Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s guidance on Welfare at the Time of Killing in Salmon Farming, published on 17 July 2025, is based on the recommendations made by the UK Government's Animal Welfare Committee and developed in conjunction with the Scottish farmed salmon industry, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and animal welfare organisations.

Currently all salmon killing facilities operate CCTV on a voluntary basis.

Scottish Government officials are members of the trout working group, consisting of representatives from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the other devolved administrations and the trout industry, to develop industry-led guidance. However, at this time we do not have a date for the completion of this work.

There are currently no NICE or British Society for Rheumatology clinical guidelines specific to hEDS/HSD, reflecting the current limitations in the evidence base to support their development at this stage.

In Scotland, clinicians can access national decision support resources through Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Right Decision Service, including guidance relating to the assessment and referral of people presenting with hypermobility, suspected hEDS and related HSD. This supports a more consistent approach to decision making, alongside local clinical pathways and governance arrangements.

The development of national evidence-based clinical guidance in Scotland is led by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), within Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The availability and operation of police custody facilities are an operational matter for Police Scotland. Police Scotland keeps custody facilities under regular review and are overseen in this by the Scottish Police Authority as part of its responsibility for delivering effective, safe and sustainable custody services across Scotland.

Police Scotland’s Estates Masterplan sets out their ambition to modernise the policing estate, including the aim to develop a custody estate that meets modern standards and better meet the needs of the future. This will be supported through its revised estate strategy which I expect to be published later in September 2026.

The Scottish Government recognises the distress caused when cats are involved in road traffic collisions.

The requirement to report collisions involving animals is set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988, which is reserved to the UK Government. As such, the Scottish Government has no current plans to add cats to the list of animals that must be reported to the police following a road traffic collision. We remain willing to consider opportunities to work with the other GB administrations on measures that improve the welfare of animals in Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament’s Working Group on tenement maintenance made recommendations for the creation of compulsory Owners' Associations, Building Reserve Funds and 5-yearly Building Surveys.

Views expressed by Under One Roof and The MCS Foundation that all Working Group recommendations need to be implemented are being considered by my officials in the work they are undertaking to fully consider options available in reforming the Tenement (Scotland) Act 2004. I will be happy to provide an update when the current scoping work has been completed.

The Scottish Government is committed to taking action to deliver the changes needed to support owners and ensure common property is protected and preserved for the benefit of future generations.

Owners of tenement properties have a shared responsibility to maintain the tenement. However, we know that tenement properties with multiple owners often struggle to organise and finance shared repairs, maintenance and enhancement works.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report by Under One Roof and The MCS Foundation. We know there are challenges involved in setting up such a scheme, a range of additional measures would be required to encourage coordinating and paying for repairs.

Policy officials are currently undertaking scoping work, which includes looking at this issue, giving sufficient time to explore many other issues, engage with key stakeholders and develop proposals.

The Scottish Government understands how important it is to embed collaboration is to the delivery of our shared priorities. In the Programme for Government, we announced the development of a Scottish Prevention Investment Framework, which aims to provide a consistent approach to identifying, assessing and prioritising investment in prevention and early intervention, helping direct resources towards actions that improve outcomes for people and reduce future demand on public services. Collaboration with external parties, including with philanthropists and the third sector, will be part of the development of this Framework.

The Scottish Government is aware that administering authorities of the Scottish Local Government Pension Scheme do not currently report on the level of investment in Scotland. This is a complex matter, and officials are already engaging with the administering authorities about standardising reporting.

Inclusion of this indicator for voluntary use by local authority led Community Wealth Building (CWB) partnerships was agreed by parliament following scrutiny of the legislation by the lead Committee.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the future development of foundation apprenticeships within the wider context of work-based learning and qualifications reform. The Scottish Funding Council(SFC) will take on responsibility for securing and funding the delivery of foundation apprenticeships under current arrangements on 1 April 2027, ensuring continuity for learners. Any changes to commissioning arrangements will be considered with the SFC and partners taking into account the evidence and learning from the delivery of foundation apprenticeships to date.

As hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems become embedded within routine diabetes care, funding for their ongoing provision, including £14.4 million for consumable costs, has been incorporated into NHS Board baseline allocations for 2026-27 as part of the wider £17.6 billion allocated to NHS Territorial Boards.

NHS Territorial Boards are responsible for planning and delivering services in line with national clinical guidance and local need. On 29 May, Ms Constance wrote to Boards making clear the expectation that funding transferred into baseline allocations should continue to support people with type 1 diabetes using closed-loop systems and seeking assurance that it is being used as intended.

To inform future decisions on access, the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee to examine options for further expansion of HCL systems. This work has been completed and is being considered as part of planning for the 2027-28 Budget.

There are currently no plans to establish national targets or timelines for further rollout.