Chamber and committees

Individual decisions on Home Detention Curfew (HDC) release are a matter for the Scottish Prison Service. GPS monitoring will initially be available for eligible individuals who have been deemed suitable for release on HDC after the completion of an individualised risk assessment. GPS will only be used within HDC, where the HDC risk assessment suggests that GPS use will be necessary and proportionate.

It is not possible to predict with certainty how many of those released on HDC will have a GPS condition of licence. For planning purposes we have assumed there may be around 20 people on GPS monitored HDC during the initial phase.

The Scottish Government will evaluate GPS to determine the next steps for the development of the monitoring service and any future areas where GPS may be used.

The Scottish Government is committed to ongoing engagement and dialogue with representatives of the hospitality sector including through the New Deal for Business consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates and regular roundtable meetings with Ministers.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of local and Scottish Government.

Discounts, exemptions and reductions for household water and sewerage charges are funded by the wider household customer base.

Roughly 50% of households receive a discount on the published rates. These include status discounts which apply to Council Tax (e.g. single occupant) and reductions for those in receipt of Council Tax Reduction. This helps to ensure that charges remain progressive and protect those on the lowest incomes.

Scottish Water publishes details of interest paid in its annual report and accounts, routinely laid in Parliament, and available online at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/Help-and-Resources/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports.

As published in the Water Industry Commission for Scotland’s (WICS) Final Determination of charges for 2021-27, the maximum amount of charges that Scottish Water can levy on its customers is CPI+2% on average for each year of the regulatory period (equivalent to CPI+12.6% over the 6 year period). Charge increases in the first half of the regulatory period were significantly less than the charge cap, reflecting the financial impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and cost of living crisis on households.

Water charges are set by Scottish Water’s Board, with approval from the independent economic regulator WICS. The Board must balance affordability with funding critical investment needs to protect our drinking water quality and the environment. As recognised in Scottish Water’s Draft Long Term Strategy published on 4 February 2025, charges need to increase to fund the impacts of the climate emergency, the replacement of ageing assets and a growing population.

Cash balances are published in Scottish Water’s annual and interim accounts which are laid before Parliament. The latest figure is available in Scottish Water’s interim report and accounts for 2024-25, published on 18 December 2024 and available at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Key-Publications/Annual-Reports/Interim-Reports/SCW2701-Interim-report-2024-NOT-SIGNED.pdf.

Decisions on licensing and consenting for offshore oil and gas, as well as the associated fiscal regime and security of supply are matters reserved to the UK Government.

Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the course of their duties and will continue to do so alongside considering the Court rulings.

We support a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector. The judgements and issues our view on future licencing of oil and gas are informed and influenced by recent developments in the UK Government’s energy policy and court decisions. This is a rapidly changing landscape, and we are taking time to reflect on those developments before drawing any conclusions and publishing a final strategy.

We continue to call on UK Government to also listen carefully to the concerns being expressed by businesses around risks to jobs and investment in the transition. We also continue to monitor evidence and information on the energy transition and fuel security from a range of sources.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting Mark Ruskell MSP to progress his Member’s Bill to reconsideration as soon as practical. Given our experience of the reconsideration process with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, we have agreed with Mr Ruskell that the Scottish Government will draft, lodge and speak to the amendment provisions we consider necessary to address the legislative competence issues raised in the UK Supreme Court judgement.

We wish to preserve as much of the Bill as possible however, we are clear that this must be balanced against the need to minimise a second referral to the Supreme Court. Scottish Government lawyers continue to engage with the UK Government regarding the Bill. We will provide an update to Mr Ruskell MSP and Parliament as soon as we are in a position to share any further information.

We are committed to listening to the victims’, and their families, views on how the parole system can be improved.

This why the First Minister, Minister for Victims, and I, are committed to meeting victims and hear how we can better support them through the parole process.

Continuous improvement is essential to ensuring the parole system remains effective and fit for purpose.

However, any proposals to amend parole rules need to be carefully considered, and fully assessed, to understand their impact.