Official Report 138KB pdf
Good afternoon. The first item of business is general question time. To accommodate as many questions as possible, I ask for concise questions and answers.
Royal Mail (Festive Season)
To ask the Scottish Government what dialogue it has had with the United Kingdom Government regarding Royal Mail’s preparations for the 2026 festive season, including how Royal Mail will support businesses in Scotland during their busiest time of the year. (S7O-00240)
The Minister for Business and Fair Work has recently written to Royal Mail to ensure that it is fulfilling its universal service obligation and to make it clear that that must be maintained. In my role as Minister for Public Finance, I, too, have written to Royal Mail, but I have yet to receive a reply.
Some might suggest that the reply to the minister has been lost in the post.
I welcome the constant dialogue that I have had with the Greenock sorting office and senior representatives from Royal Mail since Christmas last year, but I remain concerned about service delivery in my area. The demand that is placed on Royal Mail to deliver packages on behalf of other delivery companies for the final mile, which consumers do not always see or know about, places a strain on Royal Mail services, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.
Given that the UK Government has maintained a golden share in Royal Mail, does the minister agree that it has a duty to ensure that action is taken now to increase the workforce before the busiest time of the year? Will she again make representations to the UK Government?
It could be a case of “Return to sender”, rather than the reply having been lost in the post. Let us see.
The Minister for Business and Fair Work has recently written to Royal Mail, as have I. I want to ensure that there is equity for more rural and island communities when it comes to post, and I will continue to stress the importance of ensuring such equity in the run-up to the busiest time of the year. I am glad that Mr McMillan’s mind is on Christmas as it comes down the tracks.
As a result of our hard-working Royal Mail posties having been instructed to prioritise parcels, mail is long delayed or not delivered at all. Serious concerns that are raised by parliamentarians on behalf of constituents simply do not seem to be taken very seriously. Does the minister agree that Royal Mail management has a lot of work to do to restore the faith of business and the public in this once great and trusted brand?
It remains vital that the services that are provided are of the highest quality possible. I reiterate that I will continue to press for equity of service across these islands when it comes to postal delivery by Royal Mail. It is absolutely vital that the same level of service is delivered from the very north to the very south of the country.
Cladding Remediation Programme
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of Scotland’s cladding remediation programme. (S7O-00241)
As the annual report that we published this week sets out, 250 single building assessments are now under way in buildings across Scotland, which represents a major acceleration in our programme. We have confirmed assessment funding for all 956 eligible buildings, which includes £31.5 million that we have transferred to local authorities for those purposes.
We are continuing to urge and support building owners and developers to take action to commission and complete single building assessments at pace, and we have committed to providing further financial support to owners to take forward the necessary works.
I have had several inquiries on the issue. For example, many residents at the Glasgow Harbour development have found themselves in limbo due to a lack of clarity over any final decision regarding funding. Will the minister commit to engaging with officials, residents and me to resolve any outstanding issues as soon as possible?
I hope that I can assure Colm Merrick that officials remain actively engaged with residents and residents’ representatives. Their most recent meeting with residents was in early September, when progress and next steps were discussed. I absolutely recognise the uncertainty that many home owners continue to face, and we are committed to maintaining regular communication as the work progresses at Glasgow Harbour.
The Scottish Government has already provided significant support towards assessment and remediation activity through the cladding remediation programme, which is helping to improve our understanding of the issues affecting several buildings, including those at Glasgow Harbour. I will continue to engage with the residents and with the member as the work progresses.
The minister is keen to emphasise that the work has been done at pace, but the reality is that it is pathetically woeful. For years, we have been waiting for the Scottish Government to spend the money that it received from Westminster on cladding. It claimed that one building had been resolved and remediated, but that is not even completed now. It has been necessary to go back and do more work on that very building—so we are going backwards. When will the Government get a grip and sort out the cladding situation in Scotland?
Regarding the single building that Mr Rennie is remarking upon, we have made it clear that the external wall remediation, as recommended in the SBA, is complete for that one building. It does not need any further remedial work, and the Scottish Government funded the remediation for that work. I would therefore push back on the assertion that was made on that in the Lib Dem press release this week.
I reiterate that we now have the work and the funding flowing. I have written to registered social landlords and local authorities with buildings in the programme to urge swift action in undertaking the assessments, which will allow the work to begin. We are very conscious of wanting to move at pace.
As at June 2026, 17 single building assessments have been completed, and a further 250 assessments are under way.
Can the minister confirm whether the Government would seek to repeal the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Act 2026 in the event that all cladding remediation work was completed prior to the act’s 15-year expiry date, as set out in section 53?
The building safety levy is expected to commence in 2028, and it is designed to ensure that developers make a fair contribution towards the costs of cladding assessment and remediation, as they do in England. A very fair assessment was made of the need for the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill, which is now an act. I absolutely believe that that act is still needed and that its approach is a fair way of going about things, as it has been in England.
AI Data Centres (Guidance)
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to produce planning and environmental guidance on artificial intelligence data centres. (S7O-00242)
We had a lengthy—yet also too short—debate on the subject yesterday, and where we are heading is very clear. The Government has issued guidance on considering the collective data centre applications that are coming across the country—for anything above 50MW. As of today, all existing and new data centre applications will be required to have an environmental impact assessment. As was explained yesterday, we will come back before the end of the year with updated planning guidance and a spatial framework.
The minister is absolutely right that the debate yesterday was far too short. She said yesterday:
“We are committed to coming back before Christmas with guidelines that will give business and communities confidence”
and
“It is highly unlikely that we will see decisions taken before Christmas.”—[Official Report, 16 September 2026; c 32, 31.]
Will she give a cast-iron guarantee that guidance will be issued before Christmas and that the guidance that councils get will apply not just to new applications but to those already in the system?
As a geologist, I am not going to get into the materials of iron, copper or any other mineral within the system. I was very clear yesterday that we will be coming back by the end of the year with guidelines—spatial and environmental, and on energy and heat use. We are wrapping our arms around that right now. It spans several portfolios: planning, energy, technology and economy. We will be coming back on it before the end of the year. As it stands, the EIA requirement that is being issued applies to existing and new data centres that will be put into the system, but we will come back by the end of the year.
Does the minister agree that Scotland risks losing investment opportunities if planning guidance is not produced quickly and with sufficient clarity?
That is why, yesterday, I committed to ensuring that both communities and business have confidence. I do not want to kick the can down the road on this. Unlike Labour members, I am not committed to waiting for 12 months. I want to move quickly, within the next quarter of the year, and come back by the end of the year. It is about making sure that business but also communities have confidence and that we do not kick the can down the road.
Will the spatial framework, the Government oversight process and the planning guidance take account of the possible cumulative effect of a number of data centres and the fact that, in terms of energy use, there is a maximum capacity of data centres that Scotland can accommodate?
Our national planning framework 4 is set up to handle exactly this kind of infrastructure and planning in the system. I have faith and trust in our dedicated planning officers right across the country. I am strengthening the guidance that we are going to give them, and the EIA, which is now a requirement, also takes into account cumulative environmental impacts. We will strengthen that and we have done so already, starting today.
Can the minister confirm whether the Government has considered the disposal of electronic waste that cannot be recycled as part of any planning guidance on data centres, alongside the management of potentially dangerous pollutants that may result from that?
The member is referring to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances—PFAs—and the potential run-off from infrastructure and energy projects including onshore and offshore wind. That will be considered in the environmental impact assessment and mitigated if risks are present. That is exactly why I issued the guidance yesterday, which has come into effect today.
NEET Statistics
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that students who are enrolled in, but not regularly attending college courses, are accurately classified in statistics on young people who are not in education, employment or training. (S7O-00243)
Skills Development Scotland’s annual participation measure—the APM—reports on young people’s most common activity throughout the year. It is created using a range of data that is collected through the 16+ participation portal. Within that, colleges provide information on student enrolments and withdrawals at least monthly throughout the academic year to ensure that data is timely and to improve data quality in the interests of both statistics and targeting support for young people who are not participating. The Scottish Government continues to work with partners to improve the quality and range of the data that is available to better understand the participation of young people across Scotland.
I thank the minister for his detailed answer. Statistics from the Scottish Funding Council show a withdrawal rate of 5.4 per cent among 16 to 24-year-olds. What action is the Scottish Government taking, on the basis of the data that it has, to ensure that students are supported to attend college regularly and to reduce that withdrawal rate?
This is a common issue across all four home nations. In relation to England, the Office for National Statistics has been working on it consistently. We are aware of the issue, but the fact that someone is not attending college regularly does not mean that they are dropping out. Equally, however, it does not necessarily mean that they are staying. We work with the Scottish Funding Council to ensure that there is targeted support for individuals who are having a tough time or are not engaging in their course. I will keep in touch with the member as that work progresses.
Following data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service that shows a record number of young Scots gaining a place at university or college, how is the Scottish Government prioritising investment to ensure that an increasing number of young people enter positive destinations?
The Government is delivering a comprehensive range of interventions to support young people into adulthood and work, spanning the curriculum, positive destination planning, career support and employability. That includes universal support for all young people alongside more targeted and intensive support for those who need it most, with the aim of ensuring that every young person is supported to achieve a positive destination. We are doing pretty well on that. Overall, 93.5 per cent of school leavers in 2024-25 were in a positive follow-up destination nine months post-school. That is the joint highest figure on record. UCAS statistics show that record numbers of 18-year-olds have secured a university place this year, and there is a lot of good work under way in this space to build on.
Is the minister concerned that inaccurate classification could mask the true scale of youth disengagement from education and employment?
I am aware of that, but I am not concerned as such. As well as us, England has been dealing with that issue with the ONS. As I said in answer to Katherine Sangster, when someone is not regularly attending college, there could be a range of reasons for that, and not all those people are about to drop out. We want to target support to people who are not in regular attendance. That work is under way with the Funding Council, the colleges and Skills Development Scotland.
Youth Unemployment
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to address youth unemployment and whether it will work with the United Kingdom Government to support the delivery of better opportunities for young people. (S7O-00244)
In 2024-25, 93.5 per cent of school leavers went on to a positive follow-up destination. That is a good result. Although that is encouraging, the Government remains committed to ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to develop the skills and confidence that they need to participate in the labour market.
A phrase that members will hear a lot from me is that the Government is committed to funding 150,000 apprenticeships over this parliamentary session—that is a big part of the future—expanding work-based learning and reviewing employability services. We are actively considering what further action can be taken, and we will, of course, work constructively with the UK Government on shared priorities when appropriate.
The interim findings of Alan Milburn’s review on youth unemployment, which were published in the summer, show that almost 1 million 16 to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training across the UK. That means that there is a generation of young people whose needs are not being met.
I thank the minister for his answer. Some of the figures look positive. However, given the overall concern about youth unemployment I am interested in what can be done to ensure that we are totally on track and can identify young people who did not do well at school and have not been found by the agencies. That is where the issue lies.
As Pauline McNeill will know, I am in furious agreement on that. An awful lot of people are not getting the support that they need, particularly the young people who are falling through the cracks in traditional education. I will be talking a great deal about vocational skills and alternative routes into the workplace.
I will also update members in due course on the opportunity presented by the Erasmus+ programme, which the UK and Scotland are going back into. The Erasmus+ element will be particularly helpful for young people. That is new money, and I will not be able to offer institutions new money very often. Erasmus offers a huge opportunity for young people, and I will ruthlessly ensure that we take advantage of it.
Too many young Scots who are suffering from conditions such as anxiety find themselves on benefits but not in work. Will the minister commit to working with the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic to gather and publish data on the number of young people in receipt of adult disability payment who are not in employment?
I am very open to that discussion. However, we need to support people if they are having a tough time, not criticise them for it.
Thanks to the Scottish National Party, three quarters of a million young people have had the opportunity to go to university, because our free tuition policy means that they are not limited by their economic background. What assessment has the Government made of Scotland’s offer to our young people, and how does that compare with the offer elsewhere in the UK?
Alex Kerr will find that I am in full agreement with him. Our commitment to free tuition, together with enhanced student support, means that access to university in Scotland remains based on the ability to learn, not the ability to pay. The total package of student support is the most generous package across the UK, and it represents taxpayers’ money going to our society. It means that Scottish students continue to have the lowest average student debt in the UK. Comparisons with other UK countries are not advisable, as the types of support that Scotland provides, such as free tuition, are vastly different from those in the rest of the UK.
Does the minister agree that successive arbitrary minimum wage rises that have far outstripped productivity gains have severely limited entry-level job opportunities for young Scots?
The minimum wage is a UK matter. I want people to be paid as much as possible for the skills that they have. Jamie Langan raised a point about access to the workplace. A range of support is available to help people to get into the workplace, and I want to redouble our work on apprenticeships to ensure that workplace-based learning is the norm, not the exception.
Additional Dwelling Supplement (Repayment Period)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its consideration of changes to the additional dwelling supplement to take account of exceptional circumstances and introduce an extended repayment period for owners of properties affected by cladding and fire safety issues, including the Bond building in Edinburgh. (S7O-00245)
I recognise the concerns of home owners with properties that are affected by cladding and fire safety issues. In March, as part of the land and buildings transaction tax review, the Scottish Government published a summary of an expert working group’s consideration of the impact of the additional dwelling supplement when difficult or exceptional circumstances might apply. That included consideration of property-related barriers to sale. The group’s work highlighted the need to consider how to balance legislative clarity, administrative feasibility, fairness to taxpayers and the protection of revenue in any approach. The Scottish Government will consider that evidence carefully, and it will inform the next steps.
Two and a half years on from the Bond building fire, residents cannot live in, let alone sell, their homes because of ongoing safety and cladding defects and delayed remediation works. Some have since bought other homes and paid tens of thousands of pounds in second homes tax. They are running out of time to get that money back through no fault of their own because, unlike in other parts of the United Kingdom, Scotland’s three-year repayment window offers no exceptions. Does the minister think that that is fair? Does she believe that there should be an extension that covers fire and cladding defects?
I recognise and sympathise with the circumstances that residents of the Bond building and other affected developments face. It is important that, in our review, the Scottish Government considers any potential changes as part of a consistent, Scotland-wide approach, not for individual buildings. However, I would be happy to work with Sanne Dijkstra-Downie to understand how we can take the matter forward. I am open to listening and to speaking with her and constituents.
Question 7, in the name of Joe Long, was not lodged, but an explanation has been given.
Bus Fare Cap (Dundee and Tayside)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the roll-out of the £2 bus fare cap to the city of Dundee and the wider Tayside area. (S7O-00247)
I thank Heather Anderson for her question, which has been posed to me by members across Scotland who have not yet been able to benefit from the £2 fare cap that we have introduced in the Highlands and Islands and in the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport area. The scheme covers 60 per cent of Scotland’s land mass and 50 per cent of our population. I give a commitment to Heather Anderson that I am keen to move at pace to continue the roll-out of the £2 fare cap across the rest of Scotland and will update the Parliament accordingly.
Somebody coming from Kirkton or Charleston to Dundee has to pay £3.35 for a single and, if someone is travelling into Dundee from Forfar, it is £5.90 each way. A £2 cap will mean much more money in people’s pockets, which will benefit not just them but, I hope, city centre businesses. Does the cabinet secretary understand how keen we are to see the roll-out of the £2 bus fare cap to Dundee and Tayside? Will he give us a wee glimmer of hope about how quickly he might get round to doing it?
Heather Anderson is absolutely right. We put in place the £2 fare cap, and it is our desire to implement it throughout Scotland, because we want to do what we can to combat the cost of living crisis and put more money back into people’s pockets. Fortunately, in Dundee, 67,000 or so people are able to access free concessionary cards, whether they are young, old or disabled. However, we want to go further and I reiterate that we want to move at pace. When I am able to provide the Parliament with an update, I will make sure to do so.
I welcome reports of an uptick in passenger numbers across the Highlands. However, as one constituent in Portmahomack put it to me, a £2 bus fare is no use if there is no reliable service. The issue is not just affordability but availability, so what consideration is the cabinet secretary giving to a new model that will give power to the communities that I represent over when and where their buses run? Will he also clarify what assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of the £2 bus fare cap on the far north line?
David Green makes an important point. We need more regular buses operating throughout Scotland. That is why, in recent months, the Government committed £55 million to improving infrastructure, and we have provided bus companies with the network support grant, which is worth, I think, £6.2 million, to ensure that they are able to operate routes, given the impact of the geopolitical crisis on fuel costs.
There is much more to be done, and I look forward to proactively engaging with David Green on that issue as part of consideration of the better buses legislation that we seek to introduce during this parliamentary session.
The £2 fare cap was secured by the Scottish Greens because we know that people need affordable public transport. However, a cheap bus that does not turn up or run frequently enough to serve its community is not really an example of an affordable public transport system. When the cap is rolled out in Dundee and the wider north-east region, will the cabinet secretary commit to a plan to improve the reliability, frequency and coverage of services? Will he work with us to bring those services back into public ownership?
It would be helpful for members of the Green Party to outline exactly what they would want that plan to look like. Over recent weeks, I have heard calls for nationalisation, for municipal ownership and for franchising. If there is a clear direction of travel that the Greens want us to go down, they should be explicit about it.
I am very happy to work with Maggie Chapman and others across the chamber to ensure that we get reliable buses in place across Scotland. That is why we have put £55 million into the bus infrastructure fund and £6.2 million into the network support grant. There is much more to be done, and we are committed to doing it.
Can the cabinet secretary assure us that, by such times as the £2 bus fare cap comes to Dumfriesshire, there will be an adequate bus service for people to travel on?
I am still unsure on whether Mr Hoy wants us to spend public money on subsidising travel for the public. I am not sure whether his party has come to the point of welcoming the £2 bus fare cap, but I am sure that, in future contributions in the chamber, he will outline whether he supports the £2 bus fare cap to deal with the cost of living crisis that was caused by the Parliament that he loves.
Childcare (Rural Areas)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on ensuring that families, particularly those in rural areas, have choice and flexibility in accessing childcare services (S7O-00248)
We are committed to families in rural areas accessing high-quality childcare that meets their needs, with near-universal take-up of our existing offer of funded early learning and childcare for three-year-olds and four-year-olds.
As we set out in our programme for government, we will transform our childcare offer to provide a flexible system of support for children from nine months to the end of primary school. As we develop our plans, we will continue to engage closely with families, childcare providers, stakeholders and partners to ensure that the transformation delivers for families in rural and island communities.
I agree with the minister that the provision of childcare options for families who live in rural areas is vital for the success of children and families, as well as for strong local economies. That is why I was surprised that, earlier this month, the Scottish Government voted against a Liberal Democrat amendment on a commitment to improve rural childcare, despite resounding support from the rest of the chamber.
The minister’s party made a commitment to sustainable rural communities in its manifesto, and affordable childcare is key to that. Will she work with the Liberal Democrats to make employment viable for more rural families?
The Scottish Government totally recognises how vital early learning and childcare is in rural and island areas, in relation to both giving children the best start in life and supporting families to work. We recognise that the provision of childcare is a key factor in allowing people in rural and island communities to enter and sustain training or employment and to start a business.
As members know, next year, a blueprint consultation will be launched on how to roll out the expansion of childcare from nine months to the end of primary school by the end of this parliamentary session.
As I am sure the minister will know, the benefits of spending time outdoors from a very young age are huge. The younger we can encourage a connection with our outdoors, the better. Whether it is a fully outdoor nursery, such as MAKI Pups in Lochgilphead, or a combined indoor-outdoor nursery, such as Patchwork in Dunoon, it has been clear to me on constituency visits how much the children love that experience. What action is the Scottish Government taking to support nurseries in providing more outdoor opportunities for children?
I saw at first hand the benefits of outdoor play for young children during a visit to Little Bugs nursery in South Queensferry earlier this month. It was impressive to see so many kids thriving in an outdoor environment.
The national standard for funded early learning and childcare ensures that outdoor play is a part of children’s everyday experience of funded ELC, and we have worked with the sector to develop the “Out to Play” guidance, which supports high-quality outdoor experiences. The latest data shows that children in ELC settings across Scotland spend, on average, 39 per cent of their time outdoors. We will continue to work with the ELC sector to support and promote outdoor play.
Question 10, in the name of Duncan Massey, was not lodged, but an explanation has been given.
That concludes general question time.