Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has had no discussions with Public Health Scotland about this.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy and continues to work in partnership with SEPA and Keep Scotland Beautiful to deliver the Strategy's objectives under the key themes of behaviour change, infrastructure and services, and enforcement. This includes funding Keep Scotland Beautiful to take forward various actions, including local interventions and developing better data, with £320,000 provided in 2026-27. We will also implement relevant provisions of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 which will give local authorities more tools to use to take action on litter and flytipping and act as a deterrent.

Further details will be included in the Year 3 update and Year 4 action plan that will be published in November 2026.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

Dedicated work assessing the cumulative financial impact on individuals making multiple disclosure applications was undertaken in 2019 when a membership model was last under detailed consideration. The 2019 assessment formed part of five year user journey work done ahead of introducing the Disclosure (Scotland) Bill. This was referred to at page 35-36 of Financial Memorandum Disclosure (Scotland) Bill.

On 1 April 2025, the fee for a Level 2 PVG disclosure (previously a PVG scheme record) for an existing scheme member was reduced from £59 to £18 in line with the cost for the now defunct PVG short scheme record (a disclosure product which did not include criminal history information).

The Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland operates independently of the Scottish Government and is responsible for determining how it undertakes its work, including how it approaches stakeholder engagement. Ministers are considering recommendations from the Chair, Fiona Taylor QPM, regarding the appointment of expert panel members, and further information will be provided in due course.

The Commission's Terms of Reference make clear that its work will be informed by people with experience of prostitution. Decisions on which individuals, organisations or campaign groups are involved in, or engaged by, the Commission are matters for the independent Chair and Commission members, rather than the Scottish Government.

Fiona Taylor QPM was appointed Chair of the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland in March 2026 and has been undertaking extensive preparatory work to establish the Commission, including in regard to panel members.

Ministers are currently considering recommendations from the Chair regarding the appointment of expert panel members. No date has yet been set for completion of the appointment process. Further information on appointments will be provided in due course. The Commission will operate independently of the Scottish Government in accordance with its published Terms of Reference which determine how it carries out its work.

This is an operational matter for Disclosure Scotland their response is as follows:

Unit cost analysis in September 2023 found the average direct unit cost (including overheads from frontline operations) of producing a PVG scheme disclosure, including on existing scheme members, was £24.45 and the average full (including all overheads) unit cost was £50.50.

Work on future fee approaches will incorporate updates to this analysis.

The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with the Care Inspectorate regarding reported incidents in care services. Scottish Ministers are kept appraised of incidents, including any emerging trends.

The Care Inspectorate operates independently of, and at arm's length from, Scottish Ministers and is responsible for its regulatory, inspection and enforcement functions. It keeps its scrutiny and assurance arrangements under review and takes a risk-based approach to targeting regulatory activity where concerns are identified.

Where incidents identify potential issues with the regulatory framework, the Scottish Government works with the Care Inspectorate and other relevant partners to consider whether changes to legislation, policy or regulatory arrangements may be required. This may include considering whether existing powers, guidance, inspection approaches or enforcement tools remain appropriate and effective in protecting people who use services.

Any proposals for substantive changes would be developed and considered in line with the usual policy and legislative processes, including engagement with relevant stakeholders where appropriate. The need for any changes is considered on the basis of the evidence available and the circumstances of individual cases, rather than as an automatic consequence of a reported incident.

The Programme for Government set out our commitment to a three month period of intensive dialogue with partners to agree a clear and shared direction for the future of local governance in Scotland. A significant engagement programme is underway across Scotland with a wide range of stakeholders including council leaders and councillor groups, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) presidential team members and group leaders, education providers, care provider organisations and academics. Alongside this we are also holding a series of regional and national dialogue events with representatives from local communities and seeking wider views from members of the public through launch of an online engagement tool and the People’s Panel.

A summary of key engagements that have taken place to-date is included in the following table.

Table 1

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Care Inspectorate operates independently of, and at arm's length from, Scottish Ministers. Information on complaints relating to childminding services and any resulting regulatory action is held by the Care Inspectorate as part of its operational functions.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the socio-economic class background of individual apprentices. Skills Development Scotland publishes statistics showing Modern Apprentice starts by SIMD deciles.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all young people, including those living in deprived areas, have access to a wide range of modern apprenticeships. Graduate apprenticeships also play an important role in widening access to higher-level skills and qualifications, particularly for individuals who may not otherwise be able to pursue a traditional full-time university degree.