Chamber and committees

There is no specific legislation that prohibits the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost.

The rules applying to the hunting of wildfowl are set out in the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. These rules do not prohibit the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost. The Scottish Government is not aware of any reason to introduce such a prohibition.

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

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.

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.

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 information that is recorded and available in relation to delays and cause attribution across train operators is published routinely by the rail industry economic and safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), on its data portal.

This can be accessed at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/ .

There are currently no plans to withdraw the Network Support Grant scheme and as such, no discussions on this topic have been held with SPT.

The Network Support Grant Plus scheme is a temporary scheme which is coming to an end on 31 March 2023. The Scottish Government, bus operators, local authorities and regional transport partnerships including SPT are continuing to collaborate through the Bus Taskforce to explore how to address the challenges of rising costs and driver shortages currently facing the bus industry.

Transport Scotland officials recently contacted McGill's Buses to understand the reasons behind the application to withdraw the 52 service made to the Traffic Commissioner. McGill's Buses have advised that a decision on the 52 service has been delayed to allow further consultation with the local community.

Whilst the Scottish Government recognises the potential for alcohol-free and low alcohol products to reduce alcohol harm there is limited research in this area. We will continue to review emerging evidence carefully before coming to a position.

The purpose of the Network Support Grant is to help to keep both commercial and subsidised services more extensive and fares more affordable than they would otherwise have been. The Network Support Grant continues to provide the same support that the Bus Service Operator Grant (BSOG) provided for many years. As such, it is difficult to separate the impact of the Network Support Grant from the Bus Service Operator Grant on the bus network.