Chamber and committees

As part of the annual meeting between the Scottish Cabinet and children and young people, which took place in November 2025, the following ministers met with representatives of the Scottish Youth Parliament:

• the First Minister;
• all previous Cabinet Secretaries (with the exception of Miri McAllan, then Cabinet Secretary for Housing); and
• the previous Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise.

The previous Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills also met with representatives of the Scottish Youth Parliament (alongside representatives from Children's Parliament, Children in Scotland and Young Scot) in February 2026, as part of the Education Reform Project.

Responses to the consultation on Mandatory Calorie Labelling in the Out of Home Sector in Scotland highlighted the need for further evidence on the potential impacts that calorie information may have on people with lived and living experience of an eating disorder. We are working with Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland to review the available evidence and consider the potential impacts of this policy.

Food Standards Scotland has been monitoring the evidence base to understand more about how the display of calorie information in out of home setting may impact those living with or susceptible to an eating disorder. A programme of research on this issue, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research is due to conclude at the end of this year.

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) helps to facilitate young people’s engagement in policy-making and, as such, SYP engages in activity with policy teams throughout the Scottish Government (including mental health, education reform, and children’s rights).

We do not hold information on the number of staff across all of the policy areas who are currently engaged in activity with SYP. However, there are 3 members of staff within the Children’s Rights Unit who spend at least some of their time liaising with SYP about the core finding that SYP receive from The Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund.

Following the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing’s letter to COSLA, officials met with COSLA officers to reiterate Scottish Government’s expectations regarding the availability of powers for local authorities to make use of byelaws in order to ensure accommodation standards for seasonal workers are appropriate.

COSLA officers had committed to undertake further engagement with local authority officers that have agricultural seasonal workers in their area to identify the necessary requirements in order for further discussions with officials to take place on how the Scottish Government can support local authorities’ consideration of byelaws through information, advice and guidance. Officials stand ready to support COSLA officers when such an approach will be made.

Scottish Enterprise has previously advised that 13 organisations had been identified as ineligible for support under the policy.

Records relating to applications for support are held by the relevant delivery body. Where those records are held by a public body, decisions regarding the publication or disclosure of information are operational matters for that organisation.

However, I have requested that officials ask delivery bodies to provide the Scottish Government with the same information released by Scottish Enterprise, and I will come back to Ross Greer MSP in due course.

The Scottish Government has no plans to reintroduce previous local connection rules for homeless households.

Social landlords are responsible for the allocation of their housing, and each landlord’s approach is set out within their published Allocations Policy. Allocations policies give priority to homeless people and those threatened with homelessness who have unmet housing needs; people living in unsatisfactory housing conditions with unmet housing needs; and tenants occupying homes that are under-occupied. A decision to allocate housing is based on a fair, transparent and objective assessment of an applicant’s housing need.

Guidance on the assistance available to victims and witnesses to help give evidence is available om the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service website - Vulnerable victims and witnesses (special measures) | COPFS.

In the circumstance where a terminally ill victim is deemed to be a vulnerable witness, then they would be entitled to give their evidence by special measures. The special measures that can be authorised could include the taking evidence by a commissioner; the use of a live television link; the use of a screen; the use of a supporter, the giving evidence in chief in the form of a prior statement and excluding the public during the taking of evidence, or a combination of these measures. Where a victim is unable to come to court to give evidence in any competent manner because they are unfit or unable to do so because of a mental or physical condition their statement may be admitted in evidence.

Transport Scotland officials and CalMac as part of the Clyde and Hebrides Grant Agreement hold weekly meetings to discuss operations across the network. The decision on the deployment of vessels rightly sits with the operator as they have the knowledge and expertise to ensure that essential lifeline services to our island communities are maintained.

The contingency methods put in place by the operator include MV Glen Sannox operating an interisland service between Tarbert and Lochmaddy up to 27 September. A charter vessel (MV Pabbay Lass) operating between Berneray – Leverburgh until 27 September and MVLoch Bhrusda will cover the route from 28 September.

In line with the recommendation from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services, the National Eating Disorders Network was established in 2024 to help improve training, skills development, and public health strategies.

We are currently delivering on the medium and longer term recommendations with the help of the Network including:

• Supporting implementation of the Specification by assessing Health Boards’ needs and collecting relevant data through an audit tool.
• Producing content for NHS inform, providing free and accessible information and advice on eating disorders for people in Scotland.
• Developing and delivering further training for NHS colleagues.
• Working with partners in hosting regular webinars for clinicians, carers and people with lived experience from across Scotland.
• Engaging with stakeholders to discuss our approach to GLP-1 weight loss medications, in respect of eating disorders.
• Engaging with stakeholders on data collection and reporting, to understand how best to support them in this area.

The Scottish Government recognises the barriers highlighted by the Family Fund research, including affordability, access to devices and connectivity, and lack of digital skills and confidence. We are taking action to address these.

Since 2024, the Scottish Government has committed more than £870,000 in grant funding to support over 50 locally-delivered digital inclusion projects across Scotland. We also continue to work with Ofcom and delivery partners to raise awareness of affordable connectivity options, including social tariffs.

Alongside this, we are developing a Digital Inclusion Delivery Plan, which will be published later this year. This will set out clear actions to address the wider barriers that prevent people from participating digitally and how we will work with partners, including local government, to achieve this.