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The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of fixed penalties issued for the offence of littering, nor information on how many of these have been paid.

This detailed information can be obtained by contacting individual issuing authorities. Authorised officers from Local Authorities, Police Scotland and Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park can issue Fixed Penalty Notices for the offence of littering.

The Scottish Government recently consulted on proposals for our new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, including measures to strengthen enforcement measures.

The Scottish Government aims to deliver a strong and consistent enforcement model across Scotland that is fit for purpose, promotes positive behaviours and acts as a proportionate deterrent and effectively stops people from littering and flytipping

We will publish the final Strategy later this year, taking account of consultation responses.

The Scottish Government is meeting regularly with key stakeholders such as the poultry industry, captive/wild bird association representatives (including those from the gamebird and environmental NGO’s sector) and other UK administrations to discuss the risks posed by avian influenza and the associated impacts, including significant impacts for our seabird populations as a whole including gulls, terns, auks and shearwater, and potentially devastating impacts on some species which were already considered to be at risk, such as great skua and northern gannet, as well as potential impacts on the upcoming shooting season.

NatureScot are leading a Task Force to co-ordinate activity to monitor and minimise the impact of avian flu on wild bird populations in Scotland. The task force will continue to monitor the avian influenza outbreak and develop recommendations for managing and mitigating the impacts.

The UK is currently experiencing the worst ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Prior to this, the largest outbreak involved 26 cases of HPAI in the UK in 2020/2021 and 13 cases in 2016/2017. In contrast, as of 28 July 2022, there have been 127 premises confirmed as infected with HPAI H5N1 within the UK: eleven in Scotland, five in Wales, six in Northern Ireland and 105 in England.

Of the total cases in the UK, only three have been gamebird premises, with none of these being in Scotland.

However, what has impacted the UK gamebird industry this year is the considerable number of HPAI cases in France, where approximately 80% of partridge chicks and 50-60% of pheasant chicks for the UK industry are sourced. Many of these source farms are caught up in disease control zones. Therefore, movement restrictions on both live birds and eggs are in place.

The Scottish Government supports farmers during the ongoing UK-wide avian influenza outbreak through the provision of timely advice and guidance to poultry and other captive bird keepers on risks, legal requirements and biosecurity. This information is made available through social media, news releases and on gov.scot, as these continue to be vital tools in protecting birds.

Compensation is paid for birds humanely euthanased as part of our disease response in line with valuation tables, which are updated regularly by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on behalf of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government do not compensate for any dead or visibly ill birds, which is in line with the policy in England and Wales.

The Scottish Government has reminded keepers that the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ), and associated robust biosecurity measures, remain in place across Scotland (and the rest of GB). These measures include keeping their flocks separate from wild birds.

If a larger poultry or other captive bird business is situated in a disease control zone, there may be trade issues associated with regionalisation. The Scottish Government works with the Defra Market Access and Veterinary Trade Facilitation teams, who liaise with poultry industry stakeholders and the APHA Centre for International Trade (CIT) to understand and address issues and priorities for poultry exports.

Defra Market Access also liaise with British Embassy colleagues globally to answer trade related queries from Central Competent Authorities, provide updates to third country trading partners and seek clarity in terms of trade where required. The Scottish Government works with a range of partner organisations and agencies to support affected businesses where required.

The Scottish Government has also made an additional £1 million of funding available to APHA to cover the agency’s additional expenses associated with tackling the current avian influenza outbreak.

ScotRail advise that between 6 January 2019 [the start of 2018-19: reporting period 11] and 25 June 2022 [the end of 2022-23: reporting period 3], there were 340 full cancellations and 95 part-cancellations on the North Berwick lines as a result of infrastructure issues. As the member will know, Rail Infrastructure is a reserved matter.

While full or part-cancellation as a result of track congestion are not reported separately, ScotRail also advise that there were a further 41 full cancellations and 35 part-cancellations to ScotRail services as a result of the actions of other train operating companies.

ScotRail advise that between 6 January 2019 [the start of 2018-19: reporting period 11] and 25 June 2022 [the end of 2022-23: reporting period 3], there were 336 full cancellations and 54 part-cancellations on the Borders Railway as a result of infrastructure issues. As the member will know, Rail Infrastructure is a reserved matter.

While full or part-cancellations as a result of track congestions are not reported separately, ScotRail also advise that there were a further 32 full cancellations and 20 part-cancellations to ScotRail services as a result of the actions of other train operating companies.

East Linton station is currently scheduled to open by the end of the current Railway Control Period, which ends on 31 March 2024. The station will be served by all ScotRail services on the route. Timetable planning discussions remain ongoing with other train operators, including UK Government train operating companies, and the wider industry to secure an appropriate service for all stations on the East Coast Mainline. Once these discussion have concluded Transport Scotland will be in a position to advise of the proposed timetable at East Linton station.

Transport Scotland only holds information on charge points registered on the ChargePlace Scotland network, however this information is not held by parliamentary constituency only by Local Authority boundary.

Across all the local authorities that this constituency covers there are 455 rapid chargers on CPS. The location of these chargers can be viewed on the CPS map. Information on rapid chargers operated by other networks is available on electric vehicle charging platform Zap Map.

The Scottish Government welcomed the Setting the Bar report and its findings will inform future policy decisions.

Social workers make a valuable contribution to supporting individuals and families across Scotland. Social work professionals need to have the time to build relationships and trust, undertake person-centred assessments, plan for the future and arrange or provide appropriate support. We acknowledge the significant pressures social workers face around increasing workloads, staff shortages and the more complex needs of those they support – all of which have been exacerbated by Covid.

Social workers are primarily employed by local authorities. It is the responsibility of local authorities to plan their workforce and ensure they have the appropriate levels of staff in place to provide social services for their residents. To aid with this, the Scottish Government provided additional funding of £25m, announced as part of the 2022-23 Budget, to relieve pressure on the adult social care sector to ensure care can be delivered safely to those who need it. As agreed by COSLA Leaders, £22m of funding was distributed based on grant aided expenditure for adult social work for 2022-23. It will be used to employ additional social workers or associated social work assistants or support staff – with the clear purpose of adding to the capacity of the social work workforce to respond to the current pressures.

The recently published National Care Service (Scotland) Bill will establish a new National Social Work Agency, which will support the social work profession in a range of areas, including: workforce planning and social work terms and conditions.

Considering the findings of the report, the Scottish Government will continue to work with COSLA and other stakeholders to look at how social workers can be supported while they undertake their vital work across our communities.