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There is no preferred method of managing the interaction of beaver and deer populations in riparian woodland areas and all available tools should be utilised.

It is the Scottish Government’s intention to ensure that high-density deer populations, where they exist, are managed through the delivery of ‘Scotland’s Wild Deer: A National Approach’ (WDNA). The WDNA and close working between Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage will seek to ensure, insofar as is possible, that biodiversity and other public benefits from the presence of beavers in relation to valuable riparian woodland are realised.

The expert panel will review the available evidence on plastic straws and provide an estimate of the number and weight of material to the Scottish Government.

Responsibility for dealing with planning matters is primarily for the local planning authority and it would be inappropriate for Scottish Government to comment on the details of individual cases.

Improving public trust in planning is a vital element of our proposals for reviewing the planning system. The reforms we are taking forward will strengthen the arrangements for development planning to ensure development is deliverable and the appropriate infrastructure is in place.

As we develop Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), we will identify areas where review of the current EPC process is needed to support action under the Programme.

Work on the review is already underway. We have commissioned research to collate and report on EPC comments and concerns raised within last year’s three SEEP consultations.

This research, which will conclude in April 2018, will help establish where further investigation or review is needed.

We do not hold information on the urban/rural status of households assisted through our Area Based Schemes. We do publish a breakdown of installs by local authority to provide information on regional delivery.

The information for 2013-14 can be found at

The information for 2014-15 can be found at

The information for 2015-16 is not published but is shown in the following table:

This information includes all properties improved through the Area Based Schemes, including properties owned by social landlords which Scottish Government funding does not cover, but which is carried out at the same time in mixed tenure projects which use a blend of Scottish Government, social landlord and UK Government Energy Company Obligation funding.

The Scottish Government worked with stakeholders as part of the Regulation of Energy Efficiency in Private Sector housing group between 2013 and 2015. The working group considered proposals for enforcement of a minimum standard of energy efficiency in both the private rented and owner occupier sectors.

Following this the Scottish government consulted last year on a minimum energy efficiency standard in the private rented sector properties and committed to seek the views of owner-occupiers on improving the energy efficiency of their homes, including the role of standards and the use of financial and fiscal incentives. The forthcoming routemap on Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme will include details of the next steps for each of the housing sectors.

To support the group’s recommendations, modelling of housing stock was commissioned including rural properties off gas grid. This work was published on 5 November 2015 and is available here .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-15039 on 14 March 2018 . Our delivery projects aim is to ensure that everyone in fuel poverty gets support, no matter whether they live in urban or rural Scotland. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at

Our delivery projects aim is to ensure that everyone in fuel poverty gets support, no matter whether they live in urban or rural Scotland. Funding for our area based fuel poverty programmes on the basis of need and takes into account different levels of fuel poverty across Scotland’s local authority areas. This is based on data from the Scottish House Condition Survey and the Home Analytics Database. This means that remote areas, including all island communities, currently receive over three times more per head of population to tackle fuel poverty than the next highest area on the mainland. Urban/rural classifications do not influence this distribution, but are reflected higher in levels of household grant available in remote areas.

Further, our Warmer Homes Scotland scheme is being delivered on a regional basis, including a separate Islands region, to ensure all households, including those living in more remote parts of the country, get the same level of service as those in urban areas. As we develop our new Fuel Poverty Strategy and deliver this through Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme we will continue to prioritise households which need assistance most, including those most vulnerable to cold-related health impacts and low income households, targeting support to those most in need, no matter where they live in Scotland.