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As the Bill is currently passing through the UK Parliament, we do not yet know what its final provisions will be.

However the Scottish Government welcomes the objectives of the Bill as introduced, which we believe align with the policy of Scottish Ministers that a fully publicly owned and integrated railway will deliver the best service for Scotland. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd. is required to follow this policy.

The Scottish Government is aware of the recent reported detection of Hepatitis A in North Lanarkshire.

This is being managed locally by the NHS Lanarkshire health protection team with support from Public Health Scotland and other partners. Although the Scottish Government has had no direct discussions with NHS Lanarkshire or North Lanarkshire, we are in regular contact with Public Health Scotland and will take appropriate action should the situation escalate.

A series of public health measures has already been implemented, including provision of vaccination and information to identified contacts who may be at risk.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29074 on 3 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water has advised that a major repair has been required under challenging conditions following a pipe bridge collapse. Following the incident, Scottish Water installed a temporary system while the design for a new bridge was being developed to ensure that there was no detriment to the environment.

The design work for the permanent solution is now complete and on-site work started on 19th August 2024. Scottish Water is aiming to complete this work by the end of December 2024. Scottish Water has advised that it is continuing to monitor the temporary system and it remains in communication with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Information on the number of P6 & P7 pupils who are in registered for free school meals is published annually, and can be found in table 2.22 of our pupil census 2023 supplementary statistics: .

The Scottish Government is committed to free school meal expansion and continues to work with partners in local government.

The results from the most recent seabird census show that many of Scotland’s internationally important seabird populations are suffering from a range of pressures, including climate change, and more recently highly pathogenic avian influenza.

We take these declines extremely seriously, which is why the Scottish Government, supported by NatureScot, is developing a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy in partnership with stakeholders, which will drive forward and prioritise action aimed at improving the conservation status of Scotland’s seabirds and increase their resilience to climate change. Work on the strategy is moving at pace with public consultation planned for later this year.

Alongside the strategy, NatureScot is working with partners to investigate the underlying causes of these declines. These include continuing to undertake monitoring and research so that we can better understand the trends in seabird populations, the threats they face and how these can best be managed; work on biosecurity and invasive non-native species to address the risks posed by predators to breeding seabirds; and continuing to contribute to the response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza through sampling and surveillance of wild birds.

NatureScot also continues to support Scottish Government in taking forward action to meet its commitment to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status for seabirds. This includes delivering action to minimise, and where possible eliminate, bycatch of sensitive marine species, including seabirds, to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries, as well as supporting ongoing work to ensure the coherence of our marine protected areas network.

Much of this work is supported by funding streams, including the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund and Scottish Government's Nature Restoration Fund which is managed by NatureScot.

At present, there are no license requests for seabed mining in Scotland’s inshore or offshore waters.

Deep sea mining refers to the exploration for - or extraction of - minerals from the seabed at depths greater than 200 metres. Most of Scotland’s waters of this depth or greater fall within existing MPAs. Existing Conservation and Management Advice for the West of Scotland Marine Protected Area from Joint Nature Conservation Committee: , which covers the majority or our deep waters and seamounts, advises against seabed mining in such waters.

Any licensing request relating to seabed mining within Scotland’s seas would be subject to the licensing requirements set out in the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for inshore waters (between 0 and 12 nautical miles), and the UK Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 for offshore waters (between 12 and 200nm), as well as statutory environmental assessment requirements and the policies set out in Scotland’s National Marine Plan, which covers both inshore and offshore waters. Consideration of any licence application would be based on best available evidence.

Scotland’s National Marine Plan 2015 sets policies for the sustainable development of our seas and marine resources. Aggregates Policy 2 states that decision makers should ensure all the necessary environmental issues are considered and safeguards are in place when determining whether any proposed marine aggregate dredging is considered to be environmentally acceptable. Any licensing request relating to seabed mining in Scotland’s seas would be subject to this policy.

The National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2), which is currently being developed, will support sustainable development of our seas, protect our marine environment, and deliver for our coastal communities. NMP2 is considering our marine economy, local communities, and the environment together by adopting a Blue Economy: . This will help get the right planning framework in place to balance the need for protection and enhancement of the marine environment, and sustainable development of existing and emerging sectors.

The new National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) will set out an updated planning framework to support sustainable management of our seas and is being developed with representatives from marine sectors and local communities. NMP2 will consider the requirement for any specific planning policies regarding seabed mining activities in Scotland’s seas and the need for any associated implementation guidance. The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Scotland) (Continuity) Act 2021 ('the Continuity Act') established the five guiding principles on the environment in law; this includes the precautionary principle. These will be considered as part of the development of NMP2 planning policies. All policies in the draft NMP2 will be subject to statutory assessments to determine the potential impacts on marine sectors, communities and the marine environment and identify any mitigation measures required.

Deep sea mining refers to the exploration for - or extraction of - minerals from the seabed at depths greater than 200 metres. Most of Scotland’s waters of this depth or greater fall within existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Existing Conservation and Management Advice for the West of Scotland MPA from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee: (JNCC), which covers the majority or our deep waters and seamounts, advises against seabed mining in such waters. The Scottish Government is working closely with the JNCC on the West of Scotland MPA, this includes projects such as the Managing Impacts of Deep Sea Resource Exploitation or MIDAS Project: Any licence applications would be considered on the best available evidence.

Scottish Government officials have attended two Four Nations meetings regarding the ban on single-use vapes within this time period, during which implementation was discussed - on 14 August and 24 July. We have corresponded with the UK Government regarding the implementation of a ban on 9 August, 26 July, 18 July, 16 July, 15 July and 11 July. These discussions have focused on our respective legislative timelines, and on preparing guidance for Business.