Chamber and committees

In April 2026, new wildfire prevention byelaws came into force in the Cairngorms National Park to help address the increasing risk of wildfires.

The Scottish Government does not have a single definition of collective advocacy, nor is there one set out in Scottish legislation. However, collective (or group) advocacy is commonly understood and described in guidance as a group with shared experience or interests working together to explore shared issues and campaign for their rights.

The 20GW ambition was set out in the Onshore Wind Policy Statement in 2022. The Policy Statement was informed through extensive consultation with interested parties. The 20GW ambition is intended as a statement of Scotland’s potential rather than an allocation or mapping of specific sites.

All development proposals are individually assessed against our Fourth National Planning Framework which ensures that the impacts of proposals, including on communities and the natural environment are important considerations in the decision making process. All applications are subject to site specific assessments.

As set out during the passage of the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act 2026, the Scottish Government is considering amendments to the Healthcare Improvement Scotland (Requirements as to Independent Health Care Services) Regulations 2011. Assessment of the options and engagement with affected businesses and Healthcare improvement Scotland will begin over the coming months.

Any amendments to the Regulations will be made in advance of the offences in the Non-Surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Act coming into force. We intend that those offences come into force on 6 September 2027.

The Sustainable Procurement Duty of the Procurement Reform Scotland Act 2014 places a requirement on public bodies to consider how their procurements can be used to improve economic, social and environmental well-being, and reduce inequality.

Under the 2014 Act, Public Bodies with contractual expenditure over £5 million per annum, must publish a Procurement Strategy and annually report on the delivery of their strategy. Their strategy must include information on how they intend to ensure their regulated procurements will be carried out in compliance with the sustainable procurement duty. They are then required to report on this and provide a summary of any community benefits that were delivered that year through their procurement activities, within their public annual procurement reports.

The most recent Scottish Ministers' Annual Report on Procurement Activity in Scotland (2023-24) demonstrates that public procurement is delivering a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits to communities across Scotland.

We promote socially responsible public procurement through guidance, tools, learning opportunities, and engagement with procurement professionals. For example through the use of the national Sustainable Procurement Tools, associated guidance and training and Fair Work First in procurement e-learning.

The Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 places a duty on Scottish Ministers to produce statutory guidance on ethical commissioning, supporting consistency of approach across Scotland. Before issuing any guidance Ministers must consult with a broad range of organisations, including local authorities, health boards, integration joint boards, and others. Once published this guidance will also support our efforts to promote social responsibility in public care contracts.

Funding for the Scottish Land Fund in 2027-28 will be determined through the annual budget process.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of community ownership in Scotland, which is why, in 2026-27, we have provided over £7 million of funding to support the Scottish Land Fund. This has allowed those communities to then generate a further £60 million in additional funding, from various sources, as a result of owning assets.

Work is underway to progress the appointment of the Land and Communities Commissioner. The appointment is subject to Parliamentary approval, and we will engage with the Rural Affairs Committee as part of this process. We anticipate launching the formal recruitment stage later this year.

The purpose of these new powers is to enable social landlords to apply to the court for an order on the new ground to enable certain victim/survivors of domestic abuse to remain in the family home where it is their wish, and where it is safe and appropriate for them to do so. The new powers also encourage social landlords to take a more proactive role in supporting and protecting victim/survivors of domestic abuse.

While there is no specific requirement for social landlords to notify existing tenants individually of the change to the law around their tenancy arising from the commencement of section 22 of the 2021 Act, the guidance on the use of the new measures published in June encourages social landlords to publicise these new provisions to their tenants and reinforce zero tolerance of domestic abuse. This could be done in a range of ways such as on their website, in tenants’ handbooks and via newsletters.

We will continue to work with social housing providers and other stakeholders who provide support to those experiencing domestic abuse to assess how the new measures are operating in practice.

Local authorities have the autonomy to determine how best to fulfil their duties under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. In exercising this autonomy, the Scottish Government expects local authorities to act lawfully and is committed to supporting local authorities in this.

Although legal proceedings could, in theory, be pursued where statutory duties are not met, the Scottish Government’s strong preference is to work collaboratively with local authorities and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to achieve constructive progress.

Maintaining open dialogue with local authority partners remains a key priority, particularly in supporting them to meet their statutory duties relating to allotments. As part of this approach, the Scottish Government has worked with APSE Scotland (Association for Public Service Excellence) to establish a national partnership forum. This forum aims to facilitate the sharing of expertise and good practice in community growing. APSE Scotland is now engaging directly with local authority members to advance this work.