Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-40823

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve community safety in the most deprived areas, in light of reports that public confidence in community safety is lowest in these areas.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

To address local needs and challenges, the Scottish Government also supports Crimestoppers Scotland through £182, 500 of funding for 2025–26. Crimestoppers aims to reach and support communities experiencing higher levels of crime, those who are at risk of harm, and the most vulnerable in our communities.

Neighbourhood Watch Scotland seeks to target its events and activities in areas of deprivation. NWS recently attended the Crime Prevention and Scam Awareness Day in Dundee.

At a national level, the Scottish Government has invested over £6 million since 2023 in our Violence Prevention Framework, supporting early intervention and diversion from violence. A number of programmes including No Knives, Better Lives, Medics Against Violence, and Mentors in Violence Prevention are reaching thousands of young people to support and empower them to make safer choices.

Question reference: S6W-40786

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking in response to reports of a 94% increase in nicotine pouch use in Scotland.

Through Curriculum for Excellence, children and young people learn about a variety of substances, including nicotine pouches.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Young Scot and other third sector organisations to ensure that young people, their teachers, parents and carers have access to accurate, evidence based, information on nicotine products.

In addition, the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill), if passed, will introduce new restrictions on age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and nicotine products across the 4 nations.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products and it will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

An update on implementation timescales for the Bill will be provided following Royal Assent.

Question reference: S6W-40821

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the proportion of people in Scotland who feel safe walking alone after dark has fallen to its lowest level in 15 years.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

Data from the Safer Communities and Justice Statistics shows that three in four adults said that they felt very safe or fairly safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark in 2023–24, a number which has been stable since 2016–17. This is an 11% increase from 2008–09.

Question reference: S6W-40789

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with UK counterparts on making nicotine pouches subject to the same laws as tobacco products.

During the development of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill) the Scottish Government has had constructive discussions on new restrictions for all nicotine products. The Bill, if passed, will introduce restrictions on the age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and all nicotine products across the 4 nations. Some of these new restrictions will be similar to current restrictions on tobacco products. The Bill will also extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

Question reference: S6W-40788

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to (a) ban or (b) restrict the sale of high-strength nicotine pouches.

The UK wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, empowers the Secretary of State to limit the amount of nicotine in a nicotine pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch.

The powers within the Bill, subject to consultation, can be used to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength. The Secretary of State will be required to obtain the consent of the Scottish Ministers where regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.

Question reference: S6W-40787

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing an age restriction for nicotine pouch sales.

Question reference: S6W-40714

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment in terms of value for money it has undertaken of Techscaler's £42 million programme.

Question reference: S6W-40718

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 3 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what processes are in place to ensure that any negative feedback regarding publicly funded Techscaler trips cannot be concealed.

The Scottish Government uses governance processes in accordance with best practice as set out in the HM Treasury Green Book. Officials meet with Codebase regularly to oversee progress and delivery through weekly oral updates and the submission of detailed formal reports on a monthly and quarterly basis. Codebase are responsible for the content and accuracy of reports of information contained within. Senior officials also meet with the Codebase Chair, Gillian Docherty, on a monthly basis.

These arrangements ensure that appropriate processes and reporting channels are in place and that challenges and opportunities can be addressed appropriately.

The Scottish Government is subject to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). No information about the scheme can be withheld from release in response to any request, unless a relevant exemption under FOISA applies to that information.

Question reference: S6W-40948

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 30 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much it cost to install any instarinse products in the Scottish Parliament building.

Question reference: S6W-40653

Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 September 2025
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don-Innes on 2 October 2025

To ask the Scottish Government which organisations are represented in the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group, also broken down by the rationale for each being invited to participate.

Chamber and committees