The most recent Scottish Criminal Justice Survey, published earlier this month shows that the majority of adults are confident in the effectiveness of the police to deal with incidents, solve crime, and catch criminals. Furthermore, the survey showed that 59% of adults have confidence in the police to respond quickly to appropriate calls and information from the public. This is higher than in 2008/09, when it was 54%.

While there are a complex range of factors behind confidence in policing it would be remiss not to acknowledge that overall trust has fallen in recent years. This mirrors a similar trend in England and Wales over the same period, suggesting the issues involved may not be solely specific to Scotland.

Confidence in our police service is vital for a safe and just Scotland and Police Scotland are already taking steps to respond – from strengthening community policing to improving how they engage with victims and local communities. That work is backed by record investment of £1.64 billion this year, which will increase to over £1.7 million in 2026-27.

Improving public trust and confidence is also a cornerstone of Police Scotland’s 2030 vision and is embedded within its three-year business plan and local policing plans.

The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the National Concessionary Travel Schemes to ensure their longer- term sustainability. At present the Scottish Government has no plans to extend the concessionary travel schemes beyond the current eligibility criteria. Any decisions will be for the next Parliament to consider.

The Scottish Government recognises the financial pressures that many households are experiencing, including debts to public sector bodies. Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debts including an assessment of affordability to repay debt. This includes using the Collaborative Council Tax Collection Guide[1] and Good practice principles for managing school meal debt[2] published by COSLA in February 2023 following engagement with local government partners. We have allocated £2.22m in 2025-26 to support a national Council Tax Debt Project delivered by Citizen’s Advice Scotland. In addition to enabling increased debt advice provision across the whole of Scotland for those in Council Tax arrears, this project is supporting the development of national resources which can help support the best practice principles in Council Tax collection.

The Scottish Government supported the inclusion of provisions during the passage of The Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 which require a review of how joint and several liability for Council Tax arrears affects people experiencing domestic abuse. This review will help councils navigate these complex cases with greater care and understanding, ensuring that support is available. Scottish Ministers have also committed to consult on the question of prescription periods and Council Tax in the next Parliament, so that any reform balances fairness for households with the need to protect local services and is robust and workable.

The Scottish Government has liaised with the Cabinet Office and HMRC to explore data sharing opportunities which improve Council Tax debtor data-sharing channels between Scottish local authorities and HMRC. New data-sharing pathways have been agreed which will support local authorities in enacting fair debt recovery and help identify and support vulnerable debtors while increasing uptake of the Scottish Government’s means tested Council Tax Reduction scheme. This scheme ensures that nobody in Scotland should have to meet a Council Tax liability they cannot be expected to afford.

These new data-sharing pathways represent an opportunity to support fairer debt recovery, help identify and support vulnerable debtors, and increase uptake of the Council Tax Reduction scheme by identifying eligible non-recipients.

Scottish Ministers continue to work with COSLA through the Joint Working Group on Sources of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform to encourage the adoption of best practice on debt collection and advice.

In addition, Social Security Scotland is committed to delivering a debt management service that is responsive to clients’ needs while protecting the public purse. This includes an approach for vulnerable clients that includes training debt officers to identify and sensitively handle potential hardship and vulnerable clients, as well as signposting them to support and advocacy groups.

[1]Collaborative Council Tax Collection (improvementservice.org.uk)

[2]Good-Practice-Principles-for-School-Meal-Debt-Management.pdf (cosla.gov.uk)

As in previous years, St Andrew’s House and Victoria Quay will be lit purple for epilepsy awareness on 26 March 2026.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publish median and 90th percentile for length of time patients wait to be seen as a new outpatient on a monthly basis.

The median waiting time is the middle waiting time, calculated by ordering patients from shortest to longest wait. This represents typical length of time patients have waited. The 90th percentile reflects the upper limit on how long nine out of ten waits have lasted.

The latest data covers all waits for an ongoing new outpatient appointment up to 31 January 2026, as set out in the following table.

Table 1. Gynaecology: New Outpatient Ongoing Waits – 31 January 2026

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold data on length of waits for accessing neurodevelopmental assessments as managing waitlists is the responsibility of health boards. However, we are working closely with boards to improve the experience of children, young people and their families in accessing support for their neurodivergence. This involves continuing to implement our Neurodevelopmental Specification, which sets clear expectations for boards and children’s services to work together to deliver timely needs-based support, in line with GIRFEC.

Boards that have closed or suspended waiting lists to new referrals continue to have a responsibility to ensure that children and young people are appropriately signposted to alternative and community-based services. I expect all boards to make sure that families are directed towards the right support at the earliest opportunity, including local authority services, school-based support, and wider community supports. As the Specification makes clear, these should be available to children, young people and their families when needs arise and should not require a formal diagnosis.

Of the £12.9 million allocation into gynaecology services in 2025-26, over £9.4 million has been directed to inpatient/day-case activity.

The impact of this investment is tracked centrally through routine self-reported returns submitted by NHS Boards and via Public Health Scotland’s (PHS) monthly Stage of Treatment publication.

As of 31 January 2026 (latest), PHS data shows that waits of over 52 weeks for gynaecology inpatient or day-case had reduced by 21.8% since 31 July 2025.

Scotland is the only country in the UK with a Tobacco and Vapes Retail Register. All businesses, regardless of size, need to be registered to be able to sell these products in Scotland. This includes retailers which operate from moveable premises, such as market stalls or sales vans. The register exists to support the enforcement of regulation on age restricted products given the public health harms of tobacco and vaping.

We remain committed to considering how the register could be improved including possible further conditions on registration to support our public health aims of reducing the use of tobacco and vapes.

Individual business owners are responsible for registering any business selling tobacco and/or vapes, or they face a fine of up to £20k and possible imprisonment not exceeding 6 months. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register in their local areas.

Local Authorities have responsibility to ensure local budget decisions deliver local and national priorities. The 2026-27 Scottish Budget provides a further real-terms increase in the Local Government Settlement, delivering record funding of almost £15.7 billion, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant.

Scotland is the only country in the UK with a Tobacco and Vapes Retail Register. All businesses, regardless of size, need to be registered to be able to sell these products in Scotland. The register exists to support the enforcement of regulation on age restricted products given the public health harms of tobacco and vaping.

Individual business owners are responsible for registering any business selling tobacco and/or vapes. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to £20k and possible imprisonment not exceeding 6 months. It is the responsibility of local authorities to enforce compliance with the register in their local areas.

We remain committed to considering how the register could be improved including possible further conditions on registration to support our public health aims of reducing the use of tobacco and vapes.

We also remain open minded to potential further regulation and legislation to ensure the safety of people and buildings, especially when it comes to the storage and disposal of combustible products.

We want people in Scotland, regardless of their background, age, or circumstances, to have access to the right help, at the right time, when they struggle with their mental or physical health. Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy published jointly with COSLA sets out a clear vision of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible.

It is clear that urgent action is needed to address endometriosis diagnosis times. That is why we have allocated almost £13 million in additional funding to Health Boards this year to target long waits for gynaecology.

We are beginning to see the impact of that investment, with waits over 52 weeks reducing by 44.6% for new outpatients and by 21.8% for inpatient/day-case between 31 July 2025 and 31 January 2026.

Endometriosis continues to be a priority for this Government, and we are determined to see diagnosis times reduced for all women and girls across Scotland.

Through Phase Two of the Women’s Health we are taking action to transform gynaecology services and reduce diagnosis times for all menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis. The Endometriosis Care Pathway has already been updated to align with the most recent NICE guidance, so that NHS Boards can ensure that women and girls with endometriosis and endometriosis like symptoms have access to holistic and timely care.

The updated Endometriosis Pathway can be accessed here: www.rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/gynaecology-pathways/endometriosis/