Chamber and committees

The Scottish National Investment Bank is operationally independent of Government. It makes commercial debt and equity investments to deliver on the three Missions set for it by Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government will provide the Bank with £174m of budget for investment during 2024-25. Some of that budget will support existing investment commitments with the remainder available for new and follow-on investments.

The RSV programme for older adults will run from 12 August to the end of September. The childhood flu programme will launch from early September. We are currently working with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Health Boards to confirm a start date for the adult flu programme, which the JCVI has advised should start in early October.

Although the RSV and flu programmes may overlap in September, there are no plans to co-administer the RSV vaccine alongside the flu vaccine this winter. This is because current data suggests that administering them together has the potential to blunt the RSV vaccine's effectiveness. For those who are eligible for both RSV and flu, they will therefore have two separate appointments.

If the JCVI announces a COVID-19 winter programme, it is likely we would co-administer the COVID-19 vaccine with flu, as has been done in previous winters, for maximum convenience for the patient.

As of 24 June 2024, 55 applications received by Redress Scotland have been deemed not eligible for financial redress.

Applications for the Redress Scheme are received by the Scottish Government and passed to Redress Scotland for determination.

We are unable to answer this question as neither Scottish Ministers nor Redress Scotland hold information on the specific reason why an individual application has been deemed not eligible for financial redress.

As of 24 June 2024, 3993 applications have been received by Scotland’s Redress Scheme. Of those applications, 2157 have been passed to Redress Scotland for a determination.

As of 24 June 2024, 1578 applications received by Redress Scotland have been deemed eligible for financial redress.

As a condition of receiving and retaining a valid exemption certificate , the owner of the XL Bully must arrange to have their dog neutered. Male dogs must be castrated and female dogs must be spayed.

For dogs 18 months or older as at 31 July 2024, evidence of neutering having occurred must be provided to Scottish Government by 31 January 2025.

For dogs younger than 18 months as at 31 July 2024, evidence of neutering having occurred must be provided to Scottish Government by 31 January 2025 or within one month of the dog reaching the age of 18 months, whichever is later.

This approach ensures there is discretion for the owner to ensure this age is reached before neutering the dog, though an owner can decide to neuter before 18 months without losing their exemption.

This reflects guidance on an appropriate age for health reasons as to when XL Bully dogs can safely be neutered. The Scottish Government’s policy on neutering was developed and informed through direct engagement with key animal welfare stakeholders.

The legislation does not permit XL Bully dogs to be exempted from being neutered. However, the Scottish Government, through direct engagement with the Dog Control Coalition which includes representation from the British Veterinary Association, continues to keep the approach on neutering under review.

While the XL Bully dog has been added to the list of designated prohibited dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, any individual XL Bully dog will not be classed as prohibited where the owner obtains a certificate of exemption that enables them to legally own the dog. The Scottish Government would encourage all XL Bully owners to apply for an exemption certificate for their dog. The closing date for online applications is 31 July 2024: https://www.gov.scot/publications/xl-bully-dog-rules/pages/overview/ .

The effect of an XL Bully dog owner who receives an exemption is that they must adhere to exemption conditions. In any given 12 month period, the exemption scheme conditions allows for an owner to be apart from their dog for up to 30 days. This flexibility can be used in a variety of situations including where a person experiencing domestic abuse is moving to a new location and there is a need for the Dogs Trust Freedom project or others to look after a dog for a short period during this period.

More generally in relation to housing, the Scottish Government has written to COSLA and social housing associations across Scotland to explain the process for the XL Bully dog safeguards. This information was shared with COSLA and housing associations to help tenants and landlords understand the changes where tenancy agreements include clauses relating to ‘prohibited’ dogs under the 1991 Act. As noted above, an XL Bully dog, where an exemption has been granted, is not a prohibited dog under the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The Scottish Government has been working with AssistFM and Improvement Service to map existing breakfast provision across Scotland, including a survey to all primary and special schools to understand the scale and uptake of provision.

Any person with an exemption certificate can seek for it to be withdrawn by the Scottish Government. This route involves writing to the Scottish Government asking for a certificate to be withdrawn. There is no fee payable. Any person with an exemption certificate can do this and it is a matter for a relevant person to consider whether to do so. In particular, if a person wishes to do this because they have reached a view they do not possess an XL Bully dog, that is a matter for them to consider. The Scottish Government will withdraw an exemption certificate if a request is made.