Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not routinely collate or hold this data. Details of hen harrier nest sites on RSPB and non-RSPB nature reserves are collated and analysed through the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme coordinated by British Trust for Ornithology. Annual data from 2016-2020 relating to the breeding success of hen harrier nest sites are available from their website at Hen Harrier | Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme

The Scottish Government does not believe it is necessary to hold information on the number of successful and unsuccessful hen harrier nest sites on RSPB and non-RSPB nature reserves prior to introducing any legislation on the licensing of grouse moors.

Regulation of energy markets and consequently smart meter policy is reserved to the UK Government.

There are currently no requirements on landlords, whether social or private, to undertake installation of smart metering equipment as energy suppliers are responsible for undertaking this work. Suppliers are required to aim to install smart metering equipment in all homes and are required to do so at no up front cost. It would be for the energy supplier to arrange with the account holder to install the required equipment. In the majority of cases the account holder would be the tenant.

Given this, there are currently no plans to amend the Scottish Housing Quality Standard or the Repairing Standard to introduce requirements on landlords to install smart meters.

Smart meters have an important role to play in helping the Scottish Government achieve our aim of increasing energy efficiency across Scotland as well as helping consumers manage their spend on energy. At the recent energy summit chaired by the First Minister, we committed to working with partners to increase the number of households with smart meters in Scotland, with a focus on rural areas, by highlighting the benefits they can deliver in terms of both energy bills and energy efficiency. As part of this work, we will continue to call upon BEIS and Ofgem to take the necessary action to ensure all households eligible for a smart meter have the opportunity to install one in their home.

The £29.5 million funding to specialist research centres announced by UK Government on 12 December 2022 includes £12.5 million to be delivered through the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI). Edinburgh University hosts one of the 6 UK DRI Centres and is eligible to bid for this funding. In addition, £8 million of the research centre funding will be delivered through the National Institute for Health and Care Biomedical Research Centres (BRC's). While Scotland does not have direct BRC equivalents, officials from the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office have confirmed with Department of Health and Social Care officials that Scottish research teams can join BRC consortia to bid for this funding.

The NHS Research Scotland Neuroprogressive and Dementia Research Network is funded by the Scottish Government to deliver cutting edge clinical research in Neuroprogressive conditions and Dementia across Scotland. The network has been key to the delivery in Scotland of the UK-wide MND SMART Trial, with over 200 of the 400 total trial participants as of October 2022 enrolled in Scottish centres.

Scottish Ministers take decisions on wind farm applications that are made to them under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. The three most common reasons for refusing consent to a proposed wind farm, made to Scottish Ministers in the last five years, were landscape and visual impacts, impacts on the qualities of a National Park or National Scenic Area and impacts on the qualities of a wild land area.

More detail on the reasons for the decisions can be found in the decision letters which are published on our website Scottish Government - Energy Consents Unit by using the search tool to find wind farm applications that have been refused.

Wind farms that generate less than 50 megawatts of electricity do not require section 36 consent from Scottish Ministers but are instead determined by the local planning authority. Information on the reasons why wind farm applications were refused planning permission by local planning authorities is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The right to appeal certain decisions made by local planning authorities is an important part of the planning system. The vast majority of appeals are decided by an independent reporter from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government. The three most common reasons for refusing an appeal relating to a proposed wind farm in the last five years were: landscape, visual and residential amenity impacts.

Scottish Ministers take decisions on wind farm applications that are made to them under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. No wind farm applications made to Scottish Ministers, under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, within the last two years have been refused. Two of the applications received within the last two years have been consented and three have been varied by Scottish Ministers. A further thirty nine have yet to be determined.

Wind farms that generate less than 50 megawatts of electricity do not require section 36 consent from Scottish Ministers but are instead determined by the local planning authority. Detailed Information on the determination of each wind farm application made, in the last two years, to local planning authorities is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The right to appeal certain decisions made by local planning authorities is an important part of the planning system. The vast majority of appeals are decided by an independent reporter from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) of the Scottish Government. Of appeals referred to the DPEA in the last two years, seven have been refused, eleven have been allowed and three have yet to be determined. One appeal was withdrawn and a further three were found not to be within the jurisdiction of the DPEA to consider.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges and distress caused by the stigma experienced by those at risk of or living with Hepatitis C and other blood borne viruses.

Evidence shows that Hepatitis C is most commonly diagnosed in those who inject drugs and we know that stigma can increase the harms experienced by people affected by substance use. People with experience of problem substance use and the harms associated with it, deserve parity of treatment as with any other long-term life-affecting health condition. That is why, later this month, we will publish an action plan to tackle the stigma faced by those with experience of problem substance use.

The Scottish Government is also working with HIV experts and third sector organisations on an HIV awareness campaign that will launch later this year. The development of the campaign is ongoing but in broad terms, it will seek to educate and address common misconceptions and misinformation about the realities of living with HIV, as well as reducing the stigma surrounding HIV.

Since 2018, We have also funded third sector organisations, through the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus (SHBBV) Framework, for a variety of work regarding addressing stigma, such as training for professionals who work with those who inject drugs.

A new SHBBV Strategy is currently being developed with clinical, academic and third sector representatives, and is due to be published in Spring.

Scotland has some of the strongest homelessness legislation in the world and local authorities have a legal duty to provide support to anyone at risk of homelessness, including veterans.

Preventing homelessness from happening in the first place is the best and most effective way to end homelessness. We commissioned the Veterans Scotland Housing Group to set out specific strategies to prevent homelessness for veterans and their report was published in January 2022. We accepted the 24 recommendations in principle and are engaging with partners on next steps.

Additionally, we continue to support the charity Housing Options Scotland to provide its Military Matters project, helping veterans and serving members of the Armed Forces to find the right home in the right place. We also published a guide on the Scottish Government website with housing in Scotland information and contacts of organisations who may be able to help veterans obtain housing suitable for their needs.

The Women’s Health Plan includes a variety of short, medium and long-term actions. Since the publication of the Plan in August 2021, we have prioritised actions that we know will have an immediate impact on health inequalities. Our first report on progress will be published in early 2023, and will set out the progress made since the publication of the plan.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13514 on 16 January 2023 for an update on the development of a menopause and menstrual health workplace policy for NHS Scotland. 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 .

A range of work, including via the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group, is being undertaken to help improve service delivery of these clinical services.

In addition, the 2023-24 draft Scottish Budget provided £2 million for gender identity healthcare improvement within NHS Scotland.

Data is only available from 2015-16. Since 2015-16 a total of 1,531 pharmacist trainees have stayed in Scotland to complete their pre-registration training year.

The following table shows number of pharmacist trainees who have stayed in Scotland to complete their registration broken down for each year since 2015-16.