Chamber and committees

It is for local authorities to determine how they manage their services, including primary school libraries, because they understand the needs of their communities. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government is clear that these spaces promote reading, attainment and equity, and help prepare children and young people for the future.

That is why we continue to invest in our national School Library Improvement Fund and why we published the ‘School Libraries: Statement of Intent’ earlier this year, which reaffirms the value of these services and commits to bringing forward a refreshed School Libraries Strategy.

Where the use of a property as a short term let constitutes a material change of use, it has always been the case that it requires planning permission. It is a breach of planning control to make such a material change of use without the relevant planning permission. Responsibility for ensuring that a business complies with planning legislation, and any other legislative requirements that may affect their ability to operate, rests with the owner of any business.

Where, for whatever reason, an established short-term let operator has not previously confirmed their planning status with the relevant planning authority, it is open to them to submit a retrospective application either for a certificate of lawful use or for planning permission.

Currently all 14 Health Boards in Scotland use the same neonatal clinical system, which supports a consistent approach to data collection and submission. We have also funded Public Health Scotland to streamline neonatal data collection in Scotland. The findings and recommendations of the Thirlwall Inquiry are being considered carefully. This includes consideration of how digital systems can best support patient safety, clinical governance, mortality surveillance and the identification of emerging risks within neonatal services.

The Scottish Government supports farmers with practical guidance and implementation and maintenance of control measures such as the cost of testing of suspect animals and for surveillance and veterinary investigations. The movement restrictions were put in place to protect Scotland’s animals from Bluetongue for as long as possible and were done so in broad agreement with industry stakeholders. Industry have provided a continual appraisal of the impacts of those controls to ensure a balance was found between protecting animals whilst permitting an acceptable level of routine trade.

In 2025, the Scottish Government consulted on strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), calling for evidence on the prevalence of SLAPPs in Scotland and seeking views on a draft Model Law prepared by interested stakeholders which included provision on the collection and publication of data on SLAPPs. The Scottish Government is progressing work on the Model Law, including the collection and publication of data, and is committed to bringing forward reform to identify and prevent SLAPPS in this Parliamentary term.

Justice advocacy services provide vital support to victims and survivors, helping them navigate the justice system and stay safe at what can be an extremely difficult time.

Justice Advocacy Workers can provide support and information at every stage of the criminal justice system, from before a statement is made through to the resolution of a court case. They can help to get updates on the progress of a case, provide information about special measures, and attend court with survivors. They can also provide emotional support throughout the process and after court is finished.

The Scottish Government recognises the increasing demand pressures facing these services and through the Victim Centred Approach Fund, is investing £12 million between 2025 and 2027 in specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. We have also committed, through the Programme for Government, to provide additional support for organisations experiencing significant pressure and are working closely with affected services to assess demand and determine future funding requirements.

The GPS monitored bail pilot is a judicially led initiative under the leadership of Sheriff Principal Wade, with the Scottish Government working closely with the Judiciary and justice partners to support its delivery. Scottish Ministers have laid enabling regulations which are currently progressing through Parliament, and Sheriff Principal Wade held the inaugural meeting of the GPS Bail Programme Board on 19 October 2026. The Board will be supported by a Local Implementation Group on the ground.

The Scottish Parliament must be given its place in approving the legislative change, and subject to Parliamentary approval of the Regulations and confirmation from the judiciary and wider justice partners that arrangements are safe and robust, we anticipate the first GPS monitored bail cases commencing in 2027. Public safety remains paramount, especially in light of emerging experiences of GPS in England and Wales, and I have been clear that we must not sacrifice safety for pace of rollout. Further details, including operational arrangements, evaluation plans and any consideration of wider rollout, are being developed with partners.

I must be clear that the Scottish Government encourages anyone who witnesses, or is a victim of, a crime to report this to Police Scotland.

Individuals are already able to report the illegal use of e-bikes and e-scooters to Police Scotland by calling 101 or using Police Scotland's online reporting tool. If someone wishes to remain anonymous when reporting a crime, they can report the issue to Crimestoppers online or by calling 0800 555 111.

It would be for Police Scotland to determine whether a dedicated portal for reporting crimes related to e-bikes and e-scooters would be helpful.

Retail crime causes real harm to businesses, staff and communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports the innovative Scottish Partnership Against Acquisitive Crime and will provide an additional £3 million annually until 2028-29 for Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce to help target repeat offenders and drive enforcement in the most affected areas.

The term ‘shoplifting’, which describes cases of theft from shops, is a term used routinely, including in England and Wales, and has no impact on how these crimes are investigated or prosecuted.

As the production of Scotland’s crime statistics is undertaken independently of Ministers, any potential changes to the labelling of cases would be a matter for the Scottish Crime Recording Board, and in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

The position currently is that exclusion zone alerts which are monitored using radio frequency, have immediate notification to the exclusion zone address phone line through the monitoring box, in parallel with notification to Police Scotland. That is an advantage of the current form of monitoring.

The detailed arrangements for responding to apparent breaches of exclusion zones through GPS, including the information provided to protected people at risk of harm, are being developed by justice partners under the leadership of the Judiciary and supported by my officials.

Any consideration of direct alerts, either during the pilot or as part of any wider implementation, would need to take account of their operational feasibility and the safety and support needs of protected people.