Chamber and committees

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for protecting Scotland’s water environment.

On Monday 11 September, SEPA responded to reports it received of large dead fish along a section of the River Spey. SEPA has conducted a range of additional water quality and ecology monitoring of the River Spey along with investigating local regulated activities. However, no water quality issues have been identified, no impact on other aquatic species and smaller fish has been observed, and the cause of the incident has not yet been identified. This would not be expected from a major pollution incident where there would be mortalities in all aquatic species and fish populations.

A multi-agency group has met in response to the incident to consider all potential causes of the incident. SEPA is continuing to work closely with partners, including the Fish Health Inspectorate who lead on fish mortalities. The group is assessing all reports in an effort to identify any possible factors responsible for the fish mortalities.

NHS Grampian and Moray Council are also part of the group providing support on human health aspects. Members of the public who feel acutely unwell after being in contact with the river are being advised to seek medical advice.

We take reports of this kind very seriously and encourage anyone who finds dead fish on or near any watercourse to contact SEPA via our Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report .

If a supported person chooses to use option one and receive a direct payment they may then also choose to employ a personal assistant. The Social Care (Self-Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 Statutory Guidance states that, of the four SDS options, "Option 1 requires a level of responsibility that is greater than some of the other options. The local authority should make this point clear to the supported person. It should be transparent but it should also be supportive, explaining the additional support and information that can make the direct payment work for the supported person. The authority should ensure the supported person is offered independent advice and support where appropriate."

As part of their duty of care, the authority social worker should explain direct payment responsibilities to the supported person, relatives and relevant circles of support where applicable. They should also explain the additional support and information that the person can receive in order to manage their payment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21579 on 5 October 2023. 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 April 2022 we published an independent analysis of the responses to our consultation on developing an aviation strategy. Amongst other topics, the consultation invited views on the transition to low and zero emission aviation and the role that the Scottish Government could potentially play. Decarbonising aviation is also relevant to the ongoing development of the Scottish Government’s climate change plan and it is important to ensure policy coherence between the two documents. We are also considering the appropriate time to publish the aviation strategy given this context.

In the interim we continue to support the aviation sector in line with our commitment to making Scotland as well connected as its peer nations and regions, and to support and improve lifeline air services for our rural and island communities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-21565 on 4 October 2023. 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

While product safety policy remains reserved, the Scottish Government fully recognises the harm that the misuse of lithium-ion batteries can bring to those using electric micro-mobility vehicles.

I met recently with Electrical Safety First and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to discuss the danger that these batteries can cause.

Raising awareness of the risks associated with lithium-ion batteries is particularly important as e-bikes become more popular. The Scottish Government strongly urges consumers to only buy products from reputable retailers that they know and trust.

It is currently illegal in Scotland to use an e-scooter unless on private property.

The Verity House Agreement will better enable local and national government to work together to achieve better outcomes for people and communities across Scotland. The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with COSLA to agree a more detailed programme of work, a fiscal framework, and an accountabilities and monitoring framework, to underpin the Verity House Agreement in the coming months.

Decisions on future local government finance settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities and will be announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

It is inappropriate to comment on live proceedings or speculate on any possible outcomes and how they will be managed. The Scottish Government’s response to any challenges to Scotland’s Low Emission Zones will be considered on a case by case basis.

In Scotland, we have some instances where test results are available for patients already, including for those remote managing a condition through My Diabetes My Way and Patients Know Best (Renal). Learning from these digital tools will inform the development of the Digital Front Door for Scotland. The Digital Front Door is not currently a live service but will provide people with the ability to access, view and monitor their own information including medical records and test results over time. We expect the Digital Front Door to be available by the end of this parliamentary term.

Resource planning assumptions are only one element of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme budget. Expenditure within a financial year will not correlate directly with approvals, starts and completions as, for example, some projects can span more than one financial year.

The Scottish Government regularly publishes financial information at Autumn and Spring Budget revisions, Provisional Outturn, Final Outturn and Final Accounts. As previously advised in the answer to question S6W-21015 on 20 September 2023, when annual financial year expenditure is concluded and finalised we publish an Affordable Housing Supply Programme annual out-turn report. This reports actual spend compared to original resource planning assumptions alongside wider programme performance information.

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 .