Chamber and committees

The Thistle Safer Drug Consumption Facility operates from 9:00am to 9:00pm and plays an important role in supporting people to access a range of health, treatment and support services, including referral pathways to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT).

The impact of the service will be considered through an independent evaluation led by the University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The evaluation will assess the facility's impact on health and social outcomes, including the use of drug treatment services.

There are currently no plans to extend the facility's operating hours or introduce a 24-hour model. Any future changes would need to be informed by evidence and considered alongside workforce, operational and resource implications.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessment into the potential usage of floating or submerged inshore data centres. We are however aware that in 2018 Microsoft’s Project Natick deployed the Northern Isles data centre at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, where it was tested and monitored for performance and reliability over a two year period.

The Scottish Government is not currently aware of any further propositions, but is always interested in exploring innovative practices in this industry that respect the offshore environment. Should any marine data centre proposition come forward, these would be considered on a case by case basis. As with all marine developments, rights to use the seabed may be required from Crown Estate Scotland and a marine licence from Scottish Minister.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Skills Development Scotland, Historic Scotland and other partners to explore solutions to increase traditional skills provision in Scotland, attract future talent, increase capacity in the sector, train people in traditional skills and provide a sustainable model for traditional skills development.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) employ modern apprentices who are undertaking training in traditional skills including glazing, architectural joinery, and stonemasonry. In addition, HES are currently piloting a ‘host’ model for craft apprenticeships, with apprentices employed by HES and placed to work within micro businesses.

Following review of processes to maintain competitiveness within vessel projects CMAL, as Procuring Authority, have chosen not to disclose the list of yards or locations of those bidding for the MV Lord of The Isles replacement or for any future vessel tenders.

An update will be provided at the appropriate time, when the required procurement processes are complete.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with the Subsidy Advice Unit (SAU) of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to discuss current and potential subsidy referrals including Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government officials met with the SAU on 2 June and 12 August 2026 to participate in routine discussions on the general requirements of the referral process.

The Partnership Group comprises of representatives from Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Life, Historic Environment Scotland, Museums Galleries Scotland, the Scottish Government and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Scottish Enterprise has also participated in the group’s work.

The Partnership Group was established with a specific remit to support the project through strategic coordination among organisations with direct responsibilities for funding, governance and delivery. Accordingly, membership has been limited to organisations with formal responsibilities in these areas.

Additionally a significant amount of community engagement and collaboration on the Peoples Palace Project has taken place, with over 7000 people involved to date. This includes the People’s Palace Community Partners Panel, which was established specifically for the project and includes key local community groups and representation. The aim of the group is to ensure that community voices and views inform all aspects of the project in a meaningful way. The panel has been heavily involved in the design process and has viewed and fed back on architectural designs. They are also informed of plans for future museum displays and interpretation of content and updates on the wider project plan.

There are no plans review the buildings identified in the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland to identify potential opportunities to unlock and accelerate affordable housing delivery in empty town and city centre buildings.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting local authorities and communities to tackle persistent vacant and derelict land and empty town and city centre buildings.

This is supported through our regeneration investment programmes which are providing up to £52 million in resource and capital programmes for community-led regeneration across Scotland in 2026-27. This may be used to transform vacant and derelict land and empty buildings into homes. Local authorities may also choose to use Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant to convert empty properties into housing.

Additionally as part of ongoing work to support the establishment of More Homes Scotland, we are undertaking an exercise alongside local authorities to understand potential opportunities to unlock and accelerate affordable housing delivery on vacant and derelict land and in empty town and city centre buildings.

Local authorities have responsibility for delivering local housing development and local regeneration. They are best placed to develop the right partnerships to deliver regeneration and to identify suitable sites and funding for regeneration activity.

I wrote to the Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee on 3 September 2026 to notify them of my intention to bring forward a Scottish statutory instrument which, subject to Parliament’s consideration, will amend the number of Land Commissioners at the Scottish Land Commission from five to four. We expect the instrument to be laid in early October. The letter can be found on the Parliament’s website https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-7/rural-affairs-committee/correspondence/2026/land-reform-scotland-act-2016-of-3-september

Ministers will continue to comply with the requirements of the 2016 Act, including having regard to the desirability of the Commission, taken as a whole, having expertise or experience across the areas set out in the 2016 Act when making future appointments.

There are no plans to establish a public portal for the nomination of potential opportunities to unlock and accelerate affordable housing delivery on vacant and derelict land and in empty town and city centre buildings.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting local authorities and communities to tackle persistent vacant and derelict land and empty town and city centre buildings.

This is supported through our regeneration investment programmes which are providing up to £52 million in resource and capital programmes for community-led regeneration across Scotland in 2026/27. This may be used to transform vacant and derelict land and empty buildings into homes. Local authorities may also choose to use Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant to convert empty properties into housing.

Additionally as part of ongoing work to support the establishment of More Homes Scotland, we are undertaking an exercise alongside local authorities to understand potential opportunities to unlock and accelerate affordable housing delivery on vacant and derelict land and in empty town and city centre buildings.

Decisions relating to the development and administration of HES grant programmes are operational matters for HES, which exercises its functions independently of Scottish Ministers.

There may be existing HES grants which would be suitable for small business owners to apply for. More information on HES grants and funding is available on the organisation's website: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/grants-and-funding/.