Chamber and committees

Fires can have devastating consequences for farming and crofting businesses, resulting in the loss of livestock, buildings, machinery and livelihoods. The Scottish Government takes these risks seriously. We will continue to work with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, industry bodies and the wider agricultural sector to improve understanding of the factors contributing to farm fires and to promote practical measures that can reduce risk.

Through the Farm Advisory Service and wider knowledge transfer activity, we support farmers and crofters to strengthen business resilience, improve risk management and adopt good practice. This includes encouraging robust fire prevention measures, appropriate maintenance of equipment and electrical systems, and effective contingency planning.

A resilient agricultural sector is essential to Scotland's rural economy, and we will continue to support actions that help protect farming and crofting businesses from avoidable risks and disruption.

I recognise the concerns raised by Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) regarding the timing of the draft Climate Change Plan, including the potential for parliamentary dissolution and recess to constrain opportunities for meaningful independent scrutiny, feedback and parliamentary consideration of major environmental policy proposals.

In developing our approach to biodiversity targets under the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, the Scottish Government has reflected on the importance of ensuring that scrutiny can take place throughout policy development and is not dependent on a single stage in the parliamentary process. This includes providing opportunities for ESS and other stakeholders to engage on key issues as policy proposals are developed, rather than solely when draft regulations are laid before Parliament.

The approach being taken by Scottish Government places a strong emphasis on early engagement, transparency and evidence-based policy development. The Scottish Government will continue to engage constructively with ESS and all stakeholders throughout the development of biodiversity targets to help ensure that they are robust, deliverable and informed by independent scrutiny.

The Scottish Government recognises the significant pressures currently being experienced across health and social care services in NHS Dumfries and Galloway, including the challenges caused when people remain in hospital after they are clinically ready for discharge. We recognise the concerns raised by the Board's Chief Executive and continue to engage with NHS Dumfries and Galloway and its local partners in relation to these pressures.

Delayed discharge is a whole-system issue and can arise for a range of reasons, including the availability of a care-at-home package, care home placements and community support, as well as housing, guardianship and assessment requirements. Tackling these delays therefore requires coordinated action across NHS boards, local authorities, Integration Joint Boards and wider partners.

Through implementation of the Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, the Scottish Government is working with health and social care partners to improve the movement of people through the whole system, reduce delayed discharge and release capacity for those who require acute hospital treatment. This includes strengthening discharge planning, developing and expanding community-based alternatives to hospital care, increasing Hospital at Home capacity and supporting local systems to address barriers to a timely discharge.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway and its partners are actively reviewing the needs of people whose care may be more appropriately provided in a community setting and considering how available capacity can be best used. The Scottish Government will continue to work with local partners to support safe and timely discharge and ensure that people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Our Programme for Government includes a commitment to expand provision of walk-in mental health hubs across Scotland. To support this, in June 2026 we announced £400,000 of funding for SAMH to help develop its network of Nook mental wellbeing hubs across Scotland.

This complements our wider investment of more than £194 million in community-based mental health and wellbeing support since 2020, helping people access support closer to home and reducing the risk of mental health difficulties escalating into crisis. This includes support for other walk-in services such as The Lighthouse and The Neuk in Perth and Shirley's Space in Aberdeenshire.

We recognise the challenges people in rural, remote and island communities can face in accessing support. Since 2021, through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, we have supported more than 1,100 projects in rural and island areas. We have also provided local authorities with over £95 million since 2020 to fund community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families, including baselined funding of £15 million per annum from 2025-26.

We also continue to support the National Rural and Islands Mental Health Forum, led by Change Mental Health, to improve understanding of mental health needs in those communities.

Regardless of location, anyone in Scotland can access support through NHS 24’s 111 Mental Health Hub and via online resources including Mind to Mind, Parent Club and Young Scot's Aye Feel.

We recognise that households and retailers in rural and island communities face unique challenges.

That is why we are engaging closely with retailers of all sizes across all parts of Scotland, alongside people who live and shop in these communities, to better understand any potential impacts. Any future decisions will be informed by consultation responses and impact assessments to ensure that the specific circumstances of rural and island communities are fully considered.

Protecting children from harm is a key priority for the Scottish Government. The National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland describes the responsibilities and expectations for all involved in protecting children and clearly outlines how people should respond when risk of harm, or harm, has occurred to a child.

Through No One Left Behind, the Scottish Government provides holistic person-centred employability support for people facing barriers to work, including those who have experienced trauma. Services are delivered locally by Local Employability Partnerships and are designed around individual needs, circumstances, and ambitions. The approach is underpinned by the principles of dignity, respect, fairness and equality, and supports progression towards fair and sustainable employment.

Local Employability Partnerships have the flexibility to develop and commission support that responds to local need. This may include specialist support, trauma-informed provision, community-based activities, volunteering opportunities, mentoring, confidence-building support and other tailored interventions for individuals facing complex barriers to employment. Participants work with a key worker to develop an individual action plan aligned to their goals and circumstances.

No One Left Behind support is voluntary and individuals can engage in activities that best meet their needs and support their progression towards employment. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the UK Government, including the Department for Work and Pensions, on employability matters. However, benefit conditionality and the administration of reserved benefits remain the responsibility of the UK Government.

There are no plans to develop guidance for GPs on shared-care arrangements for the prescribing of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines. Current clinical guidance does not recommend the prescribing of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines, other than in clinical trials. This is because unlicensed products have a limited, or non-existent, peer-reviewed clinical evidence base for their use.

Scotland has leading strengths in semiconductor design, wafer manufacture and packaging with companies and academic excellence spanning the complete value chain. The Scottish Government is committed to growing capability across our semiconductor ecosystem, which forms a fundamental part of Scotland’s critical technologies supercluster. The supercluster initiative acts as a magnet for investment and provides a platform to boost Scotland’s profile as an attractive advanced packaging ecosystem on the world stage.

The Scottish Government has considered the needs of rural and island communities in developing and implementing the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and accompanying Delivery Plans. A Rural and Islands Impact Assessment is being produced for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan 2026 and will be published later this year to help ensure that implementation reflects the needs and circumstances of people living in Scotland's rural and island communities.

We provide over £56,000 to support the work of the National Rural and Islands Mental Health Forum, chaired by Change Mental Health. The forum brings together over 300 organisations across all sectors to better understand and support rural and island communities. It focuses on sharing learning and promoting awareness about mental health and wellbeing whilst reflecting the unique challenges presented by rural life.

Since 2021, through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, we have supported more than 1,100 projects in rural and island areas. Regardless of location, anyone in Scotland can access support through NHS 24’s 111 Mental Health Hub and via online resources including Mind to Mind, Parent Club and Young Scot's Aye Feel.