Chamber and committees

The current UK railway legislation, which the Scottish Ministers have no power to change, requires that the Scottish Ministers produce a Franchising Policy Statement. Delays to the reform of the UK railway legislation continue to cause uncertainty on the way in which the provision of passenger rail services will be arranged in the future.

At this time, the Scottish Ministers do not plan to amend or replace the current Franchising Policy Statement, which was published by Transport Scotland in March 2021.

NatureScot are currently undertaking a review on Schedule 2 (the quarry list) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which determines the species that can currently be taken by wildfowlers. NatureScot will provide a report to the Scottish Government once the review has been completed for Ministers to consider whether any changes to the Schedule are required.

We are in year 5 of delivery of the Framework, which has seen the adoption of effective and evidence based treatments across Scotland. Through regular investment, we continue to support NHS boards to improve weight management services.

In 2022-23, NHS Scotland health boards were allocated £5,946,496 to support the implementation of the Framework. With investment to date, boards have continued to expand the delivery of weight management services and incorporated digital platforms, in line with our national standards . These standards aim to ensure a fair and equal approach in weight management services in Scotland. We have committed to funding the continued implementation of the Framework for at least the duration of this parliamentary term, to 2026-27.

To support health boards in planning and implementing the Framework, we have appointed two professional advisers. They provide direct support to boards through attendance at local oversight groups and in the setting of annual milestones to ensure Framework delivery. Alongside this, Framework implementation is monitored by our national oversight group.

The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out our vision for the transformation of Scotland’s energy system and includes a route map of milestones and actions to deliver this vision – including actions that the UK Government must take in reserved policy areas. The draft Strategy is out for public consultation until 4 April 2023.

The draft Strategy has been made available to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), but there is no statutory procedure for submitting such plans to the CCC. There is regular official-level engagement with the CCC on key aspects of the draft Strategy.

A response is being prepared to the CCC’s annual progress report and Scottish Ministers will request advice from the CCC on the draft version of the next Climate Change Plan as part of the procedure for finalising climate change plans.

Any shooting from above the high water mark of ordinary spring tides, without the landowner's permission, is an offence under the Firearms Act 1968 and the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. As with all wildlife crime, enforcement is a matter for Police Scotland.

This is a matter for NHS Scotland Health Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

Transport Scotland, through its Trunk Road Operating Companies and Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) Concessionaires, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the strategic trunk road network, including motorways. Repair of potholes on all other roads is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Statistical information about injury road accidents is collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Government using the GB-wide "STATS 19" returns.

At the moment, the only information available from STATS-19 is accidents involving an animal in the carriageway and we cannot determine from the database, what type of animal.

Transport Scotland have no plans to seek to include accidents that are caused by deer in STATS-19. You may be interested to refer to the last review of the database here: Road accidents and safety statistics: user engagement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14100 on‎ 6 February 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's Used Electric Vehicle Loan provides interest free loans to help individuals and businesses make the transition to electric vehicles. Energy Saving Trust deliver this scheme on behalf of Scottish Minister, and publish loan statistics on their website, details of which can be found here: Grants and loans to help you travel greener - Energy Saving Trust .

As of 12 January, Energy Savings Trust have issued 624 loans to a value of £15,763,144 and have also offered an additional 398 loans worth £10,623,147. This represents a total commitment of £26,376,291 from a £30m budget for the 2022-23 financial year.

In line with our commitment to widening access to electric vehicles, the loan supports the purchase of used electric vehicles. Sectors such as Taxis and Private Hire may access the loan to purchase new vehicles, but no specific loan funding is set aside for new vehicles.