Chamber and committees

There is no sea bass catch entitlement specific to the Solway Firth. The commercial level of European sea bass which may be caught within British fishery limits is subject to the provisions contained within The Sea Fisheries (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which revised article 10 of Council Regulation (EU) 2020/123.

The results of the Health and Wellbeing Census Scotland 2021-22, and reports from schools and parents about young people vaping, are of great concern to the Scottish Government.

Vapes are an age restricted product and should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. In October 2022 we wrote to all registered retailers of these products to remind them of their duty of sale and we regularly meet with Trading Standards on enforcement.

Our recent consultation proposed restrictions on vaping products and we are aiming to bring forward new regulations in 2023. Any action we seek to take will build on the regulations already in place to restrict the marketing, promotion and sale of vaping products to under 18s.

We will publish our refreshed Tobacco Action Plan this year, which will include actions to reduce vaping among young people.

We are reviewing vaping education for young people in schools and have also funded ASH Scotland to work with a range of youth organisations on the risks associated with vaping.

Crown Estate Scotland are responsible for the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) leasing process. The INTOG leasing process is still ongoing.The first agreement stage in the leasing process, the offer of exclusivity agreements for offshore wind development rights over an area of seabed, was announced on 24 March 2023.

Scottish Government and Crown Estate Scotland are progressing the next stage of the joint planning and leasing process for INTOG. Scottish Government is committed to the sustainable management of Scottish seas. The on-going planning process will consider the potential impact of INTOG on the marine environment and other marine sectors. Following conclusion of the planning process in 2024, INTOG projects will be offered Option Agreements, the next stage in the leasing process.

As a matter of general good practice, any initiative such as INTOG would be evaluated following its completion to identify any lessons learned.

ScotRail has confirmed that 422 train carriages across the fleet have the capacity to store bicycles which equates to 1,506 spaces for bikes available on ScotRail trains.

There are 343 stations across the network that have cycle storage facilities available.

Marine Scotland has issued five commercial sea bass licences in total during the past 5 years (one each year to the same vessel (2019-2023)). The vessel is registered with our Fishery Office in Ayr.

The Scottish Government’s woodland creation target will rise to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25, with an annual target for a minimum of 4,000 hectares of this newly created woodland to be native woodland.

Forest Research publishes official statistics for new woodland planting, which includes longer time series data. Data for the number of hectares of woodland planted in the past five years in Scotland is available here: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/

Figures for new woodland creation for the past five financial years (1 April to 31 March) are as follows:

This is a matter for the CEO of Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow however the Member may wish to note that Ministers are committed to publishing the monthly progress updates on progress with the build of both vessels on the Scottish Government website .

The renewable heating element of the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme provides funding for well-established technologies to support households to decarbonise heating their homes in line with the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Air to air systems are not currently included in the list of eligible measures because, unlike other heat pump solutions, they do not provide both heating and hot water.

There are, however, a range of grant funded heating measures available through the scheme, including air to water heat pumps and other electric heating measures which can be complemented by installation of solar panels and battery storage.

The measures delivered through the scheme are kept under review and the Scottish Government will consider future changes in line with developments in new and improved technologies.

The renewable heating element of the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan Scheme provides funding for well-established technologies to support households to decarbonise heating their homes.

The Scottish Government has previously commissioned research to understand how heat pumps currently, or are likely to, perform in practice in Scottish buildings. A copy of this research is available here: Heat pump use in Scotland: an evidence review (climatexchange.org.uk)

There are a range of grant funded heating measures available through the scheme, including air to water heat pumps and other electric heating measures which can be complemented by installation of solar panels and battery storage.

The measures delivered through the scheme are kept under review and the Scottish Government will consider future changes in line with developments in new and improved technologies.

The Scottish Government does not produce estimates or collect data on the number of trees that have died and the age when this occurs.

All forests once established will experience some mortality and natural thinning through competition between individual trees. This will vary according to the planting density, management regimes, effects of pests and diseases, woodland type and location, and is an understood and accepted part of sustainable forest management.

However, any woodland creation that is publicly funded through the Forestry Grant Scheme is required to attain a specified stocking density when established, normally by year five, as set out in published guidance on the Rural Payments website at https://www.ruralpayments.org/topics/all-schemes/forestry-grant-scheme/woodland-creation/

Forest Research publishes data on forest yields and management information on the patterns of tree growth that can be expected in forests of different tree species, with varying growth rates, and when managed in different ways. This can be found at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/publications/forest-yield/ . These data, which factor in mortality rates, provide forecasts for the number of live tree over time and are used for example to estimate timber yields, forest biomass and carbon stocks, and the modelling of forest greenhouse gas balances.