Chamber and committees

In recent years, there has been a significant growth in awareness of neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD. Demand for ADHD diagnosis, treatment and support has risen significantly, placing considerable pressure on services across Scotland.

We want all individuals with neurodevelopmental needs to be able to access support based on their individual needs, rather than having to wait for a diagnosis before help is available. Our aim is that people receive the right support at the right time, regardless of whether they have, are seeking, or require a diagnosis.

For children and young people, in 2026-27 we have provided additional investment of £7.6 million for improvements in neurodevelopmental support including for ADHD, to help support implementation of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People. This funding has been distributed to local authorities for local areas to build on existing services and invest in flexible support that reflects local needs and circumstance.

We are also providing an additional £28 million from 2025-2026 to develop the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) education workforce along with an enhanced offer in support, spanning all stages of the curriculum. Further funding of £1 million has also been made available to support national initiatives to help to recruit and train more ASL teachers,

In addition, for adults with neurodevelopmental conditions, we are aiming to publishing the Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathway Route-Map next month. This sets out how we will be taking forward the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ stepped care approach to support for adults with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD. Our approach focuses on ensuring access to support based on need whether or not someone has a diagnosis, making it easier for people to access the right support at the right time through a range of community and specialised services.

More Homes Scotland will be a delivery-focused executive agency with a clear remit to support the delivery of more homes of all tenures across Scotland.

The Agency's detailed delivery programmes will be set out through the Scottish Government’s budget process.

Scottish Household Survey results on percentage of adults reporting that neighbour disputes were very or fairly common in their neighbourhood, by year and by local authority area, are publicly available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/neighbourhoods-communities-2023-findings-scottish-household-survey/documents/ (see table 2.31 in the OpenDocument Spreadsheet).

Neither myself nor the Cabinet Secretary for Justice have met with any sex worker-led organisations since the beginning of the current parliamentary session.

The Scottish Government has established the independent Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland. The Commission operates independently of Ministers and is responsible for determining its own programme of stakeholder engagement. In carrying out its remit, which includes ensuring its work is informed by survivors and those with experience of prostitution, the Commission may choose to engage with sex worker-led organisations where it considers that appropriate.

The Scottish Government has no plans to amend the legislation governing alcohol at football at the current time and therefore has no plans to conduct evaluations to support such a change.

The Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex operates independently of the Scottish Government and is responsible for determining how it undertakes its work, in line with its published Terms of Reference: Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland: Independent Commission - terms of reference - gov.scot

The Commission’s Terms of Reference make clear that its work will be informed by the views and experiences of people with experience of prostitution. Decisions on how those views are sought, including which individuals and organisations are engaged with during the course of its work, are matters for the independent Chair and Commission members.

Scottish Government officials have engaged with organisations representing landlords and tenants, advice bodies, and other interests across the rented housing sector and their views will inform the purpose and scope of the review.

Engagement with stakeholders will continue throughout the review to ensure it continues to be informed by a broad range of perspectives.

Individuals who have received a private diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition – including ADHD – may seek ongoing care and medication through NHS services. However, any decisions regarding ongoing treatment, including prescribing, remain matters for individual NHS clinicians following consideration of each individual’s circumstances and relevant clinical information. GPs are not obliged to follow the recommendations of a private provider. Decisions about prescribing remain a matter of clinical judgement as part of clinicians’ overall responsibilities for ensuring patients receive appropriate care.

The Scottish Government works with stakeholders, including the National Autism Implementation Team (NAIT) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to consider how services can better meet the needs of people with neurodevelopmental conditions, including those who have sought private assessment. This complements our wider work to improve neurodevelopmental support through the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People and the new Adult Neurodevelopmental Pathway Route-Map, which will we are aiming to publish next month.

On 16 October, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and I visited Police Scotland in Aberdeen to hear from the team who delivered Operation Armour, and the technology Police Scotland is using to tackle the issue of the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters. We also discussed how to roll out best practice across Scotland, and the importance of prevention and diversionary activities in reducing crime.

Road Policing and local police divisions across Scotland are carrying out a week of dedicated action targeting the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters across Scotland from Monday 19 October as part of Operation Overlap. We continue to work with Police Scotland to ensure that it has the powers it needs to tackle the antisocial and criminal use of e-bikes and e-scooters in our communities.

The examples cited in the More Homes Scotland update illustrate different approaches to addressing barriers to housing delivery. As More Homes Scotland is developed, we will consider how lessons from projects such as Cowlairs and West Edinburgh can inform future approaches to accelerating delivery, unlocking development opportunities and attracting investment.