The previous UK Government consulted on further development of the non-domestic minimum energy efficiency standard scheme for England and Wales but their response was not published before the UK General Election. We look forward to understanding what the new UK Government’s policy will be in this area in due course.

The Scottish Government recently consulted on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill including new energy efficiency and heating standards for all buildings. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation.

At this stage we've had no confirmation on whether recent UK Government announcements on housebuilding will generate additional consequential funding for Scotland. This is dependent on whether the UK Government policy is funded from within existing UK departmental budgets or through new money.

There remains significant uncertainty over our overall funding position. The current Spending Review period concludes at the end of the 2024-25 financial year and we currently have no details of our block grant funding from 2025-26 onwards.

More information on both matters will be provided following the UK Autumn Statement on 30 October 2024.

Action to prepare and plan for this transition began prior to the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 receiving Royal Assent, and is ongoing. To support the relevant commencement and transitional provisions laid in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, intensive engagement with relevant partners across the sector has taken place. This to ensure readiness and capacity within secure care and wider children’s services, so that the children being moved are safe and well supported. The action included officials recently visiting each of Scotland’s four secure centres to ensure any additional support could be identified and put in place, and regular ongoing engagement with key delivery partners, including the Scottish Prison Service, secure accommodation providers, the Care Inspectorate, Social Work Scotland, COPFS, and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service.

Each of the children currently in Polmont YOI has a bespoke “Child’s Plan”, grounded in the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), Curriculum for Excellence and the SPS Vision for Young People in Custody (refreshed in 2021). A tailored transfer, matching and orientation process is being prepared for each child to transition to secure accommodation, along with action to inform and reassure their families.

The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 (Commencement No.1 and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2024 were laid in the Scottish Parliament on 15 August. The Scottish Government does not generally lay secondary legislation during Parliamentary recess. However, Scottish Ministers are taking action to end the practice of detaining children in Young Offenders’ Institutions as soon as possible, having identified the earliest point at which delivery agencies and partners could safely deliver the change.

The Scottish Government uses modelling evidence such as the Electricity System Operators Future Energy Scenarios (FES) to explore the future storage capacity that could be required in Scotland and GB under different decarbonisation pathways.

The level of capacity being proposed through applications for battery energy storage systems can be found on the Renewable Energy Planning Database: quarterly extract ( Renewable Energy Planning Database: quarterly extract - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) ).

Where Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) applications with a capacity greater than 50MW are brought forward, these will require consent from Scottish Ministers under the Electricity Act 1989. Proposals below 50MW are determined by the relevant planning authority in the first instance. Information on live applications under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 is available on the Energy Consents website, using the application search function and includes specific capacities, where this information is held.

On 15 August 2024, we published the Summary of Responses to Investing in Planning - a consultation on resourcing Scotland’s planning system, which ran from 28 February 2024 to 31 May 2024.

We received 140 responses from a range of stakeholders, including industry bodies, and have published responses where consent has been given to do so. A full breakdown of respondents can be found in the Summary of Responses at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836016328 .

I will set out the next steps on improvements to the planning system when the Scottish Parliament returns after recess.

There is currently no direct funding available to egg producers in Scotland. Pressures on the Scottish budget, brought about by global inflationary trends and exacerbated by the previous UK Government’s decisions means that we are unable to commit to possible future support at this time.

The Scottish Government remains committed to improving the health and welfare of all animals in Scotland and that is why we recently met our 2023-2024 Programme for Government to consult on proposals to phase out the use of cages for laying hens, and published a call for evidence for phasing out the use of cages for gamebirds and quail. We will continue to engage with the industry and stakeholders before making any decisions on how to proceed in order to maintain egg production in Scotland while ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare.

We continue to consider the recommendations made by the UK Government's Animal Welfare Committee although do not have a timescale for completing our review. However, we are continuing to work with the industry to find ways of improving and safeguarding the welfare of farmed fish at the time of slaughter.

The Scottish Government is committed to the highest possible animal welfare standards, and improving aquaculture health and welfare is one of the main priorities embedded within our Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture.

Health Boards are autonomous institutions and as such, are responsible for their own recruitment activity taking into account, retention, absence rates and budgets when making decisions.

Scottish Government officials have however been engaging with Health Boards about their current position in relation to job offers and supply, with Boards remaining committed to maximising the opportunities for newly qualified nurses to find employment and reduce vacancies across nursing.

The Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy has regular meetings with SEPA which cover a wide range of topics related to SEPA functions. Most recently, Miri McAllan MSP met SEPA Chair, Lisa Tennant and Nicole Paterson, Chief Executive Officer on 13 June 2024.