The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions regarding potentially extending the regulatory protections pertaining to red deer to encompass native wild goat populations.

As set out in our response dated 25 May 2025 to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee’s consideration of Petition PE2151 – Grant Protected Status To Primitive Goat Species In The Scottish Borders, whilst feral goats can bring benefits, they are an invasive non-native species that can cause damage to the natural environment and forestry interests.

We currently have no plans to increase regulatory protection for primitive goats, or feral goats as they are more commonly known.

The Scottish Government has committed to continuing the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland. The Scheme is based on multi-annual funding and operational programmes submitted for approval can run for a maximum of three years. Applications for new operational programmes submitted this year are expected to run until the end of December 2028.

A public consultation, seeking views on proposed legislative changes and the longer term future of the scheme was launched on 23 June. We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how the scheme can be improved to ensure it operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Alcohol Framework published in 2018 sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to engaging with the alcohol industry in relation to public health policy.

The Scottish Government does not work with the alcohol industry on the development of health policy but engages on the potential impacts, effects and implementation of alcohol harm prevention policy, where appropriate.

The Scottish Parliament’s Lobbying Register (Home - Lobbying Register) contains details of regulated lobbying of Scottish Government Ministers undertaken since March 2018.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It has been delivered by the Rural Payments Agency on a UK-wide basis since its introduction. There have been a total of four producer organisations (POs), with headquarters in Scotland that have received funding through the scheme since it was introduced; one in Angus, two in Fife and one in the Scottish Borders.

Three of these POs have received funding via the scheme in every year since it was introduced. The remaining PO received funding for expenditure relating to one scheme year. Where possible, the Rural Payments Agency and the Scottish Government work with POs so that applications for operational programmes meet the necessary eligibility criteria as set out in legislation and the National Strategy.

Whilst the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for national social care policy in Scotland, it is for Local Authorities and Integrated Joint Boards to ensure that social care support services are in place to provide people with the appropriate support in the right place and at the right time.

The Scottish Government budget for 2025-26 sets out almost £2.2 billion investment in social care and integration, of which approximately £950 million enables adult social care workers in the third and private sectors to be paid at least the Real Living Wage. This currently stands at £12.60 per hour, a rate that came into effect from April 2025. This is above the £12.21 National Living Wage rate for workers aged 21 and over, set by the UK Government. The Real Living Wage rate is independently set by the Living Wage Foundation and is currently the only UK wage rate based on the actual cost of living to allow workers to meet their everyday needs.

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has provided funding to the MyJobScotland recruitment portal, enabling all social care providers to advertise vacancies at no cost. We have also funded NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to work with the SSSC to develop a new National Induction Framework, launched in May this year which supports high quality standardised induction training for social care staff.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing alcohol-related harm, and notes the recommendations in, Spin the Bottle: How the UK alcohol industry twists the facts on harm and responsibility.

The Scottish Government continues to progress work to reduce alcohol harm that aligns with the recommendations in the report including the increase and continuation of Minimum Unit Pricing and progressing work on protecting children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing.

Regarding engagement with the alcohol industry, it is crucial that we prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms, but that aim has to be balanced with careful consideration of the impact restrictions may have on businesses, consumers and local economies. The Scottish Government does not engage with the alcohol industry on the development of public health policy or public health science, but will continue to engage on potential effects and impact of public health interventions on business.

Every death is a tragedy and through our National Mission we are determined to continue our efforts to reduce harm and deaths. The total funding for alcohol and drugs, including health board baseline, exceeds £160 million in 2025-26.

We are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures including opening the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility pilot, working towards drug checking facilities and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.

Quarterly reporting on trends gives services useful information on what types of support are needed. This report provides an indication of current trends in suspected drug deaths in Scotland. It uses Police Scotland management information so is not subject to the same level of validation and quality assurance as Official Statistics.

While this publication records a quarter-on-quarter rise in suspected drug deaths, it also notes a year-on-year fall. Between January and March 2025 there were 308 suspected drug deaths, 33% (76) more than during the previous quarter though 4% (12) fewer than during the same period of 2024. It is important to note that numbers of suspected drug deaths fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Care should be taken not to interpret movements between individual calendar quarters as indicative of any long-term trend.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It was introduced in 1997 and until the UK’s Exit from the EU it was funded by the European Commission.

Since October 2020, the Scottish Government has funded producer organisations in the scheme with a Head Office in Scotland. Match-funding is based on a producer organisation’s actual expenditure of pre-approved, eligible items.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) currently deliver the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme on behalf of Scottish Ministers. A breakdown of money reimbursed to the RPA, based on the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme year (January to December) from 2020 to 2024 is below.

2020: £1,253,200

2021: £2,544,356

2022: £2,483,127

2023: £2,325,718

2024: £1,707,894

Please note that the European Commission part funded 2020 expenditure. Please also note that final 2024 claims are still being processed and therefore the 2024 figure above does not reflect a final figure for 2024 expenditure.

The Scottish Ministerial Code makes clear that it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Parliament. Ministers and their officials will consider the best way of ensuring that they have information necessary to provide an accurate answer on a case by case basis and, as such, the Scottish Government may occasionally opt to engage with non-government organisations in relation to written parliamentary questions when it is necessary to do so.

The use of vapes containing harmful substances among young people is concerning. The Scottish Government is taking forward substance use education work in our schools through Curriculum for Excellence, where children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents. Learning sets out the impact these substances can have on their life and health and helps support better informed decision making. Education alone will not turn the tide of substance use but it is an important strand within a broad range of measures designed to tackle this issue.

Each establishment, working with partners, should take a holistic approach to promoting health and wellbeing. This should take account of the stage of growth, development and maturity of each pupil, and the social and community context.

We welcome the work of Ayrshire’s Vaping Taskforce comprising of Trading Standards, Police Scotland, Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and GPs. This Taskforce is actively working to raise awareness on vaping and the potential for them to contain illegal substances. We will monitor the impact of the Taskforce and the introduction of devices which can test vape liquids for illegal substances.

Our Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR), published in November 2023, identified vaping as an emerging behaviour of concern. While BISSR did not highlight links with violence in schools, it did identify that the rise in prevalence of use of vapes among secondary pupils was resulting in reduced attendance within classes as young people gathered to vape in toilets throughout the school day. As part of the Scottish Government’s response to BISSR, our Relationships and Behaviour in Schools Action Plan 2024-27 we have committed to developing guidance on vaping in schools, which we will begin later this year.