Chamber and committees

There have been official level discussions with the UK Government on the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill. The Scottish Government considers that the Bill, if appropriately amended at Stage 2, would not have raised issues under section 35 or section 40 of the Scotland Act 1998.

Local authorities are responsible for addressing litter and fly-tipping on public land and other land for which they have responsibility, in line with the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse. Communities should contact their local council in the first instance to report concerns or request action. The Scottish Government continues to work with councils and delivery partners to drive national action through the National Litter and Fly-tipping Strategy.

Communities in South Lanarkshire can also access support from the Scottish Government’s delivery partner, Keep Scotland Beautiful. Through its Community Litter Hub, local groups can access practical resources, guidance and campaign materials to organise litter picks, promote behaviour change and take action to tackle litter. As part of the Strategy’s Year 3 action plan, the Hub is being expanded to include practical information and guidance on tackling fly-tipping.

The expert Review carried out by Professional Education Advisor Janie McManus’ said that clearer expectations, stronger pathways to support across education, health and social care, and early interventions should underpin the next steps in delivering Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision in schools.

I welcomed publication of the review and accepted the six recommendations made.

Whilst work on delivering against these recommendations will require sustained partnership across government, local authorities and national bodies, it will be for the incoming government to consider how to take forward the specific approach.

The Scottish Government is continuing to consider the EU Environmental Crime Directive (2024/1203) against our alignment policy. We consider that the existing offence of causing significant environmental harm at section 40 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 is reasonably closely aligned with the Directive’s introduction of “qualified offences” for more serious environmental damage.

The Scottish Government published updated statutory RSHP teaching guidance in February 2026. The revised teaching guidance reflects the issues currently facing children and young people, especially around inclusivity, consent and healthy relationships as well as online influences.

Regarding content of the Scottish curriculum, I refer the member to the answer to questions S6W-30034 on 3 October 2024, and S6W-32189 on 23 December 2024. 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.

Local authorities are responsible for managing their school estate in line with statutory duties and ensure that capacity assessments reflect modern educational design requirements. The Determining Primary School Capacity guidance recognises evolving approaches to school design and supports authorities in assessing planning and working capacity accordingly.

It is for individual planning authorities to determine whether to seek developer contributions towards infrastructure delivery to enable development, whilst also considering the level of contributions and the potential impact on the viability of development. Developer contributions sought via Section 75 planning obligations should comply with the tests set out in National Planning Framework 4 and Circular 4/2025.

Further to the answers to questions S6W-43890 on 4 March 2026 and S6W-44014 on 11 March 2026, I met with Alistair Cochrane, Interim CEO of Royal Mail Group on 19 March. We discussed planning for the election and I highlighted the major concerns which have been raised around whether poll cards, postal votes and campaign material will be delivered on time. I received an assurance that Royal Mail recognise the vital role they play in the democratic process and that election mail will be prioritised. They are working closely with Returning Officers and the Electoral Management Board for Scotland ahead of 7 May.

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 is aware of the decision made by the proprietors to close Fernhill School, and recognises the impact this has for pupils, families, staff, and the wider school community.

The Registrar for Independent Schools has been in contact with the school, which will remain open until the end of this academic session, and has received assurance that relevant local authorities have been notified of the closure and that the school is supporting pupils and families in making arrangements for next year.

Qualifications Scotland has also been engaging with Fernhill School to ensure that young people undertaking their qualifications are being appropriately supported, and the Registrar and HM Inspectors will continue to engage with the school to provide advice and support as necessary.

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits of walking for physical and mental wellbeing regularly reported in the Scotland Walking and Cycling Index. However, as with the response to PQ S6W-44458 on 24 March 2026 pavement maintenance is the responsibility of councils as entirely separate entities from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government has committed to respecting local government’s democratic mandate as part of the Verity House Agreement.

Local authorities have statutory duties under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to maintain footways and secure expeditious, convenient and safe movement of people using their footways.

It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

It is for all external bodies, including local authorities, to ensure that they comply with all legal requirements. This includes the Public Sector Equality Duty and the Equality Act 2010. Responsibility for oversight of compliance with the Equality Act 2010 rests with the Equality & Human Rights Commission. The Commission is independent and cannot be directed by Scottish Ministers. Private individuals can seek to enforce their rights under the Equality Act in courts and tribunals.

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.

Audit Scotland has highlighted a persistent gap between national workforce ambitions and delivery, including the need for improved workforce data and clearer implementation plans. The Scottish Government is working with NHS boards to address these issues through strengthened workforce planning and improved modelling.

The information requested on how many obstetrics and gynaecology consultant vacancies there are in each NHS board is available on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Vacancy tab).

Data on locum-filled roles is not centrally held.

On 20 January 2026 the Scottish Government published the Women’s Health Plan: Phase Two (2026 - 2029). Phase Two sets out the actions that we will take over the next three years to improve the health of women and girls in Scotland and commits to ensuring women and girls have timely access to gynaecological care.

The development of this plan is in the early stages; therefore, it is not yet possible to provide any specific actions around the gynaecological workforce.

The Scottish Government continues to focus on reducing long waits for all patients, including those awaiting gynaecology appointments and treatment, while a longer-term plan is developed.