The consultation proposes changes to allow the statutory notifications of abortions in Scotland to be sent to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) electronically in future. It also proposes to remove the current requirement to submit information about each abortion with each notification (the yellow...More
The landmark Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Act 2021 was unanimously passed by the Scottish Parliament on 10 December 2020 and received Royal Assent on 20 January 2021. This consultation seeks views on the appropriate retention period for evidence collected...More
Our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out our vision for decarbonising heat and reducing energy demand across all buildings in Scotland, setting out the scale of the investment opportunity and supporting our green recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This vision can only be achieved if there...More
This discussion paper seeks views on steps that might be taken to improve the way in which the criminal law may deal with dog owners where their dogs act in a dangerous way.
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This draft Strategy sets out proposed actions for transforming our buildings and the systems that supply their heat, ensuring a transition to zero emissions by 2045.
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This Call for Evidence seeks input on actions to modify and enhance the range of support mechanisms currently provided by the Scottish Government through the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) for development and delivery of large-scale low and zero carbon energy infrastructure...More
We are seeking views and comments from stakeholders and the general public on the draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products and Oxo-degradable Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations to inform our work on finalising the regulations.
Why we are engaging
These...More
This consultation invites stakeholders to respond to a range of proposed updates to The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (“CAR”). This consultation serves several purposes:
Proposed consolidation of The Water Resources (Control of Pollution)...More
ERRATA: Since its original publication on 16 December 2020, the consultation period has been extended and will now close on 31 March 2021. This extension is not anticipated to impact on the publication schedule for the finalised strategy.
This Draft Public Engagement Strategy sets out...More
Clyde Mission - The Grand Challenge
The Clyde Mission is a national, place-based, mission to make the Clyde an engine of sustainable and inclusive growth for Glasgow, the city-region and Scotland.
The Clyde Mission seeks to recognise and use the Clyde as a...More
Child contact centres can play an important role in allowing a child to have a relationship with a parent. Child contact centres are safe venues for conflict-free contact between children, parents, and other people in the child’s life.
The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 gives the Scottish...More
The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) gained Royal Assent on 1 October 2020. The 2020 Act builds on the existing Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (the 1995 Act).
During the passage of the 2020 Act through the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government committed to a full...More
The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Welsh Government (WG), Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland (DAERA) and the UK Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies, have developed this UK...More
A consultation on the Energy Consumers Commission's project plan covering 2021-2022 ahead of the set up of Consumer Scotland in late 2021. Sets out proposed priorities for advocacy and specific projects to be completed and builds on the remit and themes set out in the Energy Consumers Commission's...More
The Scottish Government is consulting on the draft regulations for Adult Disability Payment. Adult Disability Payment is a new Scottish benefit which will replace Personal Independence Payment and be delivered by Social Security Scotland. This form of assistance is provided to disabled...More
Local Place Plans are community led plans providing proposals for the development and use of land. Introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 these plans will set out a community’s aspirations for its future development.
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This consultation paper relates to the introduction of guidance on the promotion and use of mediation in the Scottish planning system. It provides draft guidance to planning authorities, developers, communities and other potential parties on the use of mediation in development planning and in...More
In response to a public petition in Scotland and work undertaken by Public Health England to review dependence and withdrawal associated with some prescribed medicines, Scottish Government established a short life working group (SLWG) to look at the scale of the issues in Scotland and the...More
In October 2020, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced that the Scottish Government accepted in principle the recommendation made by an independent review panel, that subject to establishing suitable criteria, the Scottish Government should introduce legislation to pardon miners convicted...More
The Scottish Government's Programme for Government 2020-21 commits the Government to establishing a Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland. This paper therefore seeks views on what that role should look like; who the Patient Safety Commissioner should report to; and how the role should interact...More
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that, from 2024, new buildings must use heating systems which produce zero direct emissions at the point of use.
We are currently developing our New Build Heat Standard to achieve this, and this initial Scoping Consultation aims to set out our...More
We are seeking views on the recommendations made by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee in their ‘Opinion on the Welfare of Animals during Transport’.
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This consultation sets out proposals and seeks views on potential improvements to the legal complaints system, within the current legislative framework of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007.
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The Position Statement sets out the Scottish Government's current thinking on the issues that will need to be addressed when preparing Scotland's fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4). It draws on the ideas and evidence we received from a broad range of people and organisations through our...More
This engagement follows on from a previous consultation in 2019 which sought views on potential improvements to the statutory charity regulation framework in Scotland. The consultation looked at proposals put forward by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The proposals broadly focus on...More
ERRATA: Since the launch of this consultation on 4th December 2020, the consultation period has been extended and will now close on 12 th February 2021. This decision is in response to early feedback from industry stakeholders to accommodate the priorities of our businesses who are...More
Currently anyone can call themselves an electrician, without the need for any qualifications or competency. This can lead to customers, especially domestic consumers, hiring unqualified or less competent individuals, resulting in faults that can lead to fire or personal injury, such as...More
The Councillors’ Code of Conduct is being refreshed to make it easier to understand and to take account of developments in our society, such as the role of social media. We aim to strengthen the Code to reinforce the importance of behaving in a respectful manner and to make it clear that...More
The Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 requires Scottish Ministers to issue a Code of Conduct for Councillors (Councillors’ Code) and a Model Code of Conduct for members of devolved public bodies (Members’ Code) as listed in Schedule 3 to the Act, as amended.
The...More
This consultation seeks views on whether the ability to submit certain applications to the Keeper digitally, and the legislation which underpins that (which has been in place on an emergency basis since April and May 2020) should be made available permanently.
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