Chamber and committees

Currently, no members of the CMAL Board live in island communities.

Scottish Ministers have been clear in their desire to strengthen islander representation on the Boards of ferry bodies. Following the election officials will engage with Ministers regarding a new public appointments campaign for CMAL Non-Executive Board members.

Public bodies, as both employers and service providers, are responsible for ensuring that they comply with all relevant legal obligations. Following the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in FWS v Scottish Ministers, this duty specifically includes compliance with the Equality Act 2010. It is for each organisation to ensure that its policies and practices are legally compliant, and for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the regulator of the Act, to oversee and enforce compliance.

The EHRC’s revised Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations is currently with the UK Government for approval before it is laid in the UK Parliament for scrutiny. The Scottish Government responded to the EHRC’s public consultation on 25 July 2025 and continues to engage with the UK Government as the draft code progresses. We have been clear that, as the regulator of the Equality Act 2010, the EHRC has an important role in providing clarity for public bodies in this complex area of law, and that the Code will provide an opportunity for this clarity.

The Supreme Court Working Group is part of the Scottish Government’s core business, and its work does not create additional costs for the public. Meetings are held in a hybrid format, allowing members to join either online or in person as part of their normal duties.

When members attend in person, meetings take place in existing Scottish Government buildings, so no venue costs are incurred. No catering is provided, and members cannot claim expenses for travel to their usual place of work. This means that members do not incur, and cannot claim, any extra costs for attending these meetings.

The Scottish Government is working at pace to secure delegated functions from the UK Government to operate the Scottish Marine Recovery Fund (MRF), reflecting the UK Government’s reserved competence in this area.

In parallel, development of the fund’s financial and operational models is progressing, building on the high-level principles consulted on in 2025 to inform the final policy design.

The operational model for the MRF is complex, and work is ongoing both internally and with the UK Government to develop a compliant mechanism that will give full effect to the intentions of the Energy Act.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S6W-43500 on 12 February 2026 and S6W-35994 28 March 2025. 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 S6W-44254 on 19 March 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 continues to engage constructively with the European Union.

A summary of meetings held by Scottish Government Ministers, senior officials and Envoys with the European Commission (including its President), the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union since 2025, is set out in the following table.

This outline is not inclusive of frequent official-level meetings, nor the hosting and attendance of events, involving Scottish Government and EU participation. It also does not cover all engagements held between the Scottish Government and member states of the EU. A list of Scottish Government Brussels office events - which routinely feature EU institution speakers and guests - is available here: Scottish Government events in Brussels: 2021 to 2025 - gov.scot

Public bodies, as both employers and service providers, are responsible for ensuring that they comply with all relevant legal obligations. Following the UK Supreme Court’s judgment in FWS v Scottish Ministers, this duty specifically includes compliance with the Equality Act 2010. It is for each organisation to ensure that its policies and practices are legally compliant, and for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the regulator of the Act, to oversee and enforce compliance.

The Scottish Government - as both an organisation and an employer - must also ensure full compliance with the Supreme Court judgment. The Supreme Court Working Group continues to coordinate and drive the programme of work required as a consequence of the judgment, including the updating of relevant legislation, guidance, and internal policies. Actions delivered by the group are published on the Scottish Government website - UK Supreme Court Judgment (For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers): working group - gov.scot

Council Tax is a local tax and each local authority already has discretionary powers conferred by the existing legislative framework allowing them to provide appropriate support in such circumstances. This framework also allows councils to take individual circumstances, including bereavement, into account when deciding whether, and if so how, to vary the council tax liability of empty properties and second homes.

Further, empty properties are usually exempt from council tax where the liable person has died, and liability subsequently rests solely with the deceased person's estate. This exemption applies until a Grant of Confirmation has been obtained, and for up to six months thereafter provided the property remains unoccupied and ownership has not been transferred.

Scotland is the only country in the UK with a Tobacco and Vapes Retail Register. All businesses, regardless of size, need to be registered to be able to sell these products in Scotland. The register exists to support the enforcement of regulation on age restricted products given the public health harms of tobacco and vaping.

We remain committed to considering how the register could be improved including possible further conditions on registration to support our public health aims of reducing the use of tobacco and vapes.

Individual business owners are responsible for registering any business selling tobacco and/or vapes. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to £20k and possible imprisonment not exceeding 6 months. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register in their local areas.