The Scottish Government Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats recommends that all cat owners should consider neutering and microchipping their pets as the best way of being reunited with them should they be separated.

The Scottish Government is aware of the Defra call for evidence and recent public consultation on the microchipping of cats. We will give full consideration to the results of this consultation and the details of any proposed legislation when they are available.

We remain willing to consider areas where consistent changes to legislation in all GB administrations will improve the welfare of kept animals.

As referenced in my response to S6W-03059 on 28 September 2021 Marine Scotland does not collect information from wrasse fishers on the number of individual landings by creek or aquaculture facility. The data that is collected by Marine Scotland is outlined in my previous answer.

I am unable to provide the level of detail you seek, as that may lead to individuals vessels being identified, but between 1 May and 9 October 2021, reports were received by Marine Scotland that the number of individual Wrasse landed totalled 365,826. Please note that these figures are provisional and may be subject to change.

You may be interested to know that once the season has ended and provisional figures have been finalised, Marine Scotland intend to report on data collected relating to Wrasse fishing over the course of this season.

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

This Government has made clear that whilst a cautious approach to removing or reducing mitigations will continue to be taken, we do not want mitigations to be in place in schools any longer than is necessary. Therefore, as confirmed on 19 October existing safety measures are to remain in schools for now, following advice from senior clinicians.

As has been the case throughout Scotland’s response to the pandemic, all decisions related to schools draw on expert advice, including that received from the Advisory sub-group on children’s issues , and consider the valuable feedback from partners and stakeholders, including the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group?(CERG) . There is no fixed threshold for decisions to either increase or decrease mitigations, but instead a range of indicators are monitored. All adjustments to mitigations in schools, and other education settings, are made after very careful consideration of all available advice and continue to be kept under regular review in light of emerging scientific evidence.

It is not possible to determine exactly how many owner occupied homes have alarms of the prescribed type installed as this information is not currently collected as part of the Scottish House Condition Survey.

We consider that, in principle, all houses could meet the standard by the date it comes into force. But, as with existing standards, it is possible that some owners will be unwilling to carry out work to substandard houses, and that others might need more time, for example, due to illness or because of the cost. The legislation allows some flexibility, as it says work should be carried out within such period as is reasonable in all the circumstances.

When the regulations on the new fire alarm standard have come into effect, we will collect more precise data because compliance with the tolerable standard is included in the Survey. This will allow us to monitor progress in bringing Scotland’s homes up to the new standard.

The Programme for Government 2020-21 commits the Scottish Government to consult on legislation to extend the new framework that came into force on 1 September for the licensing of animal welfare establishments, dog, cat and rabbit breeding and pet sales to performing animals and animal care services. This could include dog walking and grooming, as well as boarding services which are currently regulated under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963.

We plan to bring forward consultations in this area in due course after allowing a period of familiarisation with the recent licensing changes, so that the practical experiences of local authorities in implementing these can be considered in any future proposals.

(a) The regulation of short-term lets supports the following National Performance Framework objectives:

• We have a globally competitive, entrepreneurial, inclusive and sustainable economy.
• We have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone.
• We tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally.
• We live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe.
• We value, enjoy, protect and enhance our environment.
• We are creative and our vibrant and diverse cultures are enjoyed widely

(b) Building a Wellbeing Economy is a top priority for the Scottish Government. This means building an economy that is inclusive and that promotes sustainability, prosperity and resilience, where businesses can thrive and innovate, and that supports all of our communities across Scotland to access opportunities that deliver local growth and wellbeing. Our proposals for regulating short-term lets balance the needs and concerns of local communities with wider economic and tourism interests; getting this balance right means that responsible and sustainable tourism businesses can thrive and local communities’ wellbeing is safeguarded.

Any firm wishing to advertise their products and services as being approved or endorsed by the Scottish Government is required to obtain the formal approval of Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government has not provided any such approval and as such does not permit any firm to advertise interlinked fire alarms as approved or endorsed by the Scottish Government.

We have not set a date for publishing the Remote, Rural and Island Housing Action Plan. Work is at an early stage of development and we want to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the development of the plan to ensure it delivers for remote, rural and island communities.

Our regulatory proposals will give local authorities powers to strike a balance between the needs and concerns of their local communities, with the wider economic and tourism benefits of short-term lets.

We published a draft Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) on 25 June 2021 for consultation. The economic and Scottish firms impact of the legislation is discussed at paragraphs 120 to 131 of the BRIA. We are now in the process of updating the BRIA as part of preparing the Licensing Order for laying in November 2021.

We have conducted an Island Communities Impact Assessment which we published in December 2020 and will update to reflect the revised Licensing Order. The ICIA can be found in our December 2020 consultation report: Short-term lets – licensing scheme and planning control areas: consultation analysis - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government publish annual estimates of spend targeted at supporting low income households, with almost £2.5 billion invested to support low income households in 2020-21, including nearly £1 billion specifically targeted to children.

Full detail of this calculation, including the policies and funding streams included, are set out within the Tackling Child Poverty: third year progress report. This can be accessed via the link below:

Tackling child poverty: third year progress report 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In light of increasing pressure on household budgets, as a result of the rising cost of living and £20 cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits, the Scottish Government have committed a range of further action this year.

This includes investing around £65 million to support around 500,000 low income households through £130 Low Income Pandemic Payments, to be made by the end of October; putting £130 million in the pockets of families through the Scottish Child Payment and Bridging Payments and making additional investment of around £21 million to double the December 2021 Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment for more than 91,000 people.

We are continuing to explore what more we can do to provide the support people need this winter and will announce plans in due course.