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Scottish Ministers agreed to HSE refusing the 2023 emergency authorisation application for the use of the herbicide Asulox, to control bracken, because of the risks it poses to the environment and human health.

There is no reason to suggest compensation for previous users would be necessary. Asulox has been withdrawn in the UK for over 15 years. For the last 10 years it has been approved annually as part of an emergency authorisation, for limited and controlled use each season. HSE consider each application on a case-by-case basis against the legislative requirements, and this year considered that it did not meet the regulatory requirements for authorisation. There is no obligation to grant an emergency authorisation and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide all relevant information to justify the need for emergency use.

Support for bracken control through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) has continued for 2023. Contracts for chemical and mechanical bracken control were issued from the 2022 round of AECS which commenced in 2023. Where contract holders had intended to undertake chemical control, we have offered flexibility to allow mechanical or manual activity.

The Scottish Government recognises the role that Asulox has played in recent years in the control of bracken in Scotland. We recently held a bracken roundtable to work with stakeholders to identify priority actions to allow for the safe control of bracken, where land managers deem it necessary.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20927 on 19 September 2023. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20927 on 19 September 2023. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20927 on 19 September 2023. 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 .

An applicant is expected to undertake pre application consultation prior to submission of an Electricity Act application for construction of a battery storage development. Such pre application allows local communities to have their say at an early stage, and the Scottish Ministers expect that a submitted application includes a report on how communities’ views have been taken into account through this process.

An application submitted for consideration by the Scottish Ministers must provide assessment of the potential impacts on the receiving environment and on local amenity and infrastructure. A public consultation is held, and members of the public are invited to make representations on the submitted application. Community councils in the vicinity of the proposal are consulted for their views on the potential impacts.

The application information, consultation responses and representations from members of the public are considered carefully before any decision is made on an application.

Decisions on applications for section 36 consent are made on a case-by-case basis, weighing consideration of the benefits and impacts of the proposal, relevant policy, and all other material considerations.

On 22 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the which details the findings of this extended engagement.

A consultation on the Bill’s proposals ran from 29 August 2022 to 5 December 22, where a wide range of views were received. On 22 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the which details the findings of this extended engagement.

As is convention, following consultation on proposed legislation, Ministers are considering the views received to inform a new Agriculture Bill which will be introduced in 2023. In turn, Parliament will consider the proposals and provide further comment on draft proposals, accordingly.

On 22 June 2023, the Scottish Government published the which details the findings of this extended engagement and total number that attend the events.

Details of the upcoming summit have been confirmed with the Education, Children and Young People Committee.

In order to provide opportunity for sufficient depth of discussion across core topics, a multi-stage approach is planned, with the first taking place on 5th September. This will be followed by further stages in October and November 2023. This events follow the Head Teacher’s taskforce, which convened in June to focus on the issues surrounding school exclusion.

The approach as outlined will allow for progress to be informed by the most up-to-date data following the publication of the Behaviour in Scottish Schools research in autumn.