Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to engaging collaboratively with local government, providers, people with lived experience, the workforce, trade unions and other key partners as this work develops.

The arrangements for this dialogue, including how different stakeholders will participate, are currently being developed. The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that providers of all sizes, including small and micro care at home providers and community organisations, make to the delivery of care and support across Scotland, and will consider how relevant voices can be reflected as plans for engagement are finalised.

In December 2017, the Scottish Government introduced a national cyber incident reporting procedure to support affected public sector bodies.

The Scottish Government cannot confirm the number of cyber attacks affecting NHS Scotland prior to 2018, as no equivalent national reporting arrangements were in place.

Information available from 2018 onwards is set out in the following table.

The £200,000 investment announced by the Scottish Government is intended to support the development of a Justice Social Impact Partnership, focused initially on reducing reoffending and providing safe spaces for young people. This pilot will help inform the potential for wider application of Social Impact Partnerships across government.

As the programme is currently at a development stage, no decisions have yet been taken on eligibility for any future funding, including the potential £10 million fund. Consequently, criteria for participation and access to funding have not been determined. Any future expansion of Social Impact Partnerships would be informed by the outcomes of the justice pilot and the objectives of individual programmes.

The Scottish Government intends to implement the right to breaks for unpaid carers of all ages, including young carers, in line with Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. It is also committed to setting statutory timescales for preparing young carer statements and to establishing new duties for organisations to promote take-up and awareness of carer support, including support for young carers, both in accordance with the same chapter of the 2025 Act.

The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2026 to 2031 includes our commitment to “engage with local authorities, trades unions, and healthcare and service providers to reach agreement on reform of social care which makes best use of the funding in the system, delivers fairer and more efficient services and achieves economies of scale, while enhancing the focus on community need”.

Education authorities and schools are responsible for determining curriculum content in line with local needs and circumstances.

During school inspections, HM Inspectors evaluate the quality of learners’ experiences, including how well that learning supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that contribute to both their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.

In February, the First Minister announced an investment of £2.5 million to strengthen local responses to cardiac arrest. The funding will support the establishment of Cardiac Arrest Rescue Zones (CARe Zones) across local authorities, helping to improve community preparedness and response. This may include increasing CPR training in schools. Plans will be tailored to local priorities and needs but can include promoting CPR training resources such as SALFS' Resources for Schools, and providing additional support for teachers.

As part of Restart a Heart Month, the Scottish Government is supporting efforts led by Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) to encourage people to be prepared to respond in the event of a cardiac arrest.

To help promote this work, on 1 October the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs will join pupils at a school in Edinburgh to participate in “Restart a Heart Live,” a nationwide virtual CPR and defibrillator training session led by experienced staff based with the emergency services.

The Scottish Government is a member of the SALFS Partnership, and we work with other stakeholders in the partnership to promote their free online training resources schools and local authorities. Their resources for schools are available on SALFS website through the following link: Resources for Schools - Save a Life for Scotland.

The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) is intended to support opportunities for home ownership by disincentivising multiple residential property ownership through the application of an additional flat rate supplement.

The Scottish Government routinely monitors property market activity, including residential transactions subject to the LBTT ADS. The supply of homes for private rent is affected by a broad range of factors, including interest rates, financing costs, construction activity, local housing demand and wider market conditions. The Scottish Government's priority remains increasing the overall supply of homes and improving housing outcomes across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a two-year suspension of the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Additional Dwelling Supplement for purchases of residential properties intended for long-term private rental.

The Scottish Government routinely monitors property market activity, including residential transactions subject to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT), and considers a wide range of evidence when developing tax policy.

The decision to move home is influenced by a range of factors, including housing availability, household circumstances, mortgage costs and wider economic conditions.

The Scottish Government recognises the seasonal dangers and damage associated with disposal barbeques.

I welcome the steps the UK Government took to temporarily restrict the sale of disposable barbeques across the England, Scotland and Wales given the risks they can pose to the environment, local communities and agricultural land, particularly during periods of warm and dry weather when the risk of wildfire is heightened.

I believe there needs to be consideration of this issue on a more permanent basis when there is a high risk of wildfires and a more permanent approach would provide greater protection for communities and the environment. This is therefore an issue I will look to raise with the UK Government in early course.

In Scotland, local authorities have powers to ban the use of disposable barbeques within relevant spaces. Whilst it is for Scottish Ministers to approve byelaws proposed by local authorities, it is a matter for each council to decide how to manage its day-to-day business, including whether there is a need to introduce byelaws within their local areas to implement a ban on the use of barbeques at times of high risk.

This includes new wildfire prevention byelaws that came into effect in the Cairngorms National Park. This means that fires and barbecues are banned in public places within the National Park between 1 April and 30 September every year unless there is a lawful authority to do so.

Thrombectomy services are delivered on a regional basis through three hub centres serving the North, East and West of Scotland.