Chamber and committees

Scottish Government actions already underway in 2026-27 relevant to the SHRC’s report “Economic, social and cultural rights in the South of Scotland” include the allocation of around £3.5 billion to policies that tackle poverty and the cost of living, and a record investment of £2.3 billion for social care. Our £37 million Rural and Island Housing Fund has already benefitted a range of South of Scotland communities and we have invested over £10.4 million to Local Action Groups across the South of Scotland through our Community Led Local Development programme since 2021.

We are committed to looking at Fresh Start relief and we are undertaking a comprehensive review of non-domestic rates which builds on our commitment to examine the impact and configuration of all our reliefs in advance of the next revaluation on 1 April 2029. This is in line with the commitment we made in Parliament on 4 June when we supported Motion S7M-00249 (as amended) on wealth taxation for public services.

We want to ensure that the system supports economic growth, remains fair and proportionate, and provides sustainable funding for high-quality local services. At the same time, we must be mindful that any changes do not encourage rates avoidance.

Decisions on non-domestic rates and reliefs for Scotland are generally made at Budget, taking into account affordability and considering all government priorities.

Through the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE), every child and young person in Scotland is entitled to a broad general education that includes learning about food and health. The food and health experiences and outcomes within CfE provide opportunities for pupils to understand the impact of their dietary choices on their health, the economy and the environment. This learning is delivered across a range of subjects and activities.

The curriculum is currently being reviewed through Education Scotland's Curriculum Improvement Cycle to ensure it remains relevant, forward-looking and supports improved outcomes for learners.

Whilst recruitment is a matter for local authorities, the Scottish Government is supporting workforce stability through the £1 million Teacher Recruitment Assistance Fund (TRAF). The fund helps councils address recruitment and retention challenges in rural and island communities by strengthening local incentive packages, such as relocation and housing support, to attract and retain teachers in hard-to-fill posts.

We are also supporting recruitment through a range of measures, including a national teaching recruitment campaign, routes to enable additional registration for qualified teachers where appropriate and £12,500 teaching bursaries for individuals wishing to undertake a one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in the hardest to fill teaching subjects, including Home Economics.

The Scottish Government notes the findings of the Care Inspectorate report on Serious Incident Reviews between 2024 and 2026. The provision of Justice Social Work services is a matter for the local authorities who have a legislative duty to provide advice, guidance and assistance to those within the justice system.

The Outline Business Case for Strathclyde is available on the Transport Scotland website (https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/outline-business-case-for-the-2-bus-fare-cap-in-strathclyde/) and considers the impact of changes in fares and passenger demand on the overall cost of the scheme. It assumes average fares will increase by around 10% in the first year of the scheme. The analysis indicates that, if fares increased by a further 10 percentage points, overall scheme costs would increase by around 17.5%.

The Outline Business Case also models increased passenger demand. Its two central scenarios assume demand increases of between 19.1% and 38.2%, which would increase overall scheme costs by between £6 million and £21 million above the baseline estimated cost of £85 million.

Recognising that the significant increases in fuel costs, resulting from the conflict in the middle east, drive up operating costs which can have impacts on fares and service levels. To help mitigate the cost of living crisis on passengers, we have provided an additional £6.2 million in grant support to help operators maintain services and limit fare increases.

The AROS Host contract with the University of Strathclyde commenced in June 2025. The initial mobilisation phase focused on recruitment and building the organisational foundations needed to make AROS a reality. This included recruiting the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), wider staff team, and an Advisory Board. Co-CEOs and a senior leadership team were recruited, and came into their posts between December 2025 and January 2026.

AROS is independent of the Scottish Government and is responsible for setting its own vision and priorities. However, the Scottish Government meets regularly with the AROS host team at the University of Strathclyde and AROS leadership to monitor delivery of the host contract and discuss and track progress in implementing the Observatory’s work programme.

AROS has made good progress in its first ten months of being operational. It has developed its vision of creating the conditions in which anti-racism scrutiny, accountability, implementation and monitoring are routine across Scotland’s public sector. This includes ongoing engagement with adversely racialised communities through trusted regional organisations, partnerships with Regional Equality Councils and the establishment of regional Hubs through which AROS will operate, as well as the recruitment of a lived-experience panel. Technical scoping work is underway to establish a digital, interactive library that should improve access to anti-racism evidence; a demonstration version is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027 which will be tested out with the lived experience panel and other stakeholders. AROS is also developing an Anti-Racism Maturity Model that will support organisations to embed anti-racism practice and strengthen accountability, scrutiny and monitoring arrangements.

Through its strategic vision and growing programme of work, AROS is developing the evidence, partnerships and infrastructure required to advance Scotland’s anti-racism ambitions. The Scottish Government is encouraged by the progress made to date and will continue to engage with the AROS Host team and AROS leadership to track progress.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) sets the Professional Standards that all teachers must meet at the appropriate stage of their career. These provide the benchmark for professional competence and include expectations relating to curriculum and pedagogy, professional learning and the appropriate use of digital technologies. The standards do not specify a separate accreditation for teaching AI but do include requirements for teacher digital literacy more broadly.

Over the last 10 years, the number of nursing staff working in NHS Dumfries and Galloway has increased by 16.7%, from 1,641.6 WTE in June 2016 to 1,915.5 WTE in June 2026.

The Scottish Government supports NHS Boards to recruit and retain nursing staff through national workforce planning and wider workforce measures. Decisions on the number of nursing posts required and the recruitment of staff to those posts are, however, the responsibility of individual NHS Boards, including NHS Dumfries and Galloway, as employers.

All NHS Boards are expected to plan and deliver safe, effective and high-quality services in line with their statutory responsibilities, taking account of factors such as staff turnover, retention, absence rates and available budgets.

To support recruitment in rural and island areas, Public Service Delivery Scotland provides targeted assistance to health employers through a range of initiatives, including a recruitment toolkit and access to rural recruitment strategies. These resources help employers design roles, strengthen recruitment practices and attract candidates by ensuring vacancies are effectively promoted and supported.

On the 15 October 2026 I wrote to all Community Council Chairpersons encouraging them to participate in the national dialogue on local governance reform and invited them and representatives from their Community Council to attend a dedicated discussion session with officials. This will be an opportunity to share their views and feedback on the proposals. This is in addition to the regional dialogue events we will be holding across the country throughout November. These sessions will be important for helping us to understand how reforms can support community participation and empowerment.

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland have supported teacher development in artificial intelligence (AI) by publishing a set of Guidelines and Guardrails on the safe and responsible use of AI in schools and producing professional learning resources and case studies. The Scottish Government has also introduced an AI in Schools Week, published online AI exploration tools for practitioners, and is running a series of professional learning and drop-in sessions delivered with Educate Ventures Research for local authority, school and policy leaders. All resources are freely available for any teacher in Scotland.