Chamber and committees

I have asked Richard Dennis, the Accountant in Bankruptcy and Agency Chief Executive, to respond. His response is as follows:

Under section 200 of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016, the Accountant in Bankruptcy has the general function of supervising the performance of trustees in sequestration cases. Accountant in Bankruptcy hold records in relation to this function in line with our retention and destruction policy.

I am clear there must be a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Respect for All provides an important framework to support local authorities, schools and other settings to prevent and respond to bullying behaviour.

The guidance was updated in 2024 to reflect the latest evidence and good practice, and includes updated guidance on prejudice-based bullying, including bullying experienced by children and young people with additional support needs.

Ministers and officials engage regularly with local authorities on a wide variety of issues, including pupil wellbeing and support for Additional Support Needs. However, you will be aware responsibility for the delivery of education and support for children and young people, including responding to incidents of bullying, rests with local authorities and schools.

In 2024, we updated our national anti-bullying guidance Respect for All. We expect all local authorities, schools and organisations to develop and implement anti-bullying policies in line with Respect for All.

In 2026-27, we are providing £310,480 to respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service to provide advice, resources, and training for schools, local authorities and parents to help prevent and address bullying.

Decisions on workforce deployment and the allocation of resources in respect of data protection functions are operational matters for the Chief Constable and the Scottish Police Authority. This reflects the statutory governance arrangements established by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.

This year, the Scottish Government have increased police funding to over £1.7 billion, an increase of £81.5 million on the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget, to deliver on its priorities including frontline service delivery.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly. These arrangements are in place to ensure public confidence that the police act independently, free from unwarranted Ministerial interference. It would therefore be inappropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on or seek to intervene in operational matters.

While the operational delivery of SARs is a matter for Police Scotland, individuals retain statutory rights of access to their personal data under the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) guidance states that law enforcement agencies should respond to SARs without undue delay and, in most cases, within one month.

Police Scotland have acknowledged on their website that, due to unprecedented demand, the current wait time can be up to nine months.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with CalMac on ferry services. CalMac has advised that there are currently no plans to reintroduce non-landing tickets on the Mallaig-Small Isles service. With the initial decision having been made in response to growing concerns about the impact these sailings were having on the availability of passenger capacity for local residents and visitors travelling to and from the islands.

We are continuing to work with NHS Boards, local authorities, COSLA, the third sector and other delivery partners to improve access to neurodevelopmental support for children, young people and adults across Scotland, including in the Highlands and Islands parliamentary region.

For children and young people, this includes delivering the actions set out in the implementation review of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People through our work with COSLA and the Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopmental Taskforce.

For adults, we are working with partners to take forward the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland’s four-tier national pathway for neurodevelopmental conditions, helping ensure people can access support based on need, whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.

Over £2.9 million of funding in 2025-26 is supporting projects to improve access to neurodevelopmental support across Scotland, while the £2.5 million Autistic Adult Support Fund continues to support autistic adults in communities across the country. The 2026-27 Budget includes additional investment of £7.6 million to enable improvements in neurodevelopmental support for children and young people.

While a diagnosis can be important for some people and their wellbeing, in line with GIRFEC, GIRFE and our National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People, the Scottish Government’s priority is ensuring people receive the right support, at the right time, based on their needs - and not be required to wait for a diagnosis to access help.

In 2025-26, we provided over £2.9 million additional funding to a number of organisations and projects to improve access to neurodevelopmental support. The 2026-27 Budget includes additional investment of £7.6 million to enable improvements in neurodevelopmental support for children and young people. We also continue to invest in community support through our £2.5 million Autistic Adult Support Fund.

The regulation and licensing of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is a matter for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The decision to market a product in the UK rests with the pharmaceutical company. Neither the MHRA nor the UK or Scottish Governments can compel a pharmaceutical company to seek a marketing authorisation for, or supply, a product in the UK market.

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) for Scotland has discussed the issue with Pfizer representatives who advised that the company is continuing to assess whether it will pursue a UK marketing authorisation for its Solu-Cortef Act-O-Vial® 100 mg/2 mL injection.

The Scottish Government has not had any direct discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) regarding encouraging manufacturers to submit a licensing application for the ACT-O-Vial hydrocortisone system and other similar products, as medicines regulation and licensing are reserved matters.

The decision to market a product in the UK rests with the pharmaceutical company. Neither the MHRA nor the UK or Scottish Governments can compel a pharmaceutical company to seek a marketing authorisation for, or supply, a product in the UK market.

The Solu-Cortef Act-O-Vial® 100 mg/2 mL injection is not licensed in the UK but may be supplied as an unlicensed imported medicine through specialist importers where clinically appropriate. Community pharmacists wishing to obtain this product are required to seek approval from their Health Board before ordering an unlicensed import.