Chamber and committees

Rent controls or measures to limit annual rent increases in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) were recently considered during parliamentary consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2026. Full transcripts are available on the Scottish Parliament website.

At that time concerns around affordability of PBSA were considered, recognising that it is a complex issue with affordability itself difficult to define.

Rental costs, which usually include utility costs, broadband and other provisions are currently a matter for accommodation providers.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) does not collect the information requested, as Higher Education student support is not assessed on the basis of whether an individual resides in the parental home or lives away from the parental home during their studies.

SAAS does publish information relating to supported students by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) quintile within its annual statistical publication. However, these figures represent the overall population of full-time supported Higher Education students for whom SIMD data is available. The published data is not segmented according to whether students live in the parental home or away from home.

The available SIMD information for the period held is set out in the following table:

The amount councillors can claim in expenses, including the motor mileage rate, is set in the Local Government (Allowances and Expenses) (Scotland) Regulations 2007. These regulations are ordinarily updated on the advice of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee (SLARC). COSLA has approached us regarding the recommendation SLARC made in February 2024 relating to councillor expenses. The Scottish Government accepted this recommendation in principle in July 2024 but considered it required further consideration by local government.

As part of engagement with COSLA, the updated HMRC mileage rate has been raised. Discussions are ongoing and no decisions have been taken regarding any changes to the current arrangements at present. We expect COSLA to keep councillors updated on any progress in this area.

The planning and building standards systems have limited scope to control what specific goods are sold within shops.

However, the storage of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a range of products, should be informed by a fire risk assessment carried out by a competent fire risk assessor. Fire risk assessments are already a legal requirement for duty holders of all relevant (non-domestic) premises.

UCAS recently started to publish data on a student’s intention to stay at home, however they do not collect information on the reasons why students make this choice.

Latest data from UCAS shows that 48.4% of Scottish 18 years old intend to live at home.

Published data from the Higher Education Statistical Agency (HESA) shows that the number of students actually choosing to stay at home while studying has remained steady over the last 3 years.

Scottish Government commissioned research by the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHe) in 2022 on students’ experiences of PBSA, including affordability and accommodation choices. Only 3.5% of respondents to that research were living at home, and so the findings were not conclusive.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S7W-03729 and S7W-03930 on 26 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 Care Leaver Payment scheme went live on 1 April 2026. The Scottish Government is fully funding local authorities to deliver the payment on our behalf and funding was made available to all local authorities ahead of the commencement of the scheme.

Scottish Government officials maintain regular engagement with rail industry stakeholders, including the British Transport Police (BTP), on a range of matters relating to the safe operation of Scotland's railway.

Decisions regarding police officer numbers, deployment and operational resources are matters for the BTP and the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). The Scottish Government has not held any specific discussions with the UK Government regarding police officer numbers on Scotland's railways in response to the latest Office of Rail and Road statistics.

However, I recently wrote to the Chair of the BTPA highlighting the importance of maintaining an effective and visible policing presence across Scotland's rail network and encouraging the Authority to reflect Scotland's distinct operational circumstances in future resource and estate planning.

The table below provides information on the number of endoscopies of the gastrointestinal tract (including capsule endoscopy), cytosponge and cystoscopies of the bladder performed by NHS Boards of treatment in each of the past ten calendar years.

Table 1: Number of endoscopies of the gastrointestinal tract (including capsule endoscopy), cytosponge and cystoscopies of the bladder by NHS Health Board of treatment in Scotland, 2016 – 2025

It is open to students to accept any placement offer made to them and a number of factors will contribute to that decision.

Please refer to the response to PQ S7W-03729 on 26 October 2026 for information regarding the research/data that is available.

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.