Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government publishes ‘Scottish Liquor Licensing Statistics’ on alcohol premises and personal licences that are in force, applications for such licences and reviews/proceedings relating to such licences. These statistics relate to administration of licensing under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and the information published is provided to the Scottish Government by individual licensing boards. This publication does not contain detail as to the nature of the premises being licensed and does not therefore include information as requested by the question.

The Scottish Government more generally does not collect the information sought and the member may wish to engage direct with Licensing Boards to obtain information on premises licences granted to football clubs. However, we understand from information provided to the Scottish Government by the SPFL that licences were granted in relation to the following matches:

12 July 2025 Arbroath vs St Mirren

12 July 2025 Stirling Albion vs Hamilton Academical

15 July 2025 Partick Thistle vs Stranraer

15 July 2025 Queen of the South vs Edinburgh City

19 July 2025 Queen of the South vs Ross County

22 July 2025 Partick Thistle vs Queen of the South

22 July 2025 Arbroath vs Annan Athletic

26 July 2025 Dunfermline Athletic vs Stirling Albion

27 July 2025 St Mirren vs Ayr United

15 November 2025 St Johnstone vs Queen’s Park

22 November 2025 Dunfermline Athletic vs Greenock Morton

22 November 2025 Kilmarnock vs Motherwell

06 December 2025 Dunfermline Athletic vs Arbroath

14 December 2025 Aberdeen vs Kilmarnock

20 December 2025 St Johnstone vs Greenock Morton

20 December 2025 Motherwell vs Dundee

20 December 2025 St Mirren vs Livingston

20 December 2025 Kilmarnock vs Falkirk

24 January 2026 Aberdeen vs Livingston

24 January 2026 Motherwell vs Kilmarnock

28 March 2026 Scotland vs Japan

30 May 2026 Scotland vs Curacao

There is specific law relating to alcohol at football matches in Part 2 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995. This is separate from licensing law under the 2005 Act and whilst all premises including in football grounds that wish to sell alcohol require a premises licence, it is for Police Scotland to enforce the specific law relating to alcohol being sold at football grounds under the 1995 Act provisions and licensing boards have no direct role in this area.

A strong domestic food production sector is essential for Scotland's food security, economic growth and life in our rural communities. That is why the 2026-27 Scottish Budget provided over £660 million in support to Scottish farmers, crofters, land managers and rural communities, including maintaining direct payments and investment in transforming farming and food production. At the same time, we are exploring whether statutory price caps on selected essential food items could help households facing cost of living pressures. Future proposals will be informed by the ongoing engagement with producers, processors, retailers and consumers, and the public consultation.

The Scottish Government Wildfire Strategic Oversight Group, (SOG), leads the review of the Wildfire Strategic Action Plan and has responsibility for governance arrangements.

The Group comprises representatives of the Scottish Government, The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, (SFRS), the Scottish Resilience Partnership, (SRP), the Scottish Wildfire Forum, (SWF), the National Fire Chiefs Council, (NFCC), the NFCC Tactical Group and the Scottish Wildfire Steering Group, (SWSG). Key stakeholders include Cairngorms National Park and Scottish Land and Estates members.

The review will consider whether the actions set out in the Action Plan remain sufficient in light of the lessons emerging from the Cairngorms wildfire and it will examine how wildfire preparedness, resilience and response arrangements can be strengthened. The SOG will consider the review findings and oversee the implementation of recommendations.

The Scottish Government’s investment in the R100 programme has brought faster, more reliable broadband to over 100,000 premises to date. The R100 Central and South contracts are now nearing completion, having extended coverage to more premises than originally planned; and having provided the vast majority with gigabit-capable full fibre, which exceeds the programme’s original superfast target.

The R100 North contract was due to complete in 2028. However, we have decided to align delivery of the remaining R100 North build with that of Project Gigabit in order to drive efficiencies and accelerate the deployment of whole area solutions. This consolidated approach to Openreach’s gigabit deployment will deliver better value, minimise disruption to communities and help maximise coverage across some of Scotland's most rural and challenging areas. To enable these benefits to be realised in full, deployment timelines have also been aligned around the current Project Gigabit completion date of 2030.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03653 on 8 October 2026. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03653 on 8 October 2026. 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.

I welcome this report from the Scottish Women's Convention on women's priorities, which has been developed by speaking to women from a wide range of backgrounds, communities, and with different experiences. I hope to discuss the report when I meet the Scottish Women's Convention in the near future and intend to provide a response to its findings, which I would be happy to share with the member.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03653 on 8 October 2026. 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 does not centrally capture information on the number of people appointed following recruitment processes in which the interview was conducted exclusively online. Consequently, the information requested, including a breakdown by employing body, job title or role and the percentage of all appointments represented, is not held.

All recruitment undertaken by the Scottish Government is conducted in line with the UK Civil Service Recruitment Principles, which require appointments to be made on merit following fair and open competition. Recruitment processes are designed to ensure candidates are assessed consistently, fairly and objectively against the requirements of the role.

Hiring Managers are supported through comprehensive recruitment guidance and policy frameworks which set out the requirements for planning and conducting assessment exercises, including interviews. In addition, managers involved in recruitment activity have access to training and support covering assessment methods, interviewing techniques, objective decision making, equality, diversity and inclusion considerations. This helps to ensure that recruitment decisions are evidence-based, consistent and aligned with Civil Service standards regardless of whether interviews are conducted online, in person or through a blended approach.

We do not hold the info requested. The fisheries management measures have been designed to meet the conservation objectives of MPAs and to protect priority marine features outside the MPA network and not designed to protect a set percentage of the inshore marine area. The level of protection required is determined on a site by site basis.