Chamber and committees

Clinical outcomes are reported monthly and any clinical mental health incidents reported to NHS 24, through any feedback channel, will receive a full investigation and clinical review.

The Consolidated Accounts are published annually and include a Performance Report which includes a Performance Overview and Performance Analysis, with high level financial information split by portfolio. The Consolidated Accounts for the years noted can be found at the following links:

The Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022 (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 (www.gov.scot)

I receive regular performance delivery updates on the three Policy Prospectus missions of equality, opportunity and community. I also engage regularly with Cabinet Secretaries to support strong collaboration across portfolios and budgets and enable effective delivery of Mandate Letter commitments. These arrangements are routinely reviewed and improved where appropriate.

The statutory review of the National Performance Framework National Outcomes is underway and reporting on progress towards the National Outcomes will continue to be delivered via the NPF website nationalperformance.gov.scot

In December 2021, our Response to Scotland’s Climate Assembly: Recommendations for Action included the commitment to investigate opportunities for whole life emission reporting.

Following this commitment we engaged with Zero Waste Scotland and some of the UK’s leading embodied carbon experts to scope research which produced the report Regulating Embodied Carbon in Scotland’s Buildings .

National Planning Framework 4 makes clear that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a cross-cutting outcome of development and includes policy that requires a minimisation of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions and the use of materials with the lowest forms of embodied emissions, such as recycled and natural construction materials.

We are currently engaging with key organisations and UK counterparts to understand the viability of such action and benefit that can be derived from a requirement to report on the broader environmental impact of new development, including the assertion that this could be addressed through building regulations.

The confirmation standard developed by the UK Government is being used to ensure consistency of approach in Scotland. The details of the confirmation standard are available on the Mygov.scot website: https://www.mygov.scot/xl-bully-dogs

In the first instance, it will be for owners to assess if they own an XL Bully dog. If in doubt, we recommend a precautionary approach by adhering to the new requirements to avoid any possibility of breaching the new legal requirements

The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with Police Scotland, local authorities and animal welfare organisations in relation to the new safeguards and this includes in relation to how XL Bully dogs can be identified.

Where a potential breach of the new legal requirements is prosecuted in court, it will be for the court to determine whether an offence has been committed and that may, in certain circumstances, require evidence relating to whether a dog is in fact an XL Bully dog. While a matter for the independent court, they will use the confirmation standard and may wish to hear as needed expert evidence on the question of identification of a dog as an XL Bully dog in a given case.

Consumer protection awards are not a matter for the Scottish Government. Consumer assurance in relation to food produced and packaged in Scotland comes from the comprehensive system of food law we have in Scotland that all food businesses must comply with, which covers food and feed safety, food standards and labelling, and any claims related to health or provenance. Compliance with food law is verified through food business inspections and routine sampling and monitoring of food products placed on the market.

It can be noted the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs operate independently of any Dog Control Notices (DCNs) that may have been imposed on individual XL Bully dogs. A dog can both be subject to the safeguards required through being a XL Bully and subject to conditions imposed in a DCN as a result of being assessed as a dog that was previously out of control.

Within this context, the operation of the DCN regime, as set out in the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”), is entirely a matter for local authorities. It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in such operational matters.

The 2010 Act places a duty on local authorities to monitor the effectiveness of and enforce all DCNs issued by local authority appointed officers.

The Scottish Government is committed to keeping the 2010 Act statutory guidance document under review and will work with local authorities and the National Dog Warden Association to consider any specific updates that may be required in light of the introduction of the new safeguards on XL Bully dogs.

The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (Scotland) Order 2024 provides for how the exemption scheme for XL Bully dogs will operate. This includes details on neutering.

The Scottish Government’s policy on neutering was developed and informed through direct engagement with key animal welfare stakeholders.

In order for an XL Bully dog owner to continue to be able to legally own their dog from 1 August 2024 onwards, a valid Certificate of Exemption is required. As a condition of receiving and retaining a valid exemption, the owner of the XL Bully must arrange to have their dog neutered. Male dogs must be castrated and female dogs must be spayed.

For dogs 18 months or older as at 31 July 2024, evidence of neutering having occurred must be provided to the Scottish Government by 31 January 2025.

For dogs younger than 18 months as at 31 July 2024, evidence of neutering having occurred must be provided to the Scottish Government by 31 January 2025 or within one month of the dog reaching the age of 18 months, whichever is later.

This approach for dogs aged younger than 18 months as at 31 July 2024 provides discretion for an owner to ensure their dog is at least 18 months old before being neutered. This reflects guidance on an appropriate age for health reasons as to when XL Bully dogs can safely be neutered.

Public Health Scotland (PHS), through the Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP), is responsible for oversight and leadership of vaccine delivery in Scotland. The Scottish Government is part of SVIP and is working closely with PHS and NHS Boards to promote and encourage uptake of all childhood immunisations.

It is important that all parents and carers ensure that children attend their routine scheduled childhood vaccinations when invited to give them the best protection possible against vaccine preventable diseases.

The NHS Inform website provides details of how to arrange an appointment for anyone who has not had two doses of the free MMR vaccine.

The most recent childhood immunisation uptake statistics, which were published on 19 December 2023 for the quarter ending 30 September 2023, can be found on the PHS website: Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Quarter ending 30 September 2023 - Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The Scottish Government is developing a place-based, industry specific Just Transition Plan for the region, committed to in our 2023 Programme for Government, that will outline the strategic long-term future of the industrial cluster.

The plan will outline a range of possibilities for operations at Grangemouth in 2045, including low-carbon hydrogen manufacture, carbon capture and Storage, bio-manufacturing and alternative low-carbon fuels as well as wider Just Transition impacts on the workforce, community and surrounding environment.

SG leads on this work, in partnership with the Grangemouth Future Industry Board, and has been working extensively with multiple industrial operators including Petroineos, and wider stakeholders to develop a baseline as well as a co-designed vision for the future Grangemouth Industrial Cluster.

A draft Grangemouth Just Transition Plan and Vision will be published in May 2024.

The National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons provides free travel on local registered bus services and long distance bus services throughout Scotland. Dedicated school transport services do not fall within the definition of eligible services set out in the legislation as they are generally not registered as local bus services or available to members of the public. Local authorities receive funding via the local government block grant to enable them to meet their statutory obligations, including the provision of home to school transport.