

We committed in our Strategic Childcare Plan, published October 2022 Best Start - strategic early learning and school age childcare plan 2022 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) to work with local authorities to maximise uptake of the existing two year old offer using new access to data on eligible families in their local area.

Since then we have finalised data sharing arrangements with the UK Government and established ‘datapipeline’ – a digital platform from which local authorities can access lists of households in their area that meet the majority of ‘qualifying benefits’ criteria and have a child of the relevant age.

From this data we have been able to produce local and national estimates of the eligible population of two-year-olds. This has allowed us to publish uptake rates for two-year-olds by local authority for the first time ( Summary statistics for schools in Scotland 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , allowing more transparency on the national picture for uptake for two-year-olds as well as informing local authorities’ own understanding of their uptake rates.

With support from the Improvement Service, we have held a series of webinars with local authorities on making best use of the new data and on access to funded ELC for two-year-olds with a care experienced parent.

We are also offering one-to-one support, through the Improvement Service, to local authorities that would like to work on maximising uptake of funded ELC for two-year-olds.

In the 2023-2024 Programme for Government the Scottish Government announced that we would develop and trial a digital service that will give parents and carers greater scope to manage their childcare.

We know that the current childcare system can be difficult for families to navigate, particularly for those on the lowest incomes, and are at an early stage of designing a digital service that will make it easier for parents and carers to manage their childcare.