Chamber and committees

A range of support was available for students receiving their exam results, including:

• The SQA Candidate Advice Helpline, which was open from 6 to 9 August, answered queries relating to Scottish Qualifications Certificates.
• The SDS Results Helpline which provides young people, parents and carers, with career information, expert advice and guidance on the wide range of post-school options and pathways available was also open from 6 to 9 August.
• A free and direct appeals service is available giving all young people the right to request a review of their marked exam papers or coursework for their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher results this year, including a priority service for young people with a conditional offer of a place in university, college, training or employment that depends on their grade.
• Information for young people on how to look after their emotional wellbeing, including support and tips on how to promote a positive mindset are also available on the Young Scot website.

We would encourage all young people to discuss any concerns about their next steps and progression with their teachers or lecturers who know them best.

We do not think it is right that ownership and control of much of Scotland’s land is still in the hands of relatively few people.

A 2019 report by the Scottish Land Commission: The Model CHP for the Scottish Government and Associated Public Authorities Sector in Scotland - Word Template (landcommission.gov.scot) concluded that highly concentrated landownership can have detrimental effects on rural development outcomes, and that these effects arise because landowners have the power to decide who can access land, when, for what purpose and at what price.

Analysis by the James Hutton Institute to support the Bill identified 1066 landholdings above 1000 hectares, representing 4.32 million hectares, or 55% of Scotland’s land.

The European Convention on Human Rights is fundamental to our legal framework in Scotland. Our proposals in the Bill are fully compliant with the ECHR, including the right to private property.

More details on the consideration of the effect of the provisions of the Bill on human rights can be found in the Policy Memorandum accessible (parliament.scot).

If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the Bill will allow Ministers to consider the impact on the local community of certain sales of land over 1000 hectares before the sale can proceed.

Ministers may decide that the landholding should be sold as separate lots, though this is not expected to be appropriate in all cases.

The Bill sets out a process for landowners to apply for a review of a Ministerial lotting decision as well as appeal and compensation processes.

More details on this issue can be read in paragraphs 109 to 134 of the Policy Memorandum accessible (parliament.scot).

Land is key to ensuring that rural and island communities can thrive, to giving people places to live and work, to providing essential infrastructure that people need and to help us keep people on the land.

When land is transferred at scale this makes it more difficult for communities and others to purchase land, as the supply of smaller and more affordable plots of land is restricted. This can be detrimental to the sustainability of those communities.

Further information on the transfer test proposals in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill can be found in the Policy Memorandum (parliament.scot)

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions regarding regeneration of Niddrie with the City of Edinburgh Council or other stakeholders.

We are committed to supporting our most disadvantaged communities and places to build their capacity, resilience and sustainability through a place-based approach to regeneration, which is underpinned by our Regeneration Strategy. However, as set out in the Scottish Budget, we are in an extremely challenging financial position which has resulted in this year’s pause of the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme. As such, we do not have plans to provide funding support for the Niddrie area.

On 15 August 2024, we published the Summary of Responses to Investing in Planning - a consultation on resourcing Scotland’s planning system, which ran from 28 February 2024 to 31 May 2024.

We received 140 responses from a range of stakeholders, including industry bodies, and have published responses where consent has been given to do so. A full breakdown of respondents can be found in the Summary of Responses at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836016328 .

I will set out the next steps on improvements to the planning system when the Scottish Parliament returns after recess.

No additional funding has been confirmed as part of the Chancellor’s statement, with the consequential position, as per normal practice, confirmed as part of the Supplementary Estimates process in January/February 2025.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK Government to seek clarity on changes that have an impact on funding.

Information on future year funding will be outlined as part of the UK Government Spending Review, the first two years of which will be published alongside the Autumn Statement on the 30th of October.

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) is an independent charitable organisation and its governance and operational management are matters for the ERCC Board to consider and act upon. The Scottish Government expects all recipients of public funding to comply with relevant laws.

This information is not currently held centrally. Students applying to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) for the first time are referred for an assessment of their needs before a decision can be made. SAAS does not set the timing of this process, as it is undertaken by an external party. A new DSA Online system is currently in development.