Chamber and committees

At this time Nitrous Oxide is not covered under the Misuse of Drugs Act, rather it is currently an offence under the reserved Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 to supply nitrous oxide if a person knows, or is reckless as to whether, it will be used for its psychoactive effect. Given the reserved nature of this legislation, the Scottish Government has not had any discussions with eBay, Amazon or any other retailer about the marketing or sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes. However, we have engaged heavily with the National Crime Agency and UK Government about the need for tackling the ease through which certain products can be bought online and used for criminal activity and will be responding to their current consultation about developing a new criminal offence around the supply or possession of articles used for serious crime, particularly pill presses. We would plan to engage with retailers about the impact of any new legislation.

The UK Government have requested that the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs conduct an updated assessment of the health and social harms of nitrous oxide and, following that assessment, provide advice on whether nitrous oxide should be controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Scottish Government officials are engaging with the ACMD around this review and have provided information to them in relation to it. The ACMD will explore, amongst other elements of Nitrous Oxide use, whether current regulations are having the desired effect of preventing the marketing and sale of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes and whether or not such an effect might be achieved by listing it under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14172 on‎ 31 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

There are only five vehicles in the entire SG and wider SG agency fleet which would not comply, zero in Glasgow, two in Aberdeen and three in Edinburgh, out of a total fleet of 197 vehicles.

The Scottish Government discussed with Historic Environment Scotland the effect of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action.

Although four Historic Environment Scotland sites could not open due to the industrial action, the vast majority of Historic Environment Scotland’s visitor attractions, including the most popular sites - Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle, remained open to the public on 1 February 2023.

The Scottish Government's refreshed Tobacco Action Plan will be published in Autumn this year and we are considering, among other initiatives, a Scotland wide prohibition on smoking in these areas.

The cost of closing facilities managed by National Museums of Scotland as a result of the Public and Commercial Services Union industrial action on 1 February 2023 is not currently estimated. This estimation would be carried out by National Museums of Scotland themselves rather than by Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has been working with the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) regarding diagnosis and support, providing funding of £650,000 for adult neurodevelopmental pathway pilots with four Health Boards - Fife, Borders, Lanarkshire and Highland.

The pilots ran for 12 months, starting in January 2022. The formal aspect of the pilots has now concluded but the work locally continues. The results of this work, including a final report, will be available early this year.

The Scottish Government will consider the report and explore what steps are required to ensure that everyone with a Neurodevelopmental difference, including ADHD, can access the diagnosis and support they require.

We are firmly committed to implementing the social housing tenancy related provisions at Part 2 of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021 (the 2021 Act).

Work on the wide range of tasks necessary to commence Part 2 of the 2021 Act is progressing as a priority. This includes secondary legislation, changes to court rules and forms, model tenancy agreements and the development of statutory guidance in consultation with stakeholders.

We aim to bring Part 2 of the 2021 Act into force by early 2024, subject to the necessary rules and forms of court also being in place.

The table below presents the total number of fatal casualties on the A9 between Perth (north of Inveralmond Roundabout) and Inverness (south of Longman Roundabout)

The following tables show how many potholes had been reported and repaired by Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies and DBFO Concessionaires per month in 2021 and 2022