Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the safety and longevity of our older generations and that they access correct and adequate support following an incident of a fall.

Following a trip or fall, current NHS procedure is that advice, support and interventions are provided through clinical assessment and professional judgement. NHS staff consider their patients’ individual circumstances alongside their needs and any identified additional risks and act as they see appropriate. They may refer individuals onto physiotherapy or occupational therapy services to deliver additional support such as home safety assessments, rehabilitation, equipment or adaptions, strength and balance interventions or any additional measures intended to reduce the risk of future falls.

The Scottish Government supports this approach through its Rehabilitation and Recovery: A Once for Scotland Person-Centred Approach to Rehabilitation, which sets out six principles of good rehabilitation to support NHS Boards in delivering person-centred rehabilitation services that meet local needs.

The member may wish to refer to the answer to question S7W-03889 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 helicopter commissioning and procurement process, which includes firefighting operations, is the responsibility of NatureScot and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, (SFRS).

The Scottish Government understands that existing arrangements for accessing aerial support continue to be available to SFRS as required. When a Wildfire Danger Assessment indicates a need for aerial support, SFRS can contact the helicopter providers to put them on standby.

There are currently no plans to invite tenders for a dedicated wildfire management helicopter, however, the Scottish Government will keep its approach to wildfire resilience under review, and consider future proposals regarding the provision of aerial wildfire support when appropriate.

The most recent mapped figures on specialist alcohol-related brain damage specialist services were published by the Mental Welfare Commission in 2024: Summary map pf health and social care partnerships’ alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) specialist services, 2023

It is a matter for Partnerships to decide what sort of ARBD service will be available locally and to determine how much funding to make available for specialist service provision from within their overall alcohol and drugs budget provided by the Scottish Government each year. The Scottish Government does not determine how many specialist services there are or how much local funding is allocated to ARBD services.

Following the successful launch of the bus fare cap in the Highlands and Islands and Strathclyde areas, we will continue to monitor patronage growth and the impact of the bus fare cap on bus service provision as part of wider scheme evaluation. The Scottish Government has committed to bring forward legislation for a national bus fare cap scheme by the end of the current Parliament. The design of a national scheme will be informed via ongoing engagement with bus operators including exploring the operational considerations of the bus fare cap.

Notification of any consequential funding is confirmed by the UK Government at the UK Budget, expected on 28 October. However, in his announcement on 23 July, the Prime Minister stated that he expected the relief to be fully funded through offsetting changes within the English business rates system. Assuming the overall impact of these specific measures on the relevant UK Government department's overall funding is therefore nil, no consequential funding is expected.

We will consider with interest the detail of the UK Government’s business rates policies once these are available, and will set out decisions on non-domestic rates and reliefs for Scotland in the normal way at Budget on 3 December, taking into account affordability and considering all government priorities.

Scottish Government officials have both regularly scheduled and ad hoc meetings with representatives from the waste sector and broader stakeholders to discuss the management of waste, including Scotland’s landfill capacity and other matters. The most recent BMW Landfill Ban Working Group meeting occurred on Thursday 29 October. Officials also hold regular meetings with SEPA to discuss issues arising in the waste sector.

At the Ministerial level, the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs met with representatives from the waste sector trade associations and local government on Thursday 24 September to discuss these topics.

The funding approach to deliver the Better Surfaces Fund will be considered and prioritised as part of the Scottish Budget 2027-28.

Engagement with COSLA ahead of the Scottish Budget has commenced in the context of the current dialogue on Local Government Reform and arrangements for a specific meeting with the new COSLA Resources Spokesperson are currently being explored.

The changes to the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment Scheme are a direct consequence of the UK Government’s decision to remove tax exemptions from the Motability Scheme in its November 2025 Budget. The Scottish Government was not consulted on the UK Government’s tax changes, despite the clear and significant implications for Scottish customers.

The Scottish Government worked with Motability to understand how its proposed changes might affect customers in Scotland, with a focus on those living in rural and remote communities. As a result, Motability agreed to provide additional mileage to customers living in very rural and island communities. The Scottish Government will publish its impact assessments, including its equality impact assessment, in due course.

The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with stakeholders throughout the development of the Building Safety Levy, including housebuilders, housing associations, local authorities and organisations representing rural and island interests. This includes three public consultations on the principles, design and operation of the Levy, and the establishment of an expert advisory group, comprised of industry and tax stakeholders, to provide advice, challenge and scrutiny of policy positions. Detailed engagement has also been undertaken with local authorities in the Highlands and Islands, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Land and Estates to support the development of exemptions and the setting of the levy-free allowance.

Through this engagement, stakeholders have highlighted a range of issues including housing supply and the cumulative impact of policy and regulatory requirements on housebuilding. This engagement included consideration of the specific circumstances facing remote, rural and island communities, including those in the Highlands and Islands. While stakeholders expressed a broad range of views on the design of the Levy, many recognised the importance of funding cladding remediation and improving building safety. Feedback from this engagement was incorporated into the design of the Levy, including the decision to exempt islands and island-like rural areas, as well as the 29-unit levy free allowance to protect smaller and rural developers.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage with stakeholders and monitor the impacts of the Levy as we progress towards implementation. We will also produce triannual reports on the operation of the Levy, in line with our statutory duties under the 2026 Act.