In November 2018 the Scottish Government commissioned an independently led review of its Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy, which was published in 2015. The aims of the review were to assess progress to date in implementing the strategy and to make recommendations for additional actions required...More
Our land is one of our greatest national assets and it plays a fundamental role in supporting our environment, economy and our health and wellbeing. In recognition of this the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 placed a statutory duty on Scottish Ministers to produce and publish a Land Use...More
This consultation seeks views on how additional Scottish quota is allocated in 2021.
From 1 January 2021, the UK will be an independent Coastal State. Negotiations with the EU and other Coastal States on fishing opportunities for 2021 are ongoing. In these negotiations the UK aims to secure...More
The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 requires the establishment of a national Nitrogen Balance Sheet for Scotland by March 2022, via a process of regulations. The Scottish Government is now consulting on proposals for establishing a Scottish Nitrogen Balance...More
The regulations will allow the introduction of an Actively Managed Hard Shoulder (AMHS), for use by certain buses, over a four mile section of the M8 and M9 motorways. This will extend over a four mile section from a point south of the Hillwood Rail overbridge (south of Junction 1 of the...More
This is a public consultation on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the update to the Climate Change Plan 2018-2032. This report aims to assess the environmental impact of the policies within the update to the Climate Change Plan.
Read the Strategic Environment Envronmental...More
We are seeking views on the future arrangements for early medical abortion at home across Scotland. The responses will help to inform the Scottish Government’s decision on whether the current arrangements should continue once there is no longer a significant risk of COVID-19 transmission. ...More
This consultation proposes the introduction of market restrictions – effectively a ban – on the most commonly littered single-use plastic items found on European beaches. It represents an important next step in our efforts to tackle our plastic problem, allowing us to maintain pace with the...More
Registers of Scotland’s aim is to operate on a self-sustaining basis. We generate income from charging fees for our services. These fees are based on a cost-recovery model.
Our current forecasts show we need to increase fees to recover our costs over the next five years. ...More
We live in a digital world. It is changing the way we work, do business, entertain, deliver services, shop and keep in touch with our family and friends, as well as the work of government. It is a source of incredible opportunity – to open new markets, scale rapidly, tackle climate change and...More
The Scottish Government is committed to sustainable, inclusive economic growth as part of our ambition for Scotland to flourish through a just transition towards a net zero, wellbeing economy.
We are seeking to engage a broad range of stakeholders about the potential contribution...More
Scotland is facing difficult decisions about using digital options to maintain, provide and improve services.
The aim of this conversation is to inform what principles and frameworks might look like to guide how Scotland can develop as an Ethical Digital Nation .
We are examining...More
During the coronavirus pandemic, various restrictions and regulations have been introduced to limit the spread of the virus. These important restrictions have changed the way we shop, travel, work and socialise. People across Scotland have been doing their best to follow these restrictions to...More
As in previous years, we intend to create a new Scottish Statutory Instrument accounting for the target cost of operating the Scottish Road Works Register in the 2021-22 financial year. The intention is to revoke the 2020 instrument, and replace with a new instrument for 2021. This consultation...More
This consultation welcomes views on the mandatory retirement age (MRA) for devolved judicial office holders in Scotland whose MRA falls within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.
The consultation asks if the MRA for Scottish judicial offices should be raised, and...More
Scottish Government funds a multi-million pound portfolio of research on the environment, natural resources and agriculture. We are developing a strategy for the next cycle of research which starts in 2022. The strategy will outline our vision, priorities and mechanisms for funding that...More
Environmental standards form the foundation of a risk-based approach to River Basin Management Planning. In 2014, prior to the publication of the second River Basin Management Plans, Scottish Ministers directed the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to apply a range of environmental...More
Prostitution is a form of commercial sexual exploitation. Commercial sexual exploitation persists as a result of how women are viewed by society .
The Scottish Government’s definition of gender based violence is clearly set out in Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy for...More
The Scottish Government intends to launch a new statutory national concessionary travel scheme providing free bus travel for young people resident in Scotland up to their 19th birthday (referred to as ‘under 19s’ or ‘under 19’ throughout this consultation). We anticipate that...More
The Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out a compelling long-term vision for road safety, Vision Zero, where there are zero fatalities and injuries on Scotland’s roads by 2050. The journey to achieving this vision will also include ambitious interim targets where the number of people being...More
Integration Joint Boards
The integration of health and social care is one of the most significant reforms since the establishment of the NHS. It is about ensuring that those who use services get the right care and support whatever their needs, at any point in their care journey. With...More
On 11 June 2019 the Scottish Parliament passed the Human Tissue (Authorisation) (Scotland) Act 2019 (‘the 2019 Act’). The 2019 Act provides for a deemed authorisation system of deceased organ and tissue donation for transplantation in Scotland. This is more commonly referred to as an...More
The Draft Infrastructure Investment Plan sets out a clear vision for our future infrastructure - to support and enable an inclusive net zero emissions economy. The plan focusses on adopting and building on the recommendations of the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland's Phase 1 report. It sets...More
We are seeking views on draft proposals for changes to Permitted Development Rights for the four development types selected for Phase 1 of our programme. We are also seeking views on the accompanying update to the 2019 Sustainability Appraisal and a number of draft impact assessments examining...More
To inform the guidance and toolkit for completing an Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) as required under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018.
More
This consultation paper relates to proposed changes to the existing requirements for pre-application consultation (PAC) with local communities on national and major developments. These requirements were introduced in 2009, as part of the implementation of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act...More
The UK Digital Economy Act 2017 (“The Act”), Part 5 introduces new information sharing powers to reduce debt owed to, or fraud against, the public sector.
To be able to use the information sharing powers, public authorities (and bodies which provide services to public...More
This consultation invites comments on the content of a Ministerial Statement to set out the circumstances in which, and the general criteria by reference to which, the power of Scottish Ministers to modify local connection referrals between local authorities in Scotland is to be exercised. It also...More
The objective of this paper is to offer an opportunity for views to be gathered on the future of the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. The main proposal relates to a possible amalgamation of the two bodies. This would be achieved by the incorporation of the Lands...More
The management and disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Scotland is currently carried out in line with the Environmental Protection (Disposal of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and other Dangerous Substances) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (“the current regulations"). Following a recast of...More