Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is progressing work with the fishing industry, offshore wind developers and other stakeholders to explore potential options for addressing the impacts of offshore wind developments on fishers.

Scotland follows the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), the independent expert body that advises all four UK nations on screening programmes.

On 28 May 2026, the UK NSC recommended that prostate screening should be offered to men aged 45 to 61 who have both a confirmed BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. We have accepted this recommendation.

The UK NSC currently does not recommend prostate screening for other groups of men. It has found that there is not yet a suitably accurate test for a national screening programme of asymptomatic men, and there is currently insufficient evidence that the benefits of screening outweigh the risks for other groups of men.

However, ongoing research studies, such as TRANSFORM, will provide new evidence about screening other potentially higher-risk groups and different screening methods. The UK NSC is monitoring emerging evidence closely and will consider whether it supports expanding their current recommendation. The Scottish Government and NHS partners are exploring what would be required to extend prostate cancer screening to other groups should the UK NSC expand its recommendation.

Implementation of the Scottish Government’s Feminist Approach to International Relations is underway across ministerial portfolios, following the publication of the position paper in 2023, with ministers and officials continuing to apply its principles to policy development, programme design and international engagement.

For example, we are delivering our participatory Women and Girls Fund in our international development partner countries of Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. This programme seeks to both advance gender equality and equalise power with the Global South through supporting women and girls in our partner countries to define and meet their own priorities.

In the climate action and rural affairs portfolio, the Scottish Government is continuing to put climate justice at the heart of our international action. We are embedding participatory approaches in our programmes and mainstreaming gender equality considerations by addressing structural inequality and ensuring all programmes have specific gender equality objectives.

Future Farming Investment Scheme grants were paid in advance specifically to give businesses the cash flow to make the approved investments, which was one of the main barriers experienced with previous schemes. Verification before Basic Payment Scheme payment protects public funds by ensuring funds were used as agreed, and establishing whether any grant is recoverable before further support is paid. The Scottish Government has extended the deadline for businesses to submit evidence to 30 September, providing additional flexibility. As of 15 September 2026, 423 beneficiaries are still to provide evidence that the funded investment was carried out.

The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned about the devastating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the impact it continues to have on civilians, including students whose education and future prospects have been profoundly affected by conflict and displacement.

Power over immigration is reserved to the UK Government and this includes decisions regarding safe and humanitarian routes to the UK for students in conflict settings. We welcomed the introduction in 2025 of the scheme enabling students from Gaza to travel to Scotland for study. The initiative supported 27 students on fully funded scholarships to take up places at Scottish universities during academic year 2025-26.

Scottish Ministers pushed the UK Government to continue these arrangements and it is welcome that they have resumed for academic year 2026-27.

We are urgently working with the UK Government and Scottish universities to make sure as many students as possible who meet eligibility criteria can begin their scholarships in Scotland.

Scottish universities, including Universities of Sanctuary, remain committed to supporting students affected by conflict and displacement. Together, we are providing humanitarian support to the people of Palestine and have already committed to explore how we can further support students from Gaza, including through the development of a new postgraduate Scottish Gaza Scholarship Programme.

The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) is finalising its report and once completed, hopefully in the autumn 2026, will be published on the Commission’s website at -SAWC’s web page.

The National Trust for Scotland are reviewing the positive and negative implications of both current and alternative options for managing the sheep of St Kilda, and these are matters for the National Trust for Scotland rather than the Scottish Government.

The National Trust for Scotland has an email address that any questions concerning the review, can be sent to: [email protected]

Ministers are in the early stages of considering how to take forward this commitment and will provide details in due course.

Documentation supporting the ongoing assurance process for both facilities continues to be developed, reviewed and updated as the programme progresses. Assurance work relating to the open-plan treatment area within the ANCHOR Centre remains ongoing and includes consideration of operational procedures, ventilation arrangements, risk assessments and analysis of patient and infection data.

Decisions regarding the publication of operational records and project documents relating to the Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre are a matter for NHS Grampian, which is responsible for delivery of the programme. Requests for information are considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and other relevant legislation.

The Scottish Government is still in the process of developing its position on the keeping of exotic animals as pets. To ensure our position is balanced and informed by evidence, we continue to engage with relevant stakeholders and review available research, reports, and data, including reports produced by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission and Scotland's Rural College.