Chamber and committees

A progress update on the Fiscal Framework was published in December 2023 - Progress Publication, December 2023: Fiscal Framework between Scottish Government and Local Government (www.gov.scot) . We continue to work closely with COSLA and our shared intention is to agree and publish the framework in advance of Budget 2025-26.

The Scottish Government fully values the importance of the music industry to Scotland’s culture, and the role venues play in the talent pipeline.

We have committed through the New Deal for Business to engage with industry to explore non-regulatory solutions to deliver policy objectives across Scottish Government. We are sympathetic to the needs of grassroots venues and are engaging with stakeholders to understand how we can best support industry-led initiatives.

The Scottish Government, along with Health Boards and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), is actively considering opportunities to allocate funding to deliver activity utilising the £30 million investment announced by the First Minister on 1 April. This funding is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce backlogs in orthopaedics, ophthalmology, diagnostics and cancer backlog by maximising the use of local and national resources across Scotland.

Once we have concluded this process we will provide a breakdown of how the funding has been allocated by Health Board.

The initial £30 million of targeted investment is the first instalment of a £300 million plan over the next three years to help reduce waiting lists, subject to the Scottish Budget process.

Decisions on the Government’s spending plans for future years are subject to the outcome of the annual Scottish Budget setting process and associated approval by the Scottish Parliament. In-year revisions to the 2024-25 Scottish Budget are subject to parliamentary approval in the same way.

The Scottish Government, along with Health Boards and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), is actively considering opportunities to allocate funding to deliver activity utilising the £30 million investment announced by the First Minister on 1 April. This funding is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce backlogs in orthopaedics, ophthalmology, diagnostics and cancer backlog by maximising the use of local and national resources across Scotland.

Once we have concluded this process we will provide a breakdown of how the funding has been allocated by Health Board.

The initial £30 million of targeted investment is the first instalment of a £300 million plan over the next three years to help reduce waiting lists, subject to the Scottish Budget process.

Decisions on the Government’s spending plans for future years are subject to the outcome of the annual Scottish Budget setting process and associated approval by the Scottish Parliament. In-year revisions to the 2024-25 Scottish Budget are subject to parliamentary approval in the same way.

As Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy, I have recently taken on responsibility for this matter from the former Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants' Rights. The NBHS, as it stands, prohibits the use of direct emissions heating in all new buildings only, from 1 April 2024, and in certain types of conversions where reasonably practicable. We recognise that heating for emergency use will be needed and the NBHS permits fixed systems which may include woodburning stoves for emergency use where this is justified – this is in direct response to feedback from rural communities recognising concerns about supply.

Portable heaters are not within the scope of building regulations and therefore do not need to be referenced in a building warrant application. Accordingly, we would not seek to provide a suggested list. Those considering portable appliances for emergency heating will decide what common products and solutions are most relevant for their circumstances. However, we have heard the concerns raised over the past few weeks about the use of woodburning stoves, particularly in emergency situations, and are taking these fully on board. Initially, we are considering what further clarity is needed in guidance to address those concerns and will work with concerned parties, developers and Local Authorities to ensure any updates to the existing technical guidance address this comprehensively.

Assessment of the safety of walking routes is a responsibility of local authorities under section 51 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

The Scottish Government expects local authorities to keep their criteria for providing school transport under review and be flexible enough to take into account factors relative to the nature of the route, which might affect pupil safety. These factors are set out in paragraph 18 of the - School Transport Guidance 2021 (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. At present, Scots law does not provide for a specific criminal offence relating to conversion practices, nor is there another basis for any bodies to collect such data.

Both the independent Expert Advisory Group on Ending Conversion Practices and the Equalities, Human Rights & Civil Justice (EHRCJ) Committee heard from people in Scotland with recent lived experience of conversion practices. Each produced reports which provided insight into the prevalence and types of conversion practices used in Scotland.

In their report of 25 January 2022, the EHRCJ Committee concluded that sufficient research and evidence is available in relation to conversion practices in Scotland and recommended that the Scottish Government does not duplicate evidence gathering already undertaken.

The UK Government’s National LGBT Survey, conducted in 2017 identified that, in Scotland, 7% of ‘LGBT’ respondents had either undergone or been offered ‘conversion therapy’.

The Scottish Government funds Sustrans to undertake the annual Hands Up Scotland survey which provides information on the mode of travel to school used in Scotland. The most recent survey report was published in May 2023. It showed that in 2022, the percentage of school pupils travelling actively to school, either by walking, cycling, scootering or skating, was 49.4%.

During the initial passage of the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Act 2020 (the EURO 2020 Act), the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee’s report included a recommendation, which the Scottish Government accepted, that a formal evaluation of the operation of the legislation’s provision in practice should be undertaken.

Any scope to report on, and evaluate, the EURO 2020 Act was severely limited due to the Coronavirus pandemic’s impact. The rescheduled event took place in 2021 with a limited number of spectators present. Public health considerations were of paramount importance and a number of mitigations were put in place for the event in order to reduce the risk of transmission. Glasgow City Council oversaw compliance with these measures.

The Scottish Government was unsuccessful in procuring an independent evaluation of the operation of the measures provided for by the EURO 2020 Act and associated regulations. However, feedback on operation of the legislation was gathered from event partners, including Glasgow City Council and UEFA.

A summary of feedback received from partners was as follows:

• Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have not received any reports under the EURO 2020 Act. As far as COPFS officials are able to identify, COPFS did not receive any reports in relation to ticket touting, illegal street trading or illegal advertising with offence dates between 11 June and 12 July 2021.
• Glasgow City Council noted that the legislation was essential in ensuring restrictions could be put in place. However, it would have been useful for event partners to have agreed upon the requirement to implement legislation sooner, particularly had the original 2020 dates taken place. This would have allowed for a fuller public consultation and more notice to traders of the restrictions being implemented;
• The Scottish Football Association echoed the point around the need for identifying a legislative solution sooner, in the context of the originally scheduled EURO 2020. However, the Scottish Football Association recognised that the Scottish Government successfully managed to expedite a process, timetable and resource base that provided considerable comfort and confidence to key project stakeholders – UEFA, the Scottish Football Association, and Glasgow City Council; and
• UEFA noted that, despite the strong and clear wording of the legislation, implementation of the legislation was challenging. Whilst UEFA considers that Glasgow City Council Trading Standards’ level of resource and patrolling was sufficient, it has also observed that Glasgow City Council Trading Standards did not feel comfortable going above and beyond what they would do in normal circumstances against infringing activities.

The summary feedback set out above – along with the more detailed findings collated by officials as part of this exercise – will be used to inform the public consultation of EURO 2028: commercial rights protection which was launched on 2 May 2024.

Scotland will co-host EURO 2028 as part of a joint UK and Ireland Championship. The event is expected to take place in Summer 2028 and last around four weeks.

We are working closely with a range of partners, including the UK Government, Welsh Government, Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government, to deliver EURO 2028.

Some mega sporting events require specific legal protections. For EURO 2028, UEFA has requirements to protect its own and event sponsors’ and licensees’ commercial rights during the event. It also usually requires restrictions on ticket touting. The Scottish Government has today launched a survey at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781836012108 seeking views from anyone with an interest in EURO 2028 commercial rights protection.

UEFA’s requirements for EURO 2028 are not yet confirmed. The proposals set out in the consultation are based on government guarantees made to UEFA when bidding for EURO 2028, and experience from EURO 2020 when Scotland was one of eleven host nations. That event was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

For EURO 2028, it is likely UEFA will require protections, including relevant criminal offences and enforcement powers, around:

• Unauthorised street trading
• Unauthorised advertising
• Unauthorised resale of tickets

The survey seeks views on:

• What the impacts were of the measures put in place for UEFA EURO 2020, which took place in 2021;
• How business could be impacted by the measures that are likely required by UEFA for EURO 2028; and
• What kinds of measures and exemptions would be most appropriate to meet likely UEFA requirements.

The survey will be open for 12 weeks, from 2 May 2024 to 26 July 2024.