Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to expanding the beaver population across Scotland for the benefit of biodiversity, in line with Scotland’s Beaver Strategy.

Whilst we welcome the Glen Affric beaver translocation proposal, it is clear, that there remain concerns about the proposal among the local community.

NatureScot will therefore undertake some additional engagement to ensure the concerns around impact of beavers on land and fisheries managers has been fully explored ahead of any licensing decision. This process is in line with the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations in seeking to ensure there are acceptable mitigations in place.

We understand that there may be frustration around the timeframe for this licencing decision, but with proposals such as this we have to ensure the best chance of success for wildlife living alongside the people and communities most affected.

Formal teacher vacancy data has not been collected or published since 2010 following the results of a user consultation on proposals to cease a number of education data collections in order to minimise the response burden on schools and local authorities.

Informal teacher vacancy data was collected from local authorities between 2016 and 2019 for the purpose of informing annual teacher workforce planning. This data collection was stopped in 2020 to reduce the burden on schools and local authorities during the pandemic, and due to concerns about the effectiveness of the data in informing the teacher workforce planning process.

Current teacher vacancy information is available from individual local authorities or at www.myjobscotland.gov.uk.

No meetings were held with organisations or stakeholders to discuss the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers prior to the Supreme Court judgment as it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on live legal proceedings. Following the Supreme Court ruling on 16th April, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with key LGBTQI+ Equality stakeholders on 17th April to discuss the judgment and understand how the Scottish Government can support the LGBTQI+ community. The Scottish Government remains committed to advancing equality for LGBTQI+ people and will regularly meet with LGBTQI+ Equality organisations to ensure we continue to promote, protect and realise the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland.

The courts, tribunals and judiciary are independent of the government. This is necessary in order to preserve the independence of the judiciary and to protect it from political interference. Decisions on the livestreaming or other broadcasting of court or tribunal proceedings are ultimately a matter for the judiciary, supported by the relevant administrative body. Scottish Tribunals are administered by the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS). As such, the Scottish Government has not produced guidance regarding livestreaming of tribunal proceedings.

Certain tribunals including the Employment Tribunal in Scotland, the Immigration and Asylum Tribunal, and the Social Entitlement Chamber are reserved and SCTS and the Scottish Government has no remit over these.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Management of Transgender People in Custody Policy 2023 is in place for managing transgender people in prisons who may need access to additional property to assist them to live in their affirmed gender.

The procurement of these items is subject to the same level of assurance and approval processes as it is for all items requested by individuals living in prisons.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Each establishment has a stock of clothing for all individuals in our care. This is included within the annual clothing budget and is not considered as extra expenditure.

The total spent by SPS from 2021-22 to 2024-25 on wigs and other gender-affirming items was £168.60.

The next steps in the process for the Grangemouth Flood Protection Scheme are to be undertaken by the local authority.

Should Falkirk Council confirm the scheme in its current form and wish to access further Scottish Government funding, it will be necessary to demonstrate that the scheme, in whole or phased elements, is value for money, and assessed against other flood protection schemes across Scotland.

The First Minister most recently met the Chairman of the INEOS Group, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, on 25 April 2025 to discuss the challenges that the INEOS businesses at Grangemouth continue to face.

No such guidance has been issued to NHS boards or other public bodies.

The Scottish Government provides a range of advice and support for people experiencing bereavement.

Our emotional and wellbeing support for adults includes:

Providing funding to Cruse Scotland for the National Bereavement Helpline, which provides free listening and counselling support to people right across Scotland.

Since 2021, we have invested £66 million in our Adults Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund which supports a wide range of grassroots projects to provide compassionate wellbeing support. This fund prioritises supporting people experiencing bereavement and loss; and during 2023-24 we supported 196 such projects.

Working in partnership with Public Health Scotland and SeeMe to deliver a package of support for employers to enable them to support their employee's mental health more confidently; and we have already included a focus on grief and bereavement.

Our Mind to Mind website (hosted on NHS Inform) provides advice and information to the public about improving their wellbeing. The website includes advice and signposting information to support organisations for people (of all ages) who are experiencing grief and bereavement.

Our Suicide Prevention strategy and soon to be published new Palliative Care Strategy will set out the specific support available for people bereaved in these ways.

For children and young people, the loss of a parent can have a profound effect, so it is vital that support is provided at the right time, and in appropriate settings. Our emotional and wellbeing support for this group includes:

• Working with Education Scotland to review learning and teaching resources, as well as support for school staff, so that schools can play their role in supporting the needs of bereaved children and young people.
• Continuing to provide £16 million annually to local authorities to ensure that every secondary school has access to school counselling services.
• Schools being able to refer children and young people to the Seasons for Growth programme, which offers peer and small group bereavement support.
• Since 2016, our Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Funds have provided funding of £14.5 million annually to 115 organisations – including to Child Bereavement UK, Richmond's Hope, and Cruse Scotland who provide vital support to children and young people who are bereaved.

We recognise that the death of a loved one can cause financial and practical challenges for families. Our Funeral Support Payment provides a contribution towards funeral costs for those who receive a low-income qualifying benefit. Since launching the payment in 2019, we have provided £56.9 million of support to over 29,000 people. We are also committed to extending Carer Support Payments from 8 weeks to 12 weeks after the death of a cared for person, and this payment also connects carers to wider forms of support at this difficult time.