Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the concerns from both faith groups and heritage organisations following the decision of the UK Government to close the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. As soon as we were aware of this decision we strongly encouraged the UK Government to rethink their policy position.

We have engaged with key stakeholders, and Historic Environment Scotland to understand the implications for Scotland's listed places of worship. The previous scheme enabled eligible organisations to recover the equivalent of VAT incurred on repairs and maintenance, and its closure may increase costs for congregations undertaking essential works. We are aware that many places of worship face financial pressures, and we continue to assess potential options for support.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01271 on 21 July 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.

Due to clear recommendations by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, and the fact that the last relevant consultation was undertaken 10 years ago, the Scottish Government is committed to a consultation on a proposal to ban remote controlled training collars.

In October 2018 we published advisory guidance on dog training aids, including remote controlled training devices using a static pulse, commonly known as shock collars. The Guidance on Dog Training Aids was developed in discussion with animal welfare organisations including the Scottish SPCA, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club and BVA. It provides important advice on aversive training techniques, including electric shock collars, for both dog owners and those enforcing the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Scottish Government has long called for an effective Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Veterinary agreement to achieve some level of return to smoother, pre-Brexit, agri-food trade arrangements.

The Scottish Government welcomed the 19 May 2025 announcements (where the SPS outline agreement was described as part of the wider UK-EU reset summit and in a Common Understanding Document) – with the detail of the agreement yet to be finalized. Scottish Government officials have engaged with UK Government counterparts throughout the process on a range of issues, including animal welfare related matters.

The negotiations had been expected to conclude in advance of the UK-EU Summit, originally scheduled for the end of the month. However, following the resignation of the UK Prime Minister, the Summit has been postponed. Consequently, no further formal rounds of negotiation are expected to take place before September.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01615 on 5 August 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 remains committed to this work and the recent roundtable table discussion with industry, animal welfare organisations and academic representatives was the first steps in finding ways to ensure producer’s viability and improving sow welfare.

The Scottish Government will continue to listen and work with the industry and stakeholders to find ways for producers to transition towards implementing improved animal welfare methods and practices.

We are committed to making Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, visit and learn and will deliver on this through our BSL National Plan 2023-2029. The current National Plan 2023-2029 is ongoing, and Scottish Government will publish a midpoint Progress Report at the end of this year, which will include an overview of achievements and ongoing work.

Action 28 within the BSL National Plan recognises that hard-of-hearing and deafened people should have tools for them to communicate, including learning BSL.

There is currently no specific financial assistance available for hard of hearing and deafened people, funded directly by Scottish Government, to undertake accredited BSL learning.

Additionally, the Equalities, Human Rights, and Civil Justice Committee’s Report on the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 made recommendations, which Scottish Government has either fully or partially accepted. One of which was in relation to exploring the establishment of BSL courses. Work is in progress to scope this recommendation further.

We continue to work with and engage with our partners and stakeholders such as the Implementation Advisory Group (IAG) of the BSL National Plan to better understand the issues impacting on BSL users and their families and to address these issues.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of liver disease, which affects at least two million people across the UK and is often associated with harmful alcohol consumption and poor diet. Improving population health, tackling health inequalities and increasing healthy life expectancy remain key priorities, and we are committed to taking forward a range of evidence-based actions to address health harms associated with alcohol and less healthy food products.

Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan, published in March 2026, included a commitment to publish an Alcohol Harm Prevention Plan, which will set out the next steps to address alcohol-related harm in Scotland.

Alongside preventative measures, the Scottish Government is working with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and NHS Boards to develop a nationwide model for the early detection of alcohol-related liver disease. This builds on the learning from the innovative intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pilot pioneered by NHS Tayside. In addition, through the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, we have established a Specialty Delivery Group for Liver Disease to support improvements in care and outcomes.

The Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will come into force on 1 October 2026 to restrict volume price and location promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS), both in-store and online. The Regulations deliver a key action under the Population Health Framework and seek to make the balance of products on promotion healthier, reduce overconsumption of HFSS foods, and contribute to reducing population levels of overweight and obesity and their consequent health harms.

Scottish Government also recognises the link between liver disease and an increased risk of liver cancer. Cancer remains a national priority, and the forthcoming ten-year Cancer Strategy will place a strong emphasis on prevention, including action on cancers with poorer survival rates, such as liver cancer. Supported by an initial three-year action plan, the strategy will take a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

These are operational matters for Scottish Enterprise. I am advised by Scottish Enterprise that it employs two specialists advisors within the Cooperative Development Scotland team; one for employee ownership and one for co-operative models.

We continue to work closely with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations, where it is practical and sensible to do so, on how best to achieve measures that improve sow welfare.

This work is ongoing and there is currently no specific timetable for the completion of the consultation.