Chamber and committees

As set out in the previous Cabinet Secretary’s 25 March update to Parliament found here: More Homes Scotland update - Cab Sec Housing to LGHP - 25 March 2026, More Homes Scotland will:

• make greater use of land assembly and preparation powers to support viability and help accelerate pace of delivery;
• provide enhanced support for housing planning and development delivery;
• introduce greater opportunities for standardisation and adopt simplified commissioning options; and
• promote flexible funding approaches to drive economic growth opportunities, including through joint working with Scottish National Investment Bank.

Since 1 January 2021, a total of 10 planning appeals for renewable energy developments in the Highland and Islands region have been allowed.

The breakdown of that total by year and by planning authority are set out in the following table. The information includes appeals dismissed for context.

Our Programme for Government for 2026-27 will be put to the Parliament in due course. The Scottish Government published the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF) in July 2025. The first Major Change of the SRF includes a specific focus on long term conditions. As part of this we are continuing to engage with the third sector, clinicians and others to develop our approach to long term conditions, including respiratory conditions.

There were two application rounds for the Islands Business Resilience Fund (IBRF). In round one there were 248 applications received, with 215 approved and 33 unsuccessful, and in round two there were 255 applications received, with 229 approved and 26 unsuccessful. Therefore, in total there were 503 applications with a total of 444 being successful and 59 being unsuccessful.

There are currently two Project Gigabit in Scotland contracts that are in their delivery phase which intersect with the Highlands and Islands Parliamentary Region – the regional contract awarded to GoFibre which covers the North East of Scotland and the nationwide contract awarded to Openreach. While there is currently a live regional procurement underway for Orkney and Shetland, until a contract is awarded, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the premises to be connected.

a) The following table provides the number of premises that have received a connection through Project Gigabit in Scotland so far in the Highlands and Island Parliamentary Region, broken down by local authority area.

The Island Business Resilience Fund issued awards to a total of 444 businesses across four island local authority areas. The local authority breakdown is as follows:

• Argyll and Bute – 206
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – 98
• Highland – 15
• North Ayrshire - 125

£14 million was originally allocated to the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) in 2025-26, as the Scottish Government piloted delivering up-front capital funding to support farmers and crofters to deliver the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture. In response to high application rates, it was announced on 23 October 2025 that £7 million additional funding would be made available and a total of £21.4 million was allocated to successful applicants in 2025-26.

In 2026-27, capital funding continues to be under significant pressure, with Scotland’s capital block grant due to reduce in real terms by 0.3% per annum by 2029-30. Despite these pressures, it has been possible to allocate £14.25 million to a second round of the FFIS, slightly exceeding the level of funding initially proposed in 2025-26. This is part of the £26 million Agricultural Modernisation Fund budget, which will also fund vital support for our food production and food processing sector, small producers and agritourism.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of central and local government and are accountable to the courts. Proposals (the first stage of the appeals system) against revaluation can be lodged with the Assessor until 31 July 2026 or four months after the valuation notice has been received, whichever is later. Proposals can then be appealed in given circumstances and timescales to the Scottish Tribunals.

The Scottish Government worked in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to develop the application and distribution process. Although there was no formal appeals process, unsuccessful applicants could contact HIE to outline any concerns about the process.

The Class 222 trains are expected to enter passenger service by late 2027, with a phased introduction continuing through 2028. The full fleet is expected to be in operation by the December 2028 timetable.

Following successful procurement, the Class 222 trains will undergo an extensive £80 million overhaul and refurbishment prior to delivery to ScotRail, supported by £67 million of investment from the Scottish Government.

They will provide a more consistent, reliable, comfortable, accessible and family-friendly experience for passengers, helping to encourage more people to travel by rail rather than by car, while also support the long-term sustainability of InterCity services by reducing emissions and lowering operating costs through improved energy efficiency.