Chamber and committees

It is an important principle of the planning system that each application is determined on its own merits, in line with the Development Plan and taking account of material considerations.

As part of the Development Plan, National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) includes a strong policy position regarding affordable housing provision and provides more flexibility for affordable housing proposals, explicitly as one of the circumstances where proposals can be supported on sites not allocated in a Local Development Plan.

A letter, I co-signed with the Scottish Government's Chief Planner in June 2024, stresses how NPF4 policy can be used to support proposals that improve affordability and choice to address recognised priorities of an area.

Everyone involved in planning has a role to play in supporting a national push to deliver more homes, including affordable homes. To address capacity and performance issues in planning services, we have raised planning fees and continue to invest in the resourcing, skills and resilience of the planning system, for example, through the National Planning Hub and the role of the National Planning Improvement Champion, to improve consenting timescales and support faster delivery of new homes where they are needed.

The Scottish Government has taken a stepwise approach to the expansion of the national thrombectomy service, investing over £51 million to date. The total costs of delivering a national 24/7 thrombectomy service are yet to be established, however Scottish Government officials and NHS planners have been asked to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for service expansion.

No guidance has been issued by the Scottish Government to a) schools and b) education authorities regarding peer massage programmes or other massage in schools programmes.

The Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship is based around the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflict, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation in all efforts for the promotion of peace and security. By bringing together women activists from a range of conflict affected countries the Fellowship facilitates sessions focussing on conflict resolution, mediation, reconciliation and dialogue methodologies with an emphasis on inclusivity and sustainable conflict resolution. The Fellowship also includes workshops on personal self-care strategies for those living in conflict areas and involved in conflict-based work.

The Fellowship has been held 3 times a year since 2015 in Edinburgh and online during the Covid-19 pandemic, and has built up a fantastic network of over 360 women from 33 countries across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. These women are a diverse group, working in an equally varied range of professions related to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

The Fellowship is delivered by Beyond Borders, with grant funding from the Scottish Government’s International Development Fund. Applications were recently sought by Beyond Borders for their October 2025 Fellowship Programme, with the requirements being experience or interest in working on conflict and peacebuilding. Applicants were asked to (a) complete an online form submission on the Beyond Borders website, which seeks to test applicants’ motivation, experience, knowledge, and to assess their understanding of the Women Peace and Security agenda in their own countries, and (b) submit a CV/Resume/Professional Biography, copy of passport, and Letter of Recommendation. There is no definition of a “woman” included within the criteria at this time.

The Scottish Government has been clear since the April 2025 judgement of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland vs The Scottish Ministers that it accepts the judgement of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers that it accepts the judgement.

Programming decisions are the responsibility of individual cultural organisations - the Scottish Government does not and should not have any role. All cultural organisations, whether in receipt of public funding or not, must operate within the wider framework of the law, including equalities legislation.

The National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) Strategic Group held an extraordinary meeting on 15 July to consider the Casey Audit. The minutes of the Group’s meetings are published on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/groups/national-child-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-strategic-group/.

It was noted that Police Scotland is undertaking a number of activities in relation to the Casey Audit including an initial assessment of the current child sexual abuse investigative landscape across Scotland, an analytical review looking at previous group based offending investigations and are carrying out a mapping of CSAE policy, process, practice and investigations. An update on this work will be provided at the Group’s next meeting in October at which there will be further discussion of the Audit findings, alongside other key inquiries and practice reviews including the Independent Inquiry into Child Abuse (IICSA) to inform next steps in its ambition to enhance our shared response to child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland.

Scotland’s National Child Protection Data Group also discussed the Audit’s data findings and recommendations in July and officials are taking forward work to explore opportunities to improve data and intelligence on this issue.

Scottish Government officials continue to engage with the UK Government’s response to the Casey Audit to understand implications for Scotland and opportunities to work together and share learning.

The Scottish Government supports the culture sector to make its own decisions relating to artistic or cultural judgement. How individual cultural organisations engage in public debate is a matter for them, as are their programming decisions. Artists and cultural organisations are free to explore and convene dialogue on any issues whilst having regard to relevant legislation, such as the Equality Act.

All cultural organisations in receipt of public funding must ensure that funding is not used for party political purposes. They must also operate within the wider framework of the law, including equalities legislation.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has 456 rescue pump appliances in operation. 211 of these are more than 15 years old, however all SFRS appliances are properly maintained to ensure they remain fully operational, and the oldest vehicles are placed in locations where they will be least used.

We recognise the challenges facing Scotland’s health and social care system. That is why we have already taken significant steps to set out clear, short and longer term actions to improve access to treatment, shift the balance of care, harness digital innovation, and strengthen prevention.

We recently published the, Foreword - NHS Scotland operational improvement plan - gov.scot the Scotland's Population Health Framework - gov.scot and the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework - gov.scot in which we outline our shared vision for reforming and renewing health and social care services to ensure they are more sustainable, preventative, and equitable.

We remain committed to engaging with leaders across health and social care, including clinical leaders, to design and deliver the change needed in our NHS.

With regard to charging for services, the Scottish Government’s policy could not be clearer: our National Health Service must be maintained on its founding principles – publicly owned, publicly operated, and free at the point of need. As we have previously said, the provision of health services must always be based on the individual needs of a patient.