Chamber and committees

The independent economic regulator, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS), produces the average charge data in Scotland. In England and Wales, Water UK provides the data to Discover Water. Both average charges are produced independent of water companies and represent the best comparator available.

Trade unions are key partners in delivering our economic and social aspirations.

We will continue to promote strong trade unions and collective bargaining arrangements in all sectors, including the renewable energy sector. We have made a clear commitment to promote collective bargaining through the inclusion of an employee voice indicator, measured by collective bargaining coverage, within the National Performance Framework.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that eating disorders can have on people's lives. Questions on eating disorders will be considered, alongside other requests for new questions submitted as part of the recent review of the Scottish Health Survey content , for possible inclusion in the survey from 2024, if some existing questions can be removed. A report will be published by summer 2023 detailing the findings of the review and decisions on the survey content going forwards.

We know that households using prepayment meters are at particular risk of self-rationing and self-disconnection this winter.

While many of the powers in relation to price setting in the energy market remain with the UK Government, the Scottish Government is using all of its available powers to help these vulnerable consumers. The Emergency Budget Review will extend our Fuel Insecurity Fund through 2022-23, making available a further £10million to Third Sector Organisations to support those facing fuel insecurity. We have also provided an additional £1.2million to advice services across Scotland to enhance support available to those seeking advice on paying their bills and energy efficiency.

The Scottish Government is determined to maximise the economic opportunity for the Scottish supply chain from our offshore wind potential. That is why we asked Crown Estate Scotland to introduce the Supply Chain Development Statement as part of the ScotWind leasing round to demonstrate how serious the Scottish Government is about holding developers to account if they do not honour their supply chain commitments and create green jobs.

The Scottish Government is aware of Home Office plans to issue amended immigration rules to prohibit all forms of activity within UK territorial waters or onshore by crew employed using transit visas. Following representations from the Scottish Government and others – including a letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to the Home Secretary on 20 September - the introduction of these new rules has been postponed to spring 2023, rather than 1 November as originally planned.

Whilst that delay is welcome, the Scottish Government is clear that changes to the transit visa rules must accompanied in parallel by changes to Skilled Worker Visa provision to ensure that the latter is genuinely proportionate and accessible to all parts of the fleet, since the alternative may be an exacerbation of current labour shortages and vessel tie-ups. We are similarly clear that the Home Office must ensure that meaningful consultation and robust impact assessments are undertaken before any changes to immigration rules affecting the Scottish fishing industry are made.

In addition to continuing to submit evidence on Scotland’s unique economic and demographic needs to the Migration Advisory Committee, the Scottish Government has offered to meet the Home Office and the other Devolved Governments to identify and implement alternative arrangements that promote proportionate border security whilst also protecting the rights of non-UK workers and the ability of industry to access the labour it needs. To date that offer has not been accepted.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 places a Sustainable Procurement Duty on public bodies to consider how procurement processes can improve the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of their area, and facilitate the involvement of SMEs, third sector bodies and supported businesses. This might, for example, mean designing a tender in such a way as to ensure that there are no unnecessary barriers to local firms bidding.

The World Trade Organisation Agreement on Government Procurement, and other international agreements, require bidders from other countries party to those agreements to be afforded equal treatment in covered procurement exercises. It would not therefore be possible to oblige public bodies to procure from Scottish manufacturers and suppliers.

The Scottish Government and its operational partners have robust contingency plans in place, such as the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy to prevent and control outbreaks of avian influenza spreading, and have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating outbreaks of the disease.

On 17 October 2022, and in response to an increase in risk to poultry of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) linked with an escalating number of HPAI cases amongst poultry and other captive birds; the return of migratory species to their wintering grounds in the UK; and the ‘over-summering’ of the virus amongst many resident species of wild birds, the Scottish Government, along with Defra, the Welsh Government, and DAERA (Northern Ireland), acted swiftly to declare an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of the UK. The AIPZ legally requires keepers to apply strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease.

The rigorous scientific risk assessment process upon which the introduction of disease control measures, such as the AIPZ, is based includes analysis of wild bird migratory routes, dead wild bird findings, and outbreaks and strains of virus being identified across Europe, the US, and the rest of the world. The Scottish Government independently reviews these assessments in order to determine the most effective and impactful policy responses for Scotland.

When outbreaks of HPAI have been confirmed, such as that on Isle of Lewis on 12 October 2022, a 3 km Protection Zone and 10 km Surveillance Zone are declared around the infected premises. Within these zones, movement restrictions are applied on poultry, other captive birds, carcases, eggs, and a range of poultry products and associated equipment, all aimed at halting the spread of the disease. An epidemiological investigation is carried out to identify the source of the virus and any potential onward transmission routes.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the other UK administrations and its operational partners to put out communications to keepers ensuring they are aware of the risk of disease, and to promote compliance with the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone biosecurity measures.

Keepers of more than 50 poultry or other captive birds are legally required to register their flock on the GB Poultry Register. Keepers of less than 50 birds can register voluntarily and are routinely encouraged to do so. Registered keepers receive updated SMS messages providing advice and important information on avian influenza from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government accepted the Grouse Moor Management Group’s recommendation that muirburn should be subject to tighter regulation and only be undertaken under licence.

In considering our response to the Grouse Moor Management Group report, we took into account a wide range of reports and evidence, including:

• Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Scottish Government commissioned research on the socio-economic impacts of grouse moor management.
• The recommendations of the Independent Deer Working Group.
• The Climate Change Committee report published in January 2020.

We also consulted with other Scottish Government agencies and non-departmental public bodies such as NatureScot, SEPA, and Scottish Forestry, as well as considering the evidence and views put forward by a wide range of stakeholders.

We recognise the benefits muirburn can have for certain types of land management, and although some aspects of muirburn, are already controlled, e.g. close seasons, our assessment is that increased monitoring and regulation of muirburn will reduce the negative impacts muirburn can have on biodiversity and carbon management.

Crown Estate Scotland (CES)is responsible for all seabed leasing arrangements, including lease periods, for the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas (INTOG) projects.As part of the INTOG planning process, Marine Scotland Directorate will undertake a full plan-level Sustainability Appraisal, including a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats Regulations Appraisal, to assess the potential effects of the plan on the marine environment and ecosystem. These assessments will consider the potential for impact from the full lifetime of a project, from construction through to decommissioning.

The Sustainability Appraisal and public consultation will help inform the adoption of a final INTOG plan. CES will only offer seabed lease options to projects that form part of the adopted plan.

Any project which is awarded a lease option will then need to apply for relevant marine licences and consents, and complete any further required environmental assessments before they can progress.