Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-34203 on 27 February 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

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

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 recognises the importance of housing support services. These services can enable older residents to live as independently as possible in their own communities.

Housing support is commissioned at a local level by Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships who are best placed to assess and respond to local needs. South Lanarkshire Council, along with South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership, are responsible for identifying need and ensuring that their residents receive any necessary housing support services.

The amount of peatland restored through the Peatland ACTION partnership since 2021, broken down by local authority area, can be found in the following table.

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

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

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

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

As set out in answer to Parliamentary Question S6W-34995 on 27 February 2025, the implementation phase of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce has now begun, and two Implementation Delivery Groups are being established to oversee swift delivery of all 44 recommended actions. One group, chaired by the Interim Chief Nursing Officer, will meet at the end of February and then recurrently every 6 - 8 weeks. A further Implementation Delivery Group will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and will meet in Spring and then every six months. These two Groups will ensure that priorities are clearly defined, progress is measurable, and key milestones are met. A detailed work plan and timeline to guide the delivery of the recommended actions will be agreed in Spring.

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 Budget 2025-26 freezes the Basic Property Rate for properties with a rateable value up to and including £51,000, delivering the lowest such rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row. It also provides a package of non-domestic rates reliefs worth an estimated £731 million, including the most generous small business rates relief in the UK, a 40% relief for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate, capped at £110,000 per business, and a continuation of 100% relief for hospitality premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart, and Scoraig), capped at £110,000 per business.

Based on Scottish Government analysis, using the non-domestic rates valuation roll and a snapshot of councils’ billing systems, Hospitality Reliefs in Scotland could benefit up to 13,000 properties, including up to 5,000 hotels, public houses and restaurants. Of these, we estimate that this relief, in combination with existing reliefs, could allow up to 300 hotels, public houses and restaurants to pay no rates at all in 2025-26 with up to 300 more benefiting from the 100% relief for hospitality premises in island and specified remote areas.

The precise number of premises that will benefit from these measures will depend on take-up of the relief and the ways in which businesses with more than one eligible property choose to claim relief in cases where the value of their relief is limited by the £110,000 per-business cap.

Further information on impacts with respect to the 100% relief for hospitality premises on islands and in specified remote areas has been published in an Island Community Impact Assessment which is available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2025/40/resources.

There are a number of factors which make it challenging to estimate the full economic impact of non-domestic rates relief. These include:

?where a relief is available nationwide comparisons with a control group of similar non-domestic properties would be limited by important differences, such as being a different property type or being outside of Scotland, allowing few meaningful comparisons;

• differences in the characteristics of businesses and organisations eligible for a particular relief;
• the unpredictability of the behavioural response to any changes in tax liabilities;
• the effects of a relief on businesses or organisations that have multiple properties, not all of which qualify for a given relief, or may be subject to the cap on the overall value of relief;
• difficulties in matching non-domestic rates valuation roll data to business level datasets to understand the effects of a relief on businesses economic outcomes and behaviour makes a business-based analysis resource intensive.

If they feel able to do so, young people and their families should raise concerns with staff or via the advocacy services available in the inpatient units, so that any issues can be resolved as quickly as possible.

Young people and their families can also contact the Mental Welfare Commission Advice Line for advice on rights and good practice to do with mental health and incapacity law, and care and treatment, or to raise a specific concern.

The Scottish Government continues to support the development of our ports, and the potential for new direct freight and passenger ferry services linking Scotland to Europe.

I have personally engaged with parties interested in introducing new ferry services, and Transport Scotland officials communicate regularly with potential operators and Scotland’s main ports.

The Scottish Government and its agencies have supported a number of maritime initiatives across Scotland, including establishing a Green Freeport at Forth Ports, which includes Rosyth. This involves both seed capital funding, along with businesses locating within the ports being able to access a package of devolved and reserved tax incentives.

We will continue to engage with port operators and others to explore opportunities for new commercial ferry services, so that Scottish exporters and passengers have more direct routes to and from Europe. However, the Scottish Government cannot subsidise routes in ways which would be anti-competitive beyond considering the availability of limited start-up grant funding opportunities for freight initiatives.