Chamber and committees

In a letter to the Criminal Justice Committee dated 16 December 2025, the then Minister for Victims and Community Safety set out the Scottish Government’s response to the report published by the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour. The response set out details about work that has been taken forward. A copy of the response can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/criminal-justice-committee/correspondence/2025/asb-iwg-response-letter-from-minister-vcs-16-december-2025.pdf. Since this letter was issued, work has continued in implementing the actions to which the Scottish Government committed.

Following the reported damage to the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a number of actions have been taken. This includes the arrest of alleged perpetrators of the damage and the preparation of a report for the procurator fiscal, and separate enforcement notice action by The Highland Council in relation to unconsented development.

The damaging activities at Achanbobane have caused irreparable damage to some of the protected interest of the SSSI because the processes which created them, glacial ice and meltwater deposition, cannot be replicated. Nevertheless, NatureScot is working with The Highland Council to ensure that the limited re-instatement which is possible is carried out without further damage to the site.

As a stronger deterrence to further damage to the SSSI occurring at Achnabobane, in September 2025 Scottish Ministers put in place a Nature Conservation Order. Only through the vigilance of the community, NatureScot and partners will any further damaging activity be detected and reported, allowing rapid action to be taken to stop it.

While there is no legislation specific to (i) rivers, (ii) lochs, (iii) coastal waters and (iv) other bodies of water, rivers, lochs and coastal waters are within the definition of surface water, in the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003, which implements the EU Water Framework Directive. We keep all applicable legislation under review.

The Scottish Government has not agreed to the sale of the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) building on Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. An Expression of Interest process has been undertaken by Creative Scotland.

The Scottish Government has developed, with fleet managers, a public sector fleet decarbonisation Action Plan. This takes into consideration key factors such as whole life vehicle cost, access to infrastructure and operational requirements.

The Plan is based on most public-sector fleet vehicles decarbonising through battery electric technology, reflecting the advanced nature of this solution, whole-life costs and access to expanding charging infrastructure. The Plan also recommends Public Bodies to develop bespoke fleet decarbonisation strategies for their organisations, supporting development of operating models that ensure access to reliable infrastructure, meet operational requirements and mitigate risks. Alternative technologies, including hydrogen, may have a role, particularly for some heavier-duty or specialist applications. However, hydrogen vehicles and green hydrogen currently remain more expensive than battery electric alternatives, with limited refuelling infrastructure. Lessons from deployments, including Aberdeen's hydrogen buses, add to the evidence base to support a bespoke fleet decarbonisation by each local authority.

The following table shows a breakdown of e-bikes and e-scooters seized by Police Scotland in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Information is available by local policing division, not by local authority.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the growth of solar generation as part of Scotland's future energy mix and will continue to undertake analysis as required to improve our understanding of how solar deployment can best contribute to Scotland's renewable energy ambitions. Our analysis to date has not included modelling of individual industry-led ambitions.

There have been a number of significant developments since we consulted on our draft Solar Vision in 2023, including the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and Warm Homes Plan.

We have also co-commissioned the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, which will provide an updated assessment of Scotland’s future energy system needs.

Given these developments will inform the Scottish Government’s position on solar it would not be appropriate to publish a final policy position until they are complete.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02062 on 19 August 2026. 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.

Scottish Water will deliver 95 improvement projects set out in its Improving Urban Waters Routemap Annual Update 2025 by December 2027. These projects include 19 overflows impacting Water Quality and 27 with sewage-related debris issues.

For Portobello specifically, Scottish Water, in collaboration with SEPA and the council, is currently carrying out a £1m study to identify potential bathing water impacts. This includes a pollution study to determine possible misconnections between the combined sewer system and the surface water/burn network. It also includes updating an impact assessment model to identify whether routine overflow events from the combined sewer system are impacting bathing water performance.