Chamber and committees

Between October 2025 and January 2026, the Scottish Government ran a public consultation seeking views on amending the thresholds within the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act). Following the close of the consultation, the Scottish Government analysed the responses provided to determine next steps.

I will shortly lay a draft instrument which would increase the threshold from which contracts for goods and services are regulated by the Act from £50,000 to £100,000, and increase the threshold from which works contracts are regulated from £2 million to £4 million. The community benefits threshold will be maintained at £4 million.

I refer the member to the question S7W-03760 answered on 29 October 2026. 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 consulted on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), including a draft Model Law prepared by interested stakeholders. The majority view expressed by respondents was that SLAPPs need to be tackled and that reform should resemble the Model Law consulted on. The Scottish Government agreed and further work is being carried out on aspects of the Model Law, including how it would operate in practice.

Work is ongoing, including discussions with legal academics who prepared the Model Law and other stakeholders, to ensure that the Model Law operates in practice.

The Scottish Government is committed to bringing forward reform to identify and prevent SLAPPS in this Parliamentary term.

The Scottish Government has made no such assessment. Decisions on planning applications and other local planning matters are, in the first instance, the responsibility of the relevant planning authority. In the case of the Bannockburn Rising project, this is Stirling Council. The same applies to any proposals for redevelopment at other cultural centres in other planning authorities.

Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes, supported by funding from the Scottish Government. This includes the design, construction and monitoring of specific schemes. As such, decisions regarding the specification and sourcing of materials, including any substitutions made during construction, are matters for the relevant local authority and its contractor. In the case of the Hawick flood protection scheme the relevant local authority is Scottish Borders Council.

The Scottish Government provide funding to Victim Support Scotland (VSS) through the Scottish Government’s Victim Centred Approach Fund (VCAF). VSS have received over £30m in funding for the period 01 April 2022 to 31 March 2027 from VCAF. The Scottish Government is not involved in distribution of the grant to its localised services as this is a matter for VSS.

VSS has also received £2.4 million from the Victim Surcharge Fund since it was established, to provide immediate and practical support to victims of crime and their families.

The Victim Surcharge Fund has recently reopened for applications from organisations that provide support to victims of crime across Scotland, closing on 17 November 2026.

Supporting young people, and in particular young disabled people, as they make the transition to adult life is critical; and we know transitions from children to adult services can be challenging and complex. That is why the Scottish Government, in partnership with COSLA, published ‘A Time of Change’ - National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy for Young Disabled People 2025-2030 on 30 June 2025. The strategy aims to ensure that every young disabled person in Scotland feels confident in their transition to adulthood and is empowered and supported to control their own path to success. The strategy works on a pan impairment basis, adopting the same definition of disability as is used within the Equality Act 2010.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Police Scotland have operational independence to deliver their public service duties in an inclusive and accessible way. A partnership approach is taken to agreeing and delivering a shared Justice vision through the Justice Board and this board has made clear its priorities which include a focus on designing and delivering a trauma-informed justice system that takes account of the needs of all of those who are engaged with it, whether in criminal or civil proceedings and whether they are accused, defenders, witnesses or pursuers.

Further to my answer to S7W-02882, work continues with HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) to establish an initial prison-focused model of the National Oversight Mechanism (NOM) on a phased ‘test-of-change’ basis.

Progress is being made on the governance, staffing and operational arrangements required to establish the initial model. Recruitment for the Head of the NOM is currently underway, with the vacancy having closed on 12 October. Appointment to this role will be an important milestone in establishing the initial model and progressing implementation.

The timing of implementation will depend on the completion of these arrangements and the appointment of key personnel. The Scottish Government and HMIPS are working to establish the initial model as soon as practicable, with learning from the test-of-change phase informing the future development of the NOM.

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.

I refer the member to the question S7W-03760 answered on 29 October 2026. 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.