Chamber and committees

::The Scottish Conservatives have been calling for an inquiry for months, but there has been no urgency from the Government—none whatsoever. It was confirmed in November 2025 that we did not know the true scale and nature of grooming gangs. I even asked a question on it, and it has taken the Government four months to come to the chamber today to announce an inquiry. What concerns me more is that the cabinet secretary seems unable to tell Parliament what further information has come to light for the Government to change its mind.

The inquiry needs to be fearless and fully transparent and, most important, it needs to have victims at its heart. The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee considered a petition that called for a national whistleblowing officer to be established. Will the Scottish Government now consider that, to give whistleblowers the confidence to come forward and stand up for victims, so that victims get the justice that they deserve?

The Scottish Conservatives have been calling for an inquiry for months, but there has been no urgency from the Government—none whatsoever. It was confirmed in November 2025 that we did not know the true scale and nature of grooming gangs. I even asked a question on it, and it has taken the Government four months to come to the chamber today to announce an inquiry. What concerns me more is that the cabinet secretary seems unable to tell Parliament what further information has come to light for the Government to change its mind.

The inquiry needs to be fearless and fully transparent and, most important, it needs to have victims at its heart. The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee considered a petition that called for a national whistleblowing officer to be established. Will the Scottish Government now consider that, to give whistleblowers the confidence to come forward and stand up for victims, so that victims get the justice that they deserve?

Good morning. We have already touched on the premiums, so I will not go back to questions on those. However, the committee heard last week about a number of circumstances that may arise in rural areas where properties might need to be left empty for periods of time. One example that was given was operational rural accommodation linked to estate operations. I am looking for more information from the cabinet secretary on whether the Scottish Government will provide guidance for local authorities to help to ensure consistency in how those properties are treated.

:I am still a little bit concerned, because I believe that there is a risk that local authorities are, in effect, incentivised to not exempt such properties because of the additional income that they might get from generating those types of policies. How does the cabinet secretary propose to mitigate that?

:That is helpful. Thank you.

:Good morning. Cabinet secretary, you touched on the fact that the exemption will apply to buildings of more than six units. How did the Scottish Government take account of the differences between urban and rural settings when arriving at that definition?

:That is helpful to know.

Cabinet secretary, you mentioned earlier that you hope to incentivise turning short-term lets into longer-term tenancies. However, measures being brought in by this Scottish Government, particularly during this parliamentary session, will not incentivise people to enter the private rented sector in order to bring those homes in and create longer-term rental properties. What is the Government’s overall strategy? If the Government continues to disincentivise the private rented sector, the proposed measure will not achieve the desired outcome.

:Thank you.

The First Minister will be aware of the report on the unannounced inspection of Skye house in August 2025. I share the Government’s concerns about the report’s findings regarding culture, staff resourcing and the use of restraints and other cruel practices. However, the report does not address the journeys of young people and how they entered Skye house in the first place. I am concerned that, when parents and carers raise concerns about culture in our national health service and social work departments, they are being met with a defensive response and an attempt to shut down such concerns without any accountability or willingness to improve services.

Will the First Minister now instruct a review of child and adolescent mental health services, NHS boards and social work services to discover how many concerns have been raised in respect of culture, to prevent young people from being failed and, ultimately, put in institutions that risk causing more harm than good?

The First Minister will be aware of the report on the unannounced inspection of Skye house in August 2025. I share the Government’s concerns about the report’s findings regarding culture, staff resourcing and the use of restraints and other cruel practices. However, the report does not address the journeys of young people and how they entered Skye house in the first place. I am concerned that, when parents and carers raise concerns about culture in our national health service and social work departments, they are being met with a defensive response and an attempt to shut down such concerns without any accountability or willingness to improve services.

Will the First Minister now instruct a review of child and adolescent mental health services, NHS boards and social work services to discover how many concerns have been raised in respect of culture, to prevent young people from being failed and, ultimately, put in institutions that risk causing more harm than good?