³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Permanence Orders with authority to adopt are governed by the and . The Act makes the child’s welfare paramount and requires decision-makers to consider any risk of prejudice caused by delay, but it does not set statutory time limits.

The 2011 Scottish Government emphasises that decisions should be made within timescales appropriate to the child’s developmental needs and that avoiding delay is essential, as prolonged uncertainty can harm a child’s welfare and stability.

The duration of the process varies according to the child’s circumstances, the complexity of the case, and the time taken to complete necessary legal and administrative procedures.

Scottish Government’s work on the Ecosystem Restoration Code (ERC) includes consideration of ecosystem metrics that:

• Measure change in ecosystem condition and biodiversity;
• Align with the metrics used for environmental policy frameworks, targets and public funding mechanisms;
• Enable the issuance of ERC credits that meet the requirements of high-integrity buyers and investors.

The development of an ERC is building on the discovery and stakeholder engagement phases undertaken earlier this year, which covered policy alignment and measurement related aspects. Details of those phases can be found at the weblinks below:

Discovery –

Engagement –

Scottish Government provides a wide range of support for landowners of fewer than 200 hectares, including community groups and private individuals, who wish to manage land for nature restoration purposes. This includes advisory support from Government and public bodies and also financial support from schemes such as:

• Agricultural support;
• the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS);
• Peatland ACTION;
• the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF).

We also support the Woodland Carbon and Peatland Codes (WCC and PC) which are high-integrity market mechanisms for private investment in woodland creation and peatland restoration respectively. Further actions to increase the private investment opportunities for nature restoration are outlined in our Natural Capital Market Framework.

The Scottish Government is following a 4-step process to select statutory nature restoration targets. Target selection is based on the best scientific advice available, through recommendations provided by the Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG), which is made up of independent external experts.

This robust scientific advice has taken into account the role of natural processes in achieving biodiversity regeneration by 2045 and will be reflected in the indicators set against the target topics.

Discussions around summer 2026 ferry services for Campbeltown are ongoing. I met with the Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity, Constituency MSP Jenny Minto and Transport Scotland Officials on 9 December to consider the latest information available on the matter. CalMac have rightly not consulted on timetables for this route due to the limitations and impacts resulting from wider fleet issues and uncertainties across 2026 as new vessels are delivered and deployed.

Potential options remain under consideration but are dependent on new vessel delivery, deployment and cascade plans. Deploying the MV Isle of Arran to provide resilience across the network is likely to be vital as part of these plans. The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity is due to meet with the local stakeholders on 14 January when we hope to have further information from Transport Scotland.

The Scottish Government provides national oversight to ensure adoption from fostering is coordinated effectively across local authorities. Guidance on the , and recommends permanence planning to begin promptly when a child becomes looked after to support timely and stable permanence arrangements.

Scotland’s Adoption Register also facilitates matching across local authorities by providing a national system to link approved adopters with children from any local authority in Scotland.

To promote consistent and effective practice in permanence, the Scottish Government has commissioned the Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption Scotland to develop three national good practice guides on permanence in kinship care, foster care and adoption, which will be available in early 2026.

Together, these measures provide a national framework intended to promote consistency and improve coordination for children moving from foster care to adoption.

The Planning and Environmental Appeals Division considers public concerns about fire risk, if raised, when determining appeals for battery energy storage proposals, but only insofar as these concerns raise relevant planning issues.

Fire safety itself is regulated by other statutory regimes, such as building standards and fire safety legislation, and is not a matter for the planning system to control directly. However, where concerns relate to the suitability of a site or its layout, for example access for emergency services, provision of water supply etc, these would be valid considerations. In some cases, these matters may be capable of being addressed through planning conditions.

The process of adoption is governed by the and , which set out the legal framework for adoption and the responsibilities of local authorities and adoption panels. The 2007 Act makes the child’s welfare paramount and requires decision-makers to consider any risk of prejudice caused by delay, but it does not set statutory time limits.

The 2011 Scottish Government emphasises that decisions should be made within timescales appropriate to the child’s developmental needs and that avoiding delay is essential, as prolonged uncertainty can harm a child’s welfare and stability.

The duration of the adoption process varies depending on the child’s circumstances, the complexity of the case, the time needed for assessments, matching, panel consideration, and legal procedures. This includes cases where a child is already placed with foster carers.

The regulatory regimes for offshore oil and gas licensing and consenting are matters reserved to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has noted the recent publication of the UK Government’s North Sea Future Plan, including its approach to future offshore oil and gas licensing. We are now taking the appropriate time to carefully consider the detail within the UK Government’s plan and its implications for Scotland.

All public bodies have an obligation to consider the conservation objectives of Marine Protected Areas within their decision making and ensure these are furthered.

The pilot committed to in the Population Health Framework (PHF) will represent the first phase of the roll out of a national programme. The Scottish Government has commissioned Screening Oversight and Assurance Scotland to plan and implement this. Due to the size and scale of the programme and the complexities involved, a multi-disciplinary Programme Board has been established to ensure that the roll out both improves outcomes while remaining sustainable for the wider NHS.

The Board met for the first time on 12 December, and will act as the vehicle to plan the scope and timing of the first phase. It is anticipated that the initial roll out will focus on inviting eligible individuals in areas experiencing the highest levels of socio-economic deprivation, as evidence shows that they are at higher risk of lung cancer, and have poorer outcomes.

This first phase is currently estimated to cost approximately £3.5 million, although this is subject to change depending on further planning discussions.

The lung screening Scottish Expert Advisory Group estimated that full implementation could take 7-10 years due to the complexities of establishing a screening programme of this size, which is also recognised by the UK NSC.