Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government set out proposals in the paper A Stronger Economy with Independence for the two main trunk routes between Scotland and England in a scenario in which an independent Scotland was in the EU and the rest of the UK was not. It should be noted that the Common Travel Area means there would be no new passport or immigration checks at any of an independent Scotland’s land, sea or air border points with the UK and Ireland for those travelling within it.

The UK Government is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. Precise border arrangements between the EU and the UK will not be known until the conclusion of those negotiations. The Scottish Government supports an ambitious agreement to minimise checks and delays. We also continue to press the UK Government to drop its red line on UK membership of the Customs Union and Single Market to mitigate some of the damage of Brexit and smooth trade between the UK and EU.

Scottish Government Officials and Ministers engage with a wide range of stakeholders to inform policy. This engagement has informed the production of the Building a new Scotland series (BANS). We are not aware of any representations from foreign investors expressing concerns about access to the UK Market in an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with like-minded investors to increase investment in Scotland. EY's latest Annual Attractiveness Survey showed that Scotland has maintained its position as the top performing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) region or nation of the UK outside of London for the past 10 years and is ranked sixth among the top ten FDI locations in Europe.

With the full powers of independence, it would be possible to further strengthen our approach to attracting investment. The full range of fiscal and regulatory powers and incentive mechanisms could be aligned to match our policy ambitions and values.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38451 on 20 June 2025.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

The Care Inspectorate is the independent scrutiny body and regulator for care services in Scotland. It regulates and provides scrutiny of the quality of care in Scotland (including in Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings) to ensure it meets high standards and to promote the safety, protection and wellbeing of all service users including children in ELC settings.

The Care Inspectorate publishes an annual report with their national findings on the availability and quality of registered daycare of children and childminding services for children and families across Scotland. The most recent report was published on 24 September 2024: Early Learning and Childcare Statistics 2023.

Figure 14 on page 19 provides an overview of the number and percentage of services holding evaluations of weak or unsatisfactory in all assessed key questions or quality themes by service type, at 31 December 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist further with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37806 on 4 June 2025.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37806 on 4 June 2025.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

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

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37806 on 4 June 2025.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

The Care Inspectorate report data publicly on their Data Store which may be able to assist with this question or alternatively the Care Inspectorate could be approached directly for a response.

Access to NHS treatment is based on clinical need, however we recognise that service children should not be disadvantaged when accessing the NHS as a result of their parent’s service in the Armed Forces.

We regularly communicate the Covenant legal duty and paying ‘due regard’ to all NHS Boards via the NHS Armed Forces and Veterans Champions, who are responsible for ensuring its implementation.

Additionally, the General Practice Armed Forces and Veterans Recognition Scheme aims to raise awareness of the health challenges that veterans and Armed Forces families face as a result of military service.

I regularly meet with youth organisations such as Youth Scotland, YouthLink Scotland and Scottish Youth Parliament.

The First Minister of Scotland and other Scottish Minister’s also regularly meet with youth organisations. This includes a summit on 12 June attended by the First Minister of Scotland that brought together experts and grassroots youth organisations to discuss how to tackle youth violence.

Information on Ministerial engagements is published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at: www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/. The engagements are published three months in arrears.