Official Report 1035KB pdf
Good morning. The first item of business is general question time.
St Kilda (Sheep)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to prevent starvation and suffering among the sheep on St Kilda. (S6O-05339)
The Soay sheep on St Kilda are considered to be an unmanaged population of wild animals due to their unique history of adapting to life without management over many generations. This unique historical flock is protected by the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, which provides the same protection that is afforded to Scotland’s wild deer population.
In the meantime, the National Trust for Scotland is undertaking a full review of the situation, and we are engaging with it on that.
In the first place, the sheep are clearly feral. Sheep are not wild animals. Those sheep were put on St Kilda by human beings in the 1930s. They are in a confined space. If the same sheep were in Perthshire or Angus in a confined space, they would not be considered wild. Will the cabinet secretary look at this matter and at considering the sheep to be feral?
I can only reiterate the position that I set out in my initial response. The Government has a long-standing position on the matter, and we do not intend to change it.
I have to say that I very much support John Mason’s case. It seems to be a case of out of sight, out of mind. After all, we put the sheep there in the first place and left them to their fate, and their fate is most unpleasant.
I am pleased to hear that the NTS is reviewing the situation, and I hope that it will take steps to ensure that those sheep are regarded as feral, not wild.
I appreciate the points that have been made by Christine Grahame and John Mason. I have set out quite clearly the Government’s position on how the Soay sheep on St Kilda are regarded and the protections that are afforded to them under the 1996 act.
As Christine Grahame touched on, and as I said in my initial response, the National Trust for Scotland, as the owner of St Kilda, has responsibility for the sheep that inhabit it. The NTS is undertaking a full review, and we will, of course, engage and work closely with it on that.
Homelessness
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the findings of the ending homelessness together 2025 annual report. (S6O-05340)
The annual report shows that more action is needed to end homelessness, but it demonstrates important progress and a significant step up in the past year. By September 2025, 31,064 affordable homes had been completed towards our target. In 2024-25, we invested more than £120 million in homelessness prevention and anti-poverty measures, which helped people to remain in their homes. We introduced new homelessness prevention legislation to ensure that people get the support that they need prior to presenting as homeless and at crisis point. In September, we published a housing emergency plan, which included a commitment to invest up to £4.9 billion in affordable homes in the coming four years.
Crisis, the homelessness charity, has noted that the current homelessness system is not sustainable, but there is a desire to do more preventative work across public sector bodies that have responsibilities.
The cabinet secretary previously described the prevention duties contained in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 as having the potential to be the “gold standard”. What commitment can she provide that the Government will take the learning from the pilots that are taking place in relation to the delivery of new duties in order to implement the legislation as soon as possible and in the best way possible?
I am absolutely committed to ensuring that learning is taken from the pilots. A pilot process, which is being supported by Advice Direct Scotland and which covers health and justice sectors and local authorities, will inform the effective implementation of the duties, which is what Emma Roddick is rightly calling for.
To enable all of this, the pilots will report at quarterly intervals and at the end of this calendar year. We are commissioning independent research to help to estimate the impact of the duties on public bodies and others and to inform the drafting of the guidance and the secondary legislation, which will be critical. The duties are the gold standard and have the potential to transform our approach to ending homelessness.
I am afraid that the annual report exposes the Scottish National Party’s continued failure to get a grip of Scotland’s housing emergency. Record numbers of households remain stuck in temporary accommodation, and the number of people who are rough sleeping continues to rise. I hope that the cabinet secretary shares my view that it is disgraceful that, while we are in the chamber today, 10,000 children are growing up without the security of a permanent home. All the while, councils are left struggling as a result of the savage cuts that the SNP Government has made to council budgets.
Prevention is key, but we also know that, in order to end homelessness, we need to ensure that the supply of homes meets the demand. I have asked the cabinet secretary this question before, and I will ask it again: if the Government is hellbent on dismantling the housing sector brick by brick, how does she believe that the Government will reach its target of providing 110,000 affordable homes by 2032?
As is quite often the case, Meghan Gallacher’s characterisation of the Government’s approach is incorrect, and she has misrepresented how we are viewed by many of the stakeholders with whom I work.
We are taking action on the issue across the board. Temporary accommodation is available as a vital safety net, but let us not forget that most people in temporary accommodation throughout Scotland are in local authority properties while they await a permanent home. I want the time that people spend in temporary accommodation to be shorter, but, nonetheless, that provision provides a vital safety net.
We are taking action, as set out in our housing emergency action plan, not least through the continued delivery of affordable homes. We are also making available £80 million this year for councils to buy homes and make them available for families.
Non-domestic Rates Revaluation
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns from businesses across Scotland that have recently received letters confirming a revaluation of their non-domestic rate liability. (S6O-05341)
Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November last year, in advance of the revaluation, which will come into effect on 1 April. Valuations are produced by assessors, who are independent of central Government and local government. Non-domestic rates bills for 2026-27 will, of course, depend on the rateable value of the property, the tax rate that applies and any reliefs that the property is in receipt of. Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27 are considered in the context of the budget, in line with other Government priorities, and will be set out on 13 January.
I note that the minister stated that the assessors are independent, but independence is not an excuse for indifference. Although assessors set the value, the Government can set guidance and policy. The licensed hospitality sector supports 65,000 jobs, pays £1.2 billion in wages and generates more than £2 billion of economic value for Scotland.
Despite the warning by Stephen Montgomery from the Scottish Hospitality Group that current outdated methodology will hit local hospitality businesses, and despite one of that group’s members facing a 550 per cent increase in their non-domestic rates, the minister still refuses to use the powers at his disposal.
Will the minister commit today to making the changes that are needed to support our high streets? If not, how many empty shopfronts and lost jobs is he prepared to accept as the price of his inaction?
It is not unexpected, but Roz McCall has hugely misrepresented the situation. The Government takes the issue very seriously and engages extensively with the hospitality sector. I met Stephen Montgomery and others in the sector on 22 December, and I met the Federation of Small Businesses on the issue just yesterday. There is also the Government’s NDR consultative group, which had its pre-budget meeting in November, and we will meet again immediately after the budget. I have met representatives of other sectors on the issue, too.
I am very well aware of the situation regarding bills that individual businesses have received. There is a process for working through that with assessors, and I urge businesses and sectors to continue—as I know many of them have—to engage with assessors on the process of revaluation. We have set up an independent group under BJ Gill KC to look at the valuation methodology for the hospitality sector, and that group will report later this year.
Of course, the bills that businesses face are a consequence not just of the valuation but of the transitional reliefs and other reliefs—
Thank you, minister.
—that are set by the sector, which will be announced in the budget.
Thank you, minister. Let us keep our questions and responses concise.
I will make the situation clear. The rateable value for East Neuk Orchards, which is in my constituency, has gone up from £9,000 to £22,000. The company was below the level of the small business bonus scheme and paid nothing previously. Now, it is paying thousands of pounds, which will be wiping out any profit. Does the minister really understand the impact that his decisions are having?
As I indicated, the process of valuation is carried out by the assessors, who operate independently of the Government.
The Government and I are aware of the impact of the valuations that certain businesses have received. That is why we have had extensive engagement with businesses, sectors and the assessors. As I said, the budget will outline the transitional and other reliefs that we will implement with regard to what the final bill for businesses will be. Businesses should also be engaged in a process with the assessors in advance of the final valuation roll taking effect in April.
Mountain Safety
To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with Scottish mountain rescue teams regarding mountain safety this winter. (S6O-05342)
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting safety in the mountains to provide safe opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors and reap the physical and mental health benefits of being active in nature.
We continue to engage regularly with the chair of Scottish Mountain Rescue and the spokesperson for the two independent teams at Glencoe and Cairngorm about a range of issues affecting mountain rescue teams across Scotland. We are supportive of the ThinkWINTER campaign, which encourages people to plan ahead and think about winter conditions before heading out on the hills and provides an online resource with links to all the information that is needed for exceptional mountain adventures.
The minister will have seen the warnings from Welsh mountain rescue teams just before Christmas about the worrying increase in irresponsible behaviour in the mountains placing unsustainable pressure on resources. She will also have seen the report from Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, which had to rescue two young men who had headed out to Ben Macdui in trainers and joggers at night and in -15°C.
What is the Scottish Government doing to address such irresponsible behaviour, much of which is championed on social media? It is clear that the current strategy is not working.
I thank Liz Smith for her important follow-up question. I also thank her and other members for their work on promoting mountain safety and the ThinkWINTER campaign.
I pass on my appreciation to mountain rescue teams across Scotland, which have been playing an important part through established partnership arrangements alongside other community sector organisations and statutory emergency response agencies in assisting communities during the current severe weather.
Ms Smith raises the important point. We need to recognise that conditions at ground level are not what they could be at the summit of—or even on the way up—a mountain. The Scottish Government is supportive of the proposed mountain safety action plan. My colleague the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Sport recently met Mountaineering Scotland to discuss overall mountain safety, and those discussions also covered the work that is being undertaken on the creation of the mountain safety action plan.
Ardrossan Harbour
To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed the purchase of Ardrossan harbour with Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. (S6O-05343)
I met Kevin Hobbs, chief executive officer of CMAL, earlier today and he updated me on Ardrossan negotiations. As the First Minister noted over the festive period, discussions are now at an advanced stage. I inform the Parliament that CMAL and Peel Ports Group have now concluded negotiations on the draft heads of terms and are moving to the detail of the potential purchase agreement.
The Scottish Government is progressing the required review of legal, commercial and subsidy considerations based on the draft heads of terms, which are currently non-binding. The matter remains complex and commercially sensitive and our focus remains on achieving a purchase, a clean title and a final sale and asset transfer. I will continue to keep the Parliament updated on progress at appropriate stages.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that response, although I understand that heads of terms were discussed months ago. With the months dragging on with no purchase date in sight, will the cabinet secretary advise Ardrossan and Arran residents whether a deadline has been set for concluding negotiations?
CalMac has had to cancel numerous sailings due to Ardrossan harbour’s navigation lights frequently being out of operation in recent months. As that is clearly the responsibility of Peel Ports Group, what steps are being taken to ensure that it fulfils its obligations so that the harbour functions normally?
Concluding negotiations on heads of terms is a significant point in the sale process, and it has many parts to it. As I have noted, both parties are continuing to work closely to conclude the purchase as soon as is practical. However, to try to unlock investment, we are having to buy back essential infrastructure that was privatised by previous Conservative Governments.
With regard to the port infrastructure at Ardrossan, it is still the responsibility of Peel Ports Group, as the statutory harbour authority, to maintain and upgrade the infrastructure as required in order to ensure that the harbour is fit for purpose. It is important that any live operational issues are addressed by both parties—that is, CalMac and Peel Ports Group—in order to resolve them and ensure minimal impact with regard to disruption to the service and the island communities.
Importantly, CMAL has already given consideration to immediate works that could be undertaken on proposed sale completion to further ensure the resilient and safe operation of the port before the long-term works are procured. That will help ensure the continued and reliable operation of MV Caledonian Isles from Ardrossan in the interim period.
Lost Boys Campaign
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Centre for Social Justice’s lost boys campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the issues that boys and young men are facing, including in Scotland. (S6O-05344)
The Centre for Social Justice’s lost boys campaign and report highlight the multifaceted and complex societal issues that are facing young men and boys. Although the evidence base that is used in the report predominantly relies on data sources from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, the issues that are raised in the report are familiar here in Scotland.
No single action or responsibility will magically fix those matters. It is necessary for all of us—parliamentarians, public authorities, families, young men, communities and third sector organisations—to consider those matters and respond to them.
The Centre for Social Justice’s “Lost Boys” report says, among many things:
“Since the pandemic alone, the number of”
young men
“aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training … has increased by … 40 per cent compared to just seven per cent”
of young women. The report also points out that young men’s behaviour is increasingly
“shaped by violent and degrading pornography”.
Boys are crying out for role models to avoid such roles being filled by the likes of Andrew Tate, whom we have discussed many times. Given how topical the issue of male role models is across the UK, will the Government adjust the good work that it is already doing to incorporate the need to address what is becoming a crisis among boys and young men?
Our equally safe delivery plan contains a range of actions to build a robust and joined-up approach to the prevention of violence against women and girls across all education settings in Scotland. The report covers a wide range of issues, but I call Pauline McNeill’s attention to the fact that actions in schools to address gender-based violence and sexual harassment include the mentors in violence prevention Scotland programme, the equally safe at school programme and the gender-based violence in schools framework. Those actions complement the key messages for young people on healthy relationships and consent, and the Time for Inclusive Education campaign’s digital discourse initiative, which provides training for teachers and educators to address the effects of online hate and disinformation on children and young people.
NHS Scotland (Staffing)
To ask the Scottish Government what impact recent recruitment initiatives have had on staffing levels across NHS Scotland. (S6O-05345)
Although health boards are responsible for the recruitment of individual staff, the Scottish Government provides strategic leadership to ensure a sustainable national health service workforce through policy initiatives including investment in international recruitment, the establishment of a national centre for workforce supply, and record investment in pay. Staffing levels are now at their highest-ever level, which is strengthening services and improving patient care.
Since September 2006, NHS Scotland’s staffing levels have expanded by approximately 27 per cent, which represents an additional 35,000 staff in whole-time-equivalent terms. How have the improved staffing levels assisted with tackling waiting lists, and especially the backlog that was caused by Covid?
Gordon MacDonald is absolutely right. Since 2006, NHS staff numbers have grown by 35,000 whole-time equivalents. This Government has acted to reduce post-Covid waiting lists, investing £135.5 million this year in initiatives such as additional recruitment. As a result, thanks to the efforts of those staff and thanks to the Government’s targeted investment, long waits have fallen for six consecutive months, with year-on-year increases in activity. I am very grateful to those staff for their efforts in helping to turn a corner in our NHS.