Chamber and committees

The Lockerbie bombing remains the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on UK soil and the effects continue to be felt around the world. The investigation into this terrible atrocity has been conducted jointly by Scottish and American prosecutors and law enforcement for 34 years. 270 people lost their lives that terrible night and 21 countries lost citizens. It has always been an international investigation and I welcome the significant step taken by the United States in obtaining custody of Mr Masoud.

Having been transferred to US custody, Mr Masoud will stand trial in a United States Court, subject to United States laws. That does not diminish the loss suffered by Scotland and many other countries. The 190 American lives lost that night give the United States of America criminal jurisdiction to prosecute Mr Masoud, just as the scene of this terrible crime in Lockerbie and the lives lost here, gave Scotland jurisdiction to prosecute Mr Al-Megrahi and Mr Fhimah under Scots law at Kamp Zeist.

There are no current criminal proceedings in Scotland against Mr Masud. Scottish prosecutors and Police Scotland are dedicated to supporting the US prosecution, just as American counterparts, with assistance from countries around the world, supported the trial at Kamp Zeist to its successful conclusion in 2001.

In December I travelled to Washington DC where I attended a memorial ceremony and met with the US Deputy Attorney General. We discussed how we can continue to work together to obtain justice for all of the victims and their families, and I assured the Deputy Attorney General of Scotland’s unwavering support in this international effort.

There has been one occasion in which the landowner has failed to respond to a formal request under section 10(2) of the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to cull deer.

This is in relation to the recent NatureScot intervention in Loch Choire, where the landowner has failed to respond to Section 10(2), resulting in NatureScot staff undertaking culling on the property under Section 10(4) authorisation. NatureScot are currently determining next steps in relation to the use of statutory powers.

Architecture and Design Scotland provides non-chargeable advice and resources to all local authorities. Architecture and Design Scotland:

• provides advice on projects;
• connects people and organisations to create thriving places;
• shares insight to grow capacity across Scotland; and
• champions good design and collaboration.

Extensive support to local authorities has been provided via a wide range of programmes, events and initiatives since the organisation was established. A full breakdown of the instances local authorities have received planning advice from Architecture and Design Scotland, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) year to is not held centrally but examples are regularly reported in its Annual Reports.

Since joining the Scotland + Venice project in 2016, Architecture and Design Scotland has supported the commissioning and work of external curatorial teams. These teams develop and deliver the project including engagement with communities. Architecture and Design Scotland do not generally engage directly with cities, towns and villages as part of the project.

As part of the 2020 Scotland + Venice work, Architecture and Design Scotland staff members supported the delivery of a workshop in Elgin.

The following table sets out a breakdown of Architecture and Design Scotland budget allocations for 2022-23.

The Scottish Government discussed with Architecture and Design Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023. There was no significant impact on its business.

Firearms holders must be licensed by Police Scotland and may only shoot over land where they have permission, and where it is safe to do so without risk to public safety or the peace. Most firearms licensing law is reserved and Police Scotland are responsible for its enforcement. Any concerns about reckless or unsafe shooting should be reported to Police Scotland in the first instance.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has no functions in relation to the use of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) on board vessels operating in Scottish waters, this lies with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The award winning Great Tapestry of Scotland (GToS) is an excellent example of the Town Centre First Principle (TCFP) in practice. This principle has been embedded in the recently approved National Planning Framework (NPF4), so that future planning decisions will help to guide development to locations that support tourism and regeneration of our towns.

The Scottish Government is also supporting local authorities, businesses, and communities to promote regeneration within towns including through the Place Based Investment, Vacant and Derelict Land and Empowering Communities Programmes. In particular, on 6 February, it was announced that 15 projects, across Scotland, have successfully secured around £10 million funding, from the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, to prioritise the reuse of such land as well community regeneration and town centres.