Chamber and committees

Costs of current public inquiries are published regularly on the website of each inquiry. Decisions on publication, including how costs are categorised and presented, are a matter for each inquiry and Chair.

The cost of a public inquiry varies depending on the nature and complexity of the matters under investigation, including the number of witnesses involved and the extent of any specialist expertise required.

Public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005 are independent of the Scottish Government. Given their role in investigating matters of significant public concern and identifying lessons for the future, it is essential that this independence is maintained.

The Inquiries Act 2005 places a statutory duty on the Chair of an inquiry to "act with regard to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost".

Information on the cost of each statutory public inquiry in each year since 1999 is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Collated information on the published costs of Scottish public inquiries since 2007 is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) paper, Cost-effectiveness of Scottish public inquiries - Cost-effectiveness of Scottish public inquiries - updated costs of 29 May 2025 (parliament.scot). As part of its review of the cost-effectiveness of Scottish public inquiries, the Finance and Public Administration Committee also sought information on costs from current and ongoing inquiries, with responses published on the Committee's webpage.

The Scottish Government does not provide funding for farrier training at colleges in England. There is currently no modern apprenticeship in farriery in Scotland, having been withdrawn in 2009 due to low demand. The Scottish Government is exploring the workforce demand for farriers through engagement with equine stakeholders and considering sustainable models of farriery training for the future.

The Scottish Government is aware that a number of NHS boards are developing or implementing broader service models that bring together support for people with long COVID, ME/CFS and other energy-limiting conditions. Based on information provided by NHS boards, the Scottish Government is not aware of any instances where referrals for long COVID assessment or treatment have been suspended specifically as a result of plans to merge long COVID services with services for other energy-limiting conditions. Some boards have reported service redesign activity or phased implementation of new models of care, while continuing to provide support through existing pathways.

NHS Boards are responsible for the planning and operational delivery of services for their local populations and are therefore best placed to provide information on referral arrangements and service changes within their areas.

We expect NHS boards to ensure that any service changes are managed in a way that minimises disruption to patient care and maintains access to appropriate assessment, treatment and support.

The Scottish Government are already taking practical action to address both the opportunities and risks of AI through Scotland's AI Strategy 2026-31 and its Action Plan.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is an operational matter for the Care Inspectorate, which is best placed to provide this information.

The composition of the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland’s expert panel has not yet been finalised. Ministers are currently considering recommendations from the Chair, Fiona Taylor QPM, regarding appointments to the panel, and information on its membership will be published once appointments have been confirmed.

While panel members are appointed by Ministers, the Commission operates independently of the Scottish Government. The Commission’s Terms of Reference provide that its work should be informed by people with experience of prostitution and by relevant expertise to support delivery of its remit and implementation.

The No One Left Behind: Employability Strategic Plan 2024-27 sets out the shared vision and priorities of the Scottish Government and Scottish Local Government, and is delivered through existing funding and partnership arrangements to drive continuous improvement and more effective outcomes. Since the publication of the Plan in 2024, the Scottish Government invested £76.7m in 24-25, £87.2m in 25-26 and up to £87.9m in 26-27 to deliver devolved employability services across Scotland. A range of cross-sector working groups and collaborative networks involving partners from across the public, private and third sectors, are progressing actions identified within the Plan helping to embed improvement across the employability system. The first Annual Report was published on 16 December 2025. The second Annual Report will be published later this year.

Section 5 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 contains a statutory child aggravation. This provides that where an offender commits the offence of abuse of a partner or ex-partner at section 1 of that Act, and in doing so, certain conditions relating to children are met, then the offence is aggravated by involving a child.

Where the aggravation is proven, the court must take that aggravation into account when determining sentence. It must also explain how the aggravation has affected the sentence (if at all) and record the conviction in a manner which shows that the offence was aggravated by reason of involving a child.

Section 14 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 required the Scottish Government to report on certain matters concerning the operation of the Act, including statistical information about the use of the aggravation concerning children and information about the experiences of witnesses, including witnesses who are children, at court. Reports published by the Scottish Government to meet this requirement can be found at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/domestic-abuse-scotland-act-2018-interim-reporting-requirement/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/domestic-abuse-scotland-act-final-reporting-requirement/.

With regard to support for children who are victims of domestic abuse, the Scottish Government provides funding to a range of specialist services that support children affected by domestic abuse through the Delivering Equally Safe Fund, recognising their experiences of abuse and distinct support needs. Funded services include programmes such as CEDAR (Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse Recovery), children's advocacy services, and counselling and support delivered by organisations including Action for Children, Children First and Women's Aid services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s multi-year investment in the Delivering Equally Safe Fund stands at almost £46m over the period 2026-2028. This includes funding which supports child survivors of domestic abuse through Women’s Aid groups, as well as funding to support the Safe & Together approach which trains practitioners to take a child centred response to domestic abuse.

Since 2022, we have awarded over £75m to victims' organisations as part of our commitments to putting victims at the heart of the justice system through the Victim Centred Approach Fund (VCAF) which funds provision of practical and emotional support to victims, survivors and witnesses or crime across Scotland. Much of this funding supports women who have experienced domestic abuse and their children; and some of the services funded through VCAF work specifically with young people, e.g. the Kibble centre's SAFE Service: a free, national community-based service specifically designed for children and young people aged 5 to 25 who have been victims of, or witnesses to, crime, offering both face-to-face and online support tailored to the family's needs.

Children in Scotland who are victims of, or who witness, domestic abuse and who are at ongoing risk of harm can access dedicated support through Bairns' Hoose. This brings child protection, health, justice and recovery services together in a single child-friendly setting to ensure children receive coordinated, rights-based and child-centred support thereby reducing the need for them to repeatedly recount traumatic experiences, promoting safety, participation and recovery. Supported by over £30m in funding from the Scottish Government, there are currently 10 Bairns' Hoose sites operating across Scotland.

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

A review of disclosure fees, including the appropriate model for PVG scheme fees, is included in Disclosure Scotland’s workplan for 2026-27. Any significant change to PVG scheme fees or modelling would be subject to public consultation before recommendations or decisions could be made.

This is an operational matter for Disclosure Scotland to advise on.

I have sought their advice, and Disclosure Scotland’s last review of fees concluded in January 2025, with The Fees for Scheme Membership and Disclosure Applications (Scotland) Regulations 2025 laid before Parliament on 3 February 2025, which came into effect on 1 April 2025. No fee review was commenced in October 2025.

Disclosure Scotland commenced work reviewing future fee approaches in 2026.