Chamber and committees

This information is available in the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (“SCTS”) quarterly fines data publication, found on the Official Statistics section of the SCTS website. Official Statistics | Scottish Courts (scotcourts.gov.uk)

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the Victim Surcharge Fund broken down in this way.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29572 on 17 September 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government remains committed to investing £500m in Whole Family Wellbeing to improve holistic family support so that families get the right support, in the right way and at the right time.

Since 2022 over £110m of Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) was invested by the Scottish Government to deliver a transformational change in holistic family support so that families get the right support, in the right way and at the right time. The funding was distributed as follows:

•£96m provided for Children’s Services Planning Partnerships (CSPPs) (Element 1) to build local service capacity for change and to transform family support services.

•£1.6m National Support for Local Delivery(Element 2), includes a package of activity aimed at supporting local transformation. This part of the funding also supports the wider evaluation and research work for WFWF.

•£13.1m for taking a cross Scottish Government approach to system change(Element 3) which is supporting 12 projects across Scottish Government policy areas to help progress the aims of the Programme.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. Court operational matters, including the system and arrangements for jury service, fall within the remit of the independent Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

The Scottish Energy Statistics Hub is an interactive tool which compiles data from over 70 different sources with different time lags for each data source. The Hub currently contains data beyond 2021-22, such as renewable electricity projects within the planning system in Scotland which is available up to and including the first quarter of 2024.

Due to technical issues there is currently a delay in updating statistics on the Hub. However, key energy statistics are published on the Scottish Government website.

In respect of offshore consenting, we have been planning for an increase in offshore wind applications for some time and aim to determine offshore wind farm applications within 12 months where possible, however we have been clear that more complex applications may take longer. The average timeline to determine consents for offshore wind is currently 11 months (down from 17 months pre 2015).Each application must be considered on its own merit, balancing the needs of all maritime users and the natural environment. Maintaining this balance will continue to enhance Scotland’s place as a world-leading destination for offshore wind investment.

The Scottish Government has conducted a thorough assessment of Commonwealth Games Scotland’s proposal for Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. That assessment has been conducted alongside Commonwealth Games Scotland, the Commonwealth Games Federation, Glasgow City Council, the UK Government and, most recently, Commonwealth Games Australia. The collaboration has been extremely positive and productive and has resulted in the finalisation of a strong event proposal that will help to support a new future for the Commonwealth Games and deliver economic and sporting opportunity for Scotland.

On that basis, I have written to the Commonwealth Games Scotland today to inform them that the Scottish Government will give its support for the proposal.

Scotland, and in particular Glasgow has built a track record of successful event delivery, including being the first to host newly modelled events such as the multi-city European Championships in 2018 and the more recent UCI Cycling World Championships in 2023. It is because Glasgow is a world class event hosting destination with the facilities and expertise required to deliver an event such as the Commonwealth Games that we are able to proceed. Glasgow will deliver a world -class sporting event which will reimagine the Commonwealth Games for future generations to come and support more of our Commonwealth partners to be able to host future iterations of the event. In return, this proposal will bring economic benefit to businesses in Glasgow and Scotland and support a programme of capital upgrades to a number of existing venues in Glasgow to create an additional legacy for public sports facilities and local communities.

The proposal will also ensure we retain the Commonwealth Games’s significant importance for Scottish sport. The Games allows our athletes to compete under their national flag, marks the pinnacle of sport for some Scottish Sports Governing Bodies and is a key influence in how Scottish performance funding is distributed. Glasgow 2014 provided a catalyst for success for many Scottish athletes, including those who won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; 25 of the 34 Scots on Team GB have competed for Team Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, including six of the nine medallists. This reimagined model will help to inform future Games and enable the Commonwealth Games Federation to encourage hosts for 2030 and beyond.

No public funding is required from the Scottish Government for the delivery of the event and the Scottish Government will not provide any financial underwriting. This has been clearly communicated in my letter to Commonwealth Games Scotland and will be included in the final legal documentation.

The Commonwealth Games Federation will cover the majority of costs using money secured in a compensation negotiation with the Victorian Government following their withdrawal as hosts in July 2023. The Commonwealth Games Federation have provided a further £20m of funding to support delivery of the event and required contingency: this includes a £5 million investment for Glasgow City Council to utilise for capital upgrades and a cultural programme. The UK Government has agreed to provide a ringfenced contingency funding of up to £2.3m that can be accessed if existing budget funds and contingency have been exceeded and all efforts to reduce costs have been exhausted.

An additional multi million pound investment has also now been accepted to support the Games to take place. The final quantum of investment and the balance of direct funding and contingency provision will be finalised shortly but Commonwealth Games Australia have indicated flexibility in their approach. The Scottish Government is grateful to Commonwealth Games Australia for agreeing to provide financial support to the event in recognition of the importance of the Commonwealth Games to Australia’s sporting system.

The additional amount of funding and investment agreed since negotiations began is in excess of £24 million. That funding will be supplemented by commercial income from ticketing, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising.

The Scottish Government would like to thank Commonwealth Games Scotland for the leadership they have shown in developing this proposal and to partners, for their engagement and contributions to enable us to reach this point. The Commonwealth Games Scotland Board will now make a formal decision on whether to proceed. If it decides to proceed, it will seek approval to host from the Commonwealth Games Federation and undertake final work with partners to ratify an agreement for Scotland to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Commonwealth Games Scotland and the Commonwealth Games Federation will make further announcements in due course.