Chamber and committees

The public sector reform creates an opportunity for national renewal and simplification of the service delivery landscape to best deliver for the people of Scotland. This will require strong leadership from within local government and commitment from delivery partners to look beyond individual, institutional and sectoral interests to focus on the collective outcomes we seek to achieve for Scotland.

Any proposals will be developed through engagement with local government, public bodies, trades unions, and relevant delivery partners, which includes Police Scotland.

Ensuring the continuity of frontline services and maintaining public safety through visible community policing remains a Scottish Government’s priority.

Ownership and control of land is a powerful tool for communities to drive change and can help to develop local economies, provide activities and services, and boost community identity. The Scottish Government provides support for communities through the Scottish Land Fund, which offers grants of up to £1 million to help communities take ownership of land and assets that matter to them, as well as practical support to develop projects. Over 1.6 million people across Scotland now live in communities where assets have been acquired with funding from the Scottish Land Fund.

In addition, the Scottish Government funds the Community Ownership Support Service, who provide expert advice and support for communities and relevant authorities. This specialised assistance includes support to community bodies with feasibility, business planning, financial planning and obtaining funding.

Community bodies are required to demonstrate relevant information about their ability to deliver within their application. This includes identifying costs and appropriate and realistic sources of funding post-transfer. These elements must be considered by relevant authorities when making their decision. This provides assurance that the initial and ongoing costs of asset ownership have been identified and can be appropriately supported before the asset transfer is agreed.

Ongoing support is available to groups via the Community Ownership Support Service and Scottish Land Fund even after that the asset is transferred.

The Scottish Government monitors tourism sector performance through a range of data sources and stakeholder intelligence. The tourism sector is performing strongly in many areas, including short-term let accommodation - with the number of Scottish short-term let listings in March 2026 10% higher than in March 2025 and 8% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Guest nights booked in short-term lets also increased by 11% in 2025 compared with 2024, and were 4% higher in June 2026. This compares favourably with the UK as a whole, where demand declined slightly (down 1%). Short-term let occupancy rates in June 2026 (57%) remained stable compared with the previous year and continued to exceed the UK average (47%).

Business and regulatory considerations were one of the impact assessments undertaken during development of the licensing scheme. Since short-term let licensing commenced in 2022, we have already provided written and verbal updates to Parliament in 2023 and 2025, as well as a report published in 2024. In addition, licensing authorities will conduct their own impact assessments as they periodically review, consult and update their policy statements.

The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to review and report on the operation of the Act, as soon as reasonably practicable 3 years after the first levy scheme comes into effect. The report must set out an assessment of the impact of visitor levy schemes on businesses and communities.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with ScotRail, Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) to prevent and address crime and anti-social behaviour across Scotland's railway network, in order to maximise safety for all passengers and staff.

As part of this, the Scottish Government convened the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group, which is comprised of key partners across the rail industry including BTP. This Group was tasked with mapping and assessing current enforcement powers and their effectiveness, with a view to considering where these can be strengthened or developed further to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. The Group published its final report and recommendations earlier this year, and officials at Transport Scotland are currently assessing the feasibility of them.

In relation to Lochgelly station, the BTP has recorded consistently low levels of crime in recent years. Since April 2026, BTP has recorded two offences at the station, both relating to trespass. In 2025-26, BTP recorded eight offences at Lochgelly, with a further eight offences recorded in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government continually works with Network Rail, ScotRail and other industry partners to monitor rail capacity and connectivity across Scotland, including in Fife.

We are investing in rolling stock and infrastructure to support future passenger demand and improve connectivity. This includes the replacement of Scotland's InterCity High Speed Train fleet, the ongoing ScotRail Suburban Fleet Replacement Programme and delivery of the £311.5 million Fife Electrification Programme.

These investments support improved reliability, capacity and passenger experience on services within Fife and between Fife and Scotland's major cities, and form part of the Scottish Government's wider approach to enhancing Scotland's railway network.

Scottish Government does not collect this data.

Asbestos-related diseases include a range of cancers (including mesothelioma and lung cancer), asbestosis and other chronic lung conditions. The majority (85-95%) of mesothelioma cancers are attributable to asbestos exposure.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) operates the Scottish Cancer Registry, which collects cancer incidence data for all cancers in Scotland.

PHS annually publishes incidence for all cancers associated with asbestos exposure (PHS Cancer Incidence publication). However, the Scottish Cancer Registry does not routinely record whether an individual cancer was caused by occupational or environmental asbestos exposure. It is therefore not possible to provide a direct count of asbestos-attributable cancers and other diseases from cancer registration data alone.

Data on hospital care for cancers and other lung conditions associated with asbestos are also available from PHS.

Responsibility for asbestos legislation and the related regulations is reserved to the UK Government.

Asbestos is not covered by the Scottish building standards system and Scottish legislation makes no provision for how it is handled, and the Scottish Government currently does not plan to commit to a continuous national programme of asbestos training and education.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for asbestos management issues and it would be for the HSE to consider the need for training for workers, on a UK-wide basis, if this is considered to be required.

Responsibility for asbestos legislation and the related regulations is reserved to the UK Government. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for asbestos management issues and it would be for the HSE to consider the need for training for workers, on a UK-wide basis, if this is considered to be required.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-03629 on 6 October 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential value of personalised cancer vaccine development and the challenges that this raises for our healthcare system.

As part of the Genomics in Scotland strategy, we are working to improve the tissue sample pathway necessary to support enhanced genomic testing for patients with brain cancer.

Further work is needed, in collaboration with NHS partners, to look at the wider capability and capacity needed to support the long-term storage of fresh-frozen tumour tissue samples suitable for personalised vaccine development.