Chamber and committees

Barra, Benbecula and Sumburgh Airports were closed during the strike action on 19 and 22 December 2022 while Kirkwall and Stornoway Airports operated with reduced services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13172 on 10 January 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 .

The Scottish Government does not believe it is necessary to make a specific assessment of the implications of its policies of the reported greater success rate of hen harrier nests on non-RSPB nature reserves compared to RSPB nature reserves.

Hen harrier success rates are dependent on a number of different factors, as set out in the response to PQs S5W-20621 and S5W-26208. A significant reason for the lower productivity on RSPB reserves is because several are on Orkney where there is a high level of polygyny (males having 2-3 females). As males cannot provision up to 3 nests, failure of the 2nd & 3rd females is regular with fewer young raised (than a monogamous pair) even if they are successful.

The Scottish Government published the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery - Implementation Plan in July 2022.

Extensive engagement of people with lived experience was carried out at all stages to develop the Framework including members of the Cross Party Group on Chronic Pain. This includes through representation on the National Advisory Committee for Chronic Pain (NACCP) and a national survey of people with chronic pain and their carers. We also sought input from other stakeholder groups during the development of the Framework including NHS staff, service planners and third-sector partners. This included work to bring together the diverse clinical disciplines involved in pain management in order to inform and support activities to improve chronic pain services.

All members of the NACCP had the opportunity to freely share their views on the priorities for improving pain management support which were used to inform the development of the draft Framework. Committee members were provided with an advanced copy of the Framework and were encouraged to share their feedback on its content via a public consultation which had a high level of responses from people with chronic pain and other stakeholders. We are grateful for the views and ideas shared through the consultation which have been used to inform the Aims and Actions we have set out in the Plan. This includes actions to address issues raised by the Cross Party Group on Chronic Pain to drive delivery of sustainable services and support for people with chronic pain across Scotland.

We launched the Interim Principles in Parliament on March 31 2022. They set out in more detail our ambition for a high integrity, values-led market for responsible investment in natural capital including our commitment that communities are engaged in, and benefit from, this market. We aim to strengthen and finalise the Interim principles during the course of this Parliament. For example, the Scottish Forestry Strategy Implementation Plan published in June 2022 includes a commitment to demonstrating the Interim Principles in the delivery of woodland creation. Also, the Investment Ready Nature Scotland grant fund launched in August 2022, and referred to in the preceding question, includes a requirement for projects to comply with the Interim Principles. We will also seek to strengthen the Principles through our policy programme such as our work on the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.

The Scottish Hospice Leadership Group discussed these issues at their meeting in November 2022, which was attended by a Scottish Government official.

In the Chamber on 15 December the First Minister said that we will undertake to ensure that discussions take place directly with the sector.

The Government plans to introduce a new Housing Bill this year. The timing and scope of that Bill is subject to ongoing review an consideration as we continue to deliver our emergency response to support tenants through the ongoing cost of living crisis.

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a Bill on the regulation of legal services within this parliamentary session, and will continue to engage with stakeholders representing the consumer and legal perspective taking that forward.

The analysis of responses to the consultation on Review of Part 1 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 and creation of a Family Justice Modernisation Strategy was carried out by KSO Research Limited following a public tendering exercise.

Information on the 10 most common offences for which (a) men and (b) women in the Highlands and Islands parliamentary region have been sent to prison in each year since 2016-17, broken down by (i) age group and (ii) number of offences; is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib number 63924.

Please note:

Criminal proceedings data are presented by the main charge which is the one conferring the most severe penalty.

Data for 2020-21 are affected by the pandemic and subsequent court closures and may not be indicative of long term trends.

The latest available data is for 2020-21. Information for 2021-22 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland, 2021-22 Statistical Bulletin. This is due to be published in 2023.