As set out under the Scottish Ministerial Code, the First Minister is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a Minister. The First Minister's Independent Advisers on the Scottish Ministerial Code have considered this matter fully and their report is now available at: Ministerial code investigation: complaint about Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs - gov.scot.

The First Minister has accepted the conclusions and recommendations of the report in full. A letter from the First Minister to the Justice Secretary can be found at: Ministerial Code investigation: First Minister letter to Justice Secretary - gov.scot.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, Local Authorities have a duty to manage and maintain local roads in their area to ensure the safe, convenient, and efficient movement of traffic. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing local roads, which is why decisions must be made based on specific local needs. It is not the role of Scottish Ministers to intervene in the day-to-day performance of these local road, local footway, and local grit provision duties.

We are, as you would expect, working closely with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council during the current severe weather. Mutual aid from Transport Scotland’s road operators Amey and BEAR has already been provided to Aberdeenshire Council including a total of 12 snow blowing and clearing assets currently operating out of Ellon and used for winter response operations.

I want to thank everyone who has worked so hard, day and night, to keep Scotland open and moving in this period of recovery. Public services have been collaborating well in sharing information and vehicles, while I have heard of truly exceptional efforts by farmers, volunteers and members of the public offering to clear local roads, dig out cars and keep people safe.

Community resilience has been strong but for many this has been a long period in sever snow conditions, with levels of snow not seen for many years.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with the Minister for Border Security and Asylum on 15 December where she raised the pressure that was being placed on certain local authorities in Scotland, especially Glasgow City Council, as a result of increased asylum decision making.

Everyone in Scotland has a right to support when they are experiencing homelessness and temporary accommodation if they need it in the short-term. Those assessed as unintentionally homeless should be offered a permanent home. We welcome efforts by the UK Government to clear the significant asylum backlog, but this must be properly planned and coordinated with adequate support and funding provided to support newly recognised refugees.

CalMac Masters are permitted to depart ahead of the advertised departure time if (a) all the necessary safety checks and procedures are complete, and (b) all passengers (who have checked in within the advertised check-in times) are onboard.

At RAI Committee, on 17 December, I answered directly that the Rural Support Plan would not be laid in Parliament or published in December 2025.

The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to prepare, lay and publish a Rural Support Plan and sets out requirements on the role, content, scrutiny, reporting and monitoring and evaluation of plans. Scottish Ministers are clear that we have a duty to lay a Rural Support Plan in Parliament as soon as practicable.

On 9 September, in answering S6W-39888, I set-out that it was our intent to lay and publish the Rural Support Plan in December 2025. That answer was provided in good-faith. Unfortunately the uncertainty caused by the much-delayed UK Government budget has impacted this process.

As a result of the choices made and the delays caused by the UK Government, the 2026-27 Scottish Budget process has rightly been moved into 2026. This budget process will inform the shape of the Plan and must be completed first.

Laying the first Rural Support Plan after the Scottish Budget is the right course.

Migration is vital for supporting sustainable communities, economies and public services in Scotland. Refugees are free to move within the UK and may do so for a variety of reasons including for work, study, family or community connections. Scotland is a diverse, multi-cultural society and it is important that all Scotland’s people are able to access the public services they need. Asylum and immigration are reserved to the UK Government, and we will continue to call for adequate resources to be provided to local authorities, particularly where increased asylum decision making places an additional burden on local services.

The Scottish Government fully supports driver education as an alternative to prosecution where appropriate, understanding how these courses can positively influence behaviour and align with our long-term goal of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads. It’s important to note that we are not only looking to bring in speed awareness courses but a full suite of courses aimed at lower-level offences where the aim is behaviour change rather than punishment.

We have undertaken an in-depth review of all of the leading studies in this area. For example a three year evaluation, previously published by DfT, found that course participation reduced the likelihood of reoffending within six months by up to 23%. It further highlighted that the course was more effective in reducing speed reoffending than the penalty points and fines typically associated with fixed penalty notices for eligible drivers. This positive impact appeared to persist for up to three years following participation. Although a direct link to a reduction in road traffic collisions was not established, it was determined that the speed awareness courses contributed to reduced reoffending rates, and it is reasonable to anticipate that course participation encourages safer driving behaviours, indirectly lowering future collision risks.

Additionally, in 2023, the Transport Research Laboratory conducted an evaluation of the majority of National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme (NDORS) courses, which found that overall the courses are having a positive impact on the various behaviours they target.

Due to the complexity of this issue, NatureScot does not hold annual data on the instances of predation of livestock by white-tailed eagles. Confirming the number of white-tailed eagle predation instances on individual holdings is challenging, especially in extensive sheep systems, where often lambs go missing without trace or there is very little carcass material left for analysis.

NatureScot work closely with farmers and crofters to better understand white-tailed eagle interactions with livestock on individual holdings.

This work includes analysis of flock performance data, white-tailed eagle prey remains analysis, installation of cameras on white-tailed eagle nests and funding for measures such as enhanced shepherding, which supports additional shepherds on extensive areas to collect data on a range of variables. In 2025, the Sea Eagle Management Scheme supported 36 shepherds across 19 holdings in this work. A report of this collaborative work will be available in due course.

As part of the reporting requirements of the Sea Eagle Management Scheme, participating holdings are required to submit annual Flock Management Log returns which collect data on flock performance in individual years and provide an opportunity for farmers and crofters to provide feedback on the efficacy of the support they have received and detail any ongoing challenges with predation.

Following the launch of Enhanced Measures support in 2020, NatureScot expanded this exercise and sought additional feedback from those in receipt of this support level, to inform stakeholder discussions and measure efficacy.

NatureScot staff are also in regular contact with participating holdings in the Scheme on the efficacy of support in mitigating any ongoing predation challenges.

Further information can be found at the following links: https://www.nature.scot/doc/sea-eagle-management-scheme-sems-review-scheme-delivery-2020-2023

https://www.nature.scot/doc/sea-eagle-management-scheme-2024-report-stakeholders.

Protecting children from harm is a key priority for the Scottish Government.

There are already relevant systems in place in Scotland to deal with complaints and whistleblowing. We have a framework in place which includes regulatory bodies which provide ongoing inspection, as well as complaint routes to look into specific cases. Adding another body or process into a system with a range of existing processes and functions risks increasing complexity and undermining understanding and clarity of roles.

We acknowledge however that concerns that have been raised in relation to complaints and whistleblowing processes and we are actively considering this issue. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills raised the concerns at the Education and Childcare Assurance Board in September 2025 and underlined the assurances she required about the robustness of these important processes. This issue has also been discussed by the National Public Protection Leadership Group who acknowledged the challenges with current whistleblowing procedures, especially in terms of clarity and confidence among staff to raise concerns and agreed to support further discovery work on this issue. The National Public Protection Leadership Group will be having a further detailed discussion on the issue at their next meeting on 27 January.