Following the recent Scottish Government announcement on XL Bully dog safeguards, Scottish Government officials are continuing to engage regularly with various stakeholders about the impact of the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs on kennels and re-homing centres.

These stakeholder engagements provide an opportunity to regularly assess any emerging issues on rescue centre capacity.

Empty Property Relief was devolved to local authorities on 1 April 2023, and it is for individual local authorities to decide how they will tailor any support for unoccupied property, including listed buildings, to best support their local needs.

As indicated in the recommendations of the New Deal for Business Non-Domestic Rates sub-group, the Scottish Government will undertake an initial review of the devolution of Empty Property Relief before the next revaluation in 2026.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24110 on 18 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

On 6 October 2022, the Scottish Government committed to extending the Day Nursery Rates Relief. The Non-Domestic Rates (Levying and Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 which came into force on 1 April 2023 removed the end date for this relief.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24498 on 23 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-24444 on 22 January 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The assessment of all hazards and the equipment needed to deal with incidents is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The Scottish Government holds regular discussions with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on a wide range of topics and is assured that the Service is sufficiently equipped and has the ability to deploy a range of resources which can be utilised by the highly skilled crews to bring all incidents to a safe conclusion.

There is no additional statutory requirement on the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to monitor large battery storage unit sites.

SFRS continually review and develop their operational response to any new and emerging technology to keep communities safe. SFRS is committed to work in collaboration with key partners to ensure the highest level of preparedness for potential incidents involving lithium-ion batteries or similar storage facilities.

In the event of incidents involving these facilities, SFRS have the ability to deploy a range of resources that can be utilised by the highly skilled crews to successfully bring the incidents to a safe conclusion.

As I stated in response to question S6W-24479, there is a significant degree of uncertainty across the UK as to the size of the population of XL Bully dogs. It is clear from the number of applications received from XL Bully owners in England and Wales seeking exemption for their dogs that the initial estimate of 10,000 dogs was a significant underestimate.

Various estimates from other bodies on the possible number of XL Bully dogs in England and Wales have ranged from 50,000 to 150,000. If there were 50,000 XL Bully dogs in England and Wales, this may suggest an estimated population of 5,000 XL Bully dogs in Scotland. However this figure carries a considerable degree of uncertainty.