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The Scottish Government’s New Entrants to Farming Programme includes numerous activities to aid potential and aspiring new entrants to the agricultural industry. These activities ensure people have access to the skills and knowledge to act upon any opportunities that arise.

The Scottish Government published guidance in 2013 covering woodland creation on agricultural land, which recommends that larger scale tree planting should not generally be on prime or non-prime agricultural land (i.e. grades 1 – 4.2).

A new application process for assessing all forestry planting projects was introduced in April 2018. This is administered by Scottish Forestry, an agency of the Scottish Government.

All applications are assessed by technical forestry experts in Scottish Forestry to confirm that there are no significant adverse environmental impacts and that proposals are consistent with sustainable forestry management practices in Scotland, as defined by the UK Forestry Standard. The process involves two stages of engaging with interested stakeholders, local authorities and statutory bodies followed by a 28 day public consultation. If applications do not meet the required standards they must be amended or can be rejected.

Agricultural land values are influenced by many factors including supply and demand, expected levels of EU funding, as well as how productive and accessible the land is. The agricultural land market is regularly covered by private sector rural commentators and market reports, as a result it has not been necessary to use public funds for assessments in this area.

Transport investment has to be supported by robust evidence and the South West Scotland Transport Study is being progressed. This study is considering the rationale for improvements to all modes of transport on key strategic corridors, including that served by the A75. The Study has considered strategic transport interventions in the region, including dualling the A75. The draft study report recommends targeted capacity improvements. On 23 September, public consultation on the draft report ended and feedback is currently being reviewed with the aim to publish a final report by the end of the year.

The study will provide recommendations which identify transport interventions to be considered in more detail through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review. The output of the review will provide Scottish Ministers with a programme of potential transport investment opportunities over the period 2022 – 2042 and will support the vision, priorities and outcomes of the new National Transport Strategy.

Most patients in Scotland with intestinal failure are cared for by local and regional services, led by gastroenterologists and biochemists. A small number of patients (around six to seven per year) who require very specialist treatment beyond local/regional services have access to highly specialist services commissioned by NHS England, through National Services Division (NSD) Risk Share arrangements.

Proposals for national service designation in Scotland, if appropriate, may be submitted to the National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) throughout the year. If accepted, proposal can progress to a full application which will be considered by NSSC and the National Professional Patient and Public Reference Group (NPPPRG).

Proposals may be put forward by any interested party. Further information and schedule for the aforementioned meetings can be found at the following web address: .

Our Operating Company, Amey, is actively monitoring two sites on the A7 Trunk Road, one of which is the site of the recent landslip close to Skippers Bridge. A geotechnical inspection of slopes adjacent to the A7 is undertaken annually to monitor stability and identify any areas of concern.

Following the landslip on 10 August 2019, a detailed inspection of the site was undertaken by Amey, to determine the cause of the failure and to identify next steps for investigation and remediation. Temporary traffic lights will remain in place to protect the road and the travelling public whilst the borehole works take place. The temporary traffic management can be removed when those works are complete but a temporary barrier will have to remain in place to prevent any further debris falling onto the trunk road.

Condition and suitability ratings for individual schools are provided in Table 8 of School Estate Statistics 2019 Supplementary Data , available here: .

The Scottish Government’s non-statutory guidance on home to school transport is currently under review. The aim of the review is to ensure that local authorities are given clear and up-to-date advice on how to maintain and develop an effective home to school transport strategy. This includes making sure that children are kept safe while travelling to and from school and minimising the environmental impact of people using their own vehicles. We expect to publish the revised guidance later this year.

Scottish Water, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Scottish Government, Local Developers and Housing associations have been in dialogue regarding the water supply for new homes in Gretna for a number of years. The work required to support all homes in the local development plan is extensive and Scottish Water has been working to find the most cost effective and resilient solution to protect existing supplies and enable future development. This work involves constructing a brand new Water Service Reservoir and replacing a significant length of water main. Scottish Water is currently in discussions with other parties, such as landowners and other utilities, and once all permissions are in place will start on site. Scottish Water has also been able to release some connections to allow new homes to be built in Gretna in the interim period.