Chamber and committees

Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Scottish Government has taken a clear stance in support of the people of Ukraine and has encouraged organisations to review their links with Russia. In March 2022, the then Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy called on businesses in Scotland to review their links to Russia and sever them wherever possible. This was an additional discretionary measure taken by the Scottish Government, over and above the legally binding UK sanctions regime.

However, the Scottish Government cannot compel businesses to sever links where activity is lawful and does not breach UK sanctions. The regulation of companies, inward investment screening, anti-money laundering measures and the sanctions regime are largely reserved matters for the UK Government.

While we do not comment on allegations relating to specific properties or companies, any evidence of sanctions breaches, money laundering or other criminality should be referred to the appropriate authorities for investigation. We continue to work with partners to support measures to strengthen transparency, tackle economic crime and ensure that Scotland is not a destination for illicit finance.

There are currently no specific Scottish Government policies or programmes focused solely on improving the digital skills of unpaid carers.

However, Lead Scotland, through its Scottish Government funded national Cyber Project, and its role within the CyberScotland Partnership, supports disabled people, unpaid carers and others facing barriers to develop the skills and confidence needed to use digital services safely. This includes accessible cyber security and online safety resources, tutor-supported learning and targeted digital skills support. Lead Scotland also works directly with unpaid carers in areas including Fife and Perth and Kinross, supporting people to use digital services safely and confidently, including online health and social care services.

More widely, since 2024, the Scottish Government has committed more than £870,000 in grant funding to support over 50 local digital inclusion projects across Scotland. These projects have been delivered by local organisations, reflecting the needs of the communities they serve, and have included support to help people build the skills and confidence needed to use digital services safely and effectively.

We are also developing a Digital Inclusion Delivery Plan, to be published later this year, which will set out clear actions to address the barriers to digital participation, including access, skills and confidence

Thrombectomy services are delivered on a regional basis through three hub centres serving the North, East and West of Scotland.

Business owners and tenants who consider their property’s rateable value to be inaccurate should have access to timely recourse, and a two-stage appeals system was introduced in 2023 to incentivise early information-sharing and quicker resolution between parties.

Decisions on how resources are deployed, including the operation of contact, command and control services, are matters for the Chief Constable, reflecting the operational independence of policing. Police Scotland has been very clear that 101 is a non-emergency number and callers are advised of other means by which they can contact the service while on hold.

I note the interest across the chamber in ELC provision for twins and multiples, and acknowledge the overlap in answers being provided as I ensure members receive prompt answers on this important matter.

I appreciate that the cost of childcare can be challenging for many families across Scotland, and that there can be an impact on family circumstances as a result of a multiple birth. Every child in Scotland deserves the best start in life, which is why the Scottish Government is committed to eradicating child poverty and giving families the support they need.

Each year since 2021 we have invested around £1 billion in the delivery of high quality ELC to all eligible children and we are continuing to do so in 2026-27. We know high-quality early learning and childcare plays a vital role in improving outcomes for children, particularly those growing up in disadvantaged circumstances, and this is central to our mission to eradicate child poverty.

Within the current offer, local authorities have discretionary powers which provide them with the flexibility to offer access to funded ELC to a wider range of childcare and families, as they see fit, according to local needs and priorities.

With respect to future plans, we are seeking to transform Scotland’s childcare offer to better support families with the cost of childcare, for children from 9 months to the end of primary school. As Parliament agreed in May, this is a priority, and must be informed by learning from the expansion to 1140 hours and the voices of those who use and deliver childcare in Scotland. This includes families with multiple births.

Our Programme for Government set out our intention to publish and consult on a blueprint for the future, building on learning from the last ten years of childcare design and delivery. This will be published next year, and I would encourage anyone with an interest, including families with multiple births, to participate in this consultation.

The published Implementation Plan for the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019, which has been agreed in discussion with justice partners, sets out our current plans to extend the presumption in favour of pre-recorded evidence to child witnesses aged 16 and 17 in the most serious sheriff and jury cases and all deemed vulnerable adult witnesses in the most serious cases in the High Court. In addition, through the provisions within the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, we will extend the presumption in favour of pre-recorded evidence to all vulnerable complainers and child witnesses in the Sexual Offences Court when that is operational.

We all recognise that the expansion of taking evidence by commissioner is a significant reform for the justice system and will bring with it several practical and operational challenges. That is why it needs to be introduced in a controlled and achievable way, targeting first the youngest witnesses in the most serious cases. It is also important that any extension of the presumption is appropriately evaluated so that vital lessons can be learned before progressing further. It is essential that in all respects that we do what we can to ensure that any new intervention does not inadvertently overwhelm the system to the detriment of victims and witnesses.

While we do not currently have any plans to expand eligibility for a presumption in favour of pre-recorded evidence beyond what I have outlined, the court can approve applications for the use of pre-recorded evidence as a special measure in their individual cases. A deemed vulnerable adult witness is a victim of a serious intimate or sexual offence, such as sexual offences, human trafficking, domestic abuse or stalking; a vulnerable witness is someone who may, for example, suffer from fear or distress in giving their evidence, or who may have more difficulty in giving their evidence due to a learning disability. Vulnerable adult witnesses are also able to access pre-recorded evidence as a special measure upon application.

The Scottish Government appreciates that the cost of childcare can be challenging for many families across Scotland, and that there can be an impact on family circumstances as a result of a multiple birth. Each year since 2021 we have invested around £1 billion in the delivery of high quality ELC to all eligible children and we are continuing to do so in 2026-27. With respect to future plans, we are seeking to transform Scotland’s childcare offer to better support families with the cost of childcare, for children from 9 months to the end of primary school.

Our Programme for Government set out our intention to publish and consult on a blueprint for the future, building on learning from the last ten years of childcare design and delivery. This will be published next year.

The Scottish Government’s Universal Health Visiting pathway is delivered across Scotland and consists of 11 visits to all families. The pathway supports Health Visitors, children and their parents to build meaningful and trusting relationships.

Scotland’s Baby Box programme is available to all babies born and resident in Scotland. Families who are expecting twins, triplets, or even quadruplets are entitled to a box for each baby, providing essential items for the first 6 months of a baby’s life worth around £400.

The Scottish Government recognises the additional challenges that can be experienced by families with twins and other multiple births. Through ongoing investment in breastfeeding and infant feeding services across maternity, neonatal and community support, as well as for the implementation of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative standards across Scotland, families are able to access evidence-based breastfeeding and infant feeding support tailored to their individual circumstances and feeding goals.

Our Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment provides £796.65 for a first child and £398.35 for each subsequent child. For multiple births, a supplement of £398.35 is made in addition to the usual payment - acknowledging the additional expense of having a multiple birth. Parents under the age of 18 do not need to be in receipt of a low-income benefit in order to qualify for Best Start Grant. This is also the case for parents aged 18 or 19 who are dependent on someone who is receiving benefits for them.

The Scottish Government’s ambition is for a Scotland without the need for food banks. No one should have to compromise on food or other essentials and people should have sufficient money to access these with dignity and choice.

To support this, across this Parliament we will go further to protect and expand our cost-of-living package, recognising the pressures on household budgets. Putting more money into people’s pockets – through maximising the support they are entitled to or cutting everyday costs – is one of the most direct ways we can tackle poverty, protect people from the cost crisis and ensure they have the resources they need to thrive. That aim is built on a solid foundation, with Scotland having the most generous cost-of-living package anywhere in the UK including reducing council tax costs for over 100,000 households with children, funding free bus travel for over 2.4 million people and helping households save an estimated £450 a year on energy bills.

Specifically in 2026-27 we will allocate around £3.5 billion to policies that tackle poverty and the cost of living, including maintaining our investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund at £41 million, which provides vital support to those in crisis. We are also investing more than £18 million for the provision of free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice.

Through “Cash-First: Towards Ending the Need for Food Banks in Scotland”, we took forward nine actions over three years, 2023-2026, to improve the response to crisis, using a cash-first approach so that fewer people need to turn to food parcels. Our nine point plan included a Cash-First Programme (the Programme) to improve urgent access to emergency income when someone has no money for food, which was supported by Scottish Government funding of over £1.5 million.

An interim independent evaluation of the Programme was published on 9 July 2025, highlighting the individual work of the eight cash-first Partnerships and the impact of the Programme. The final evaluation report will be published in early Autumn 2026 and the learning will be considered and shared widely to inform future policy development by both central and local government.

The second recommendation contained in 'Misogyny – A Human Rights Issue'; the report published by the Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice' was:

2. The Working Group concluded too that legislative change is essential but insufficient to address the insidious problem of misogyny in Scotland. In addition, therefore, to the creation of a Misogyny Act, the Working Group recommends that the Scottish Government:

i. Involves all relevant stakeholders (including women’s groups and the Police Scotland) in implementation of the Misogyny Act.

ii. Provides sufficient resources for:

a. Education and training within the criminal justice system and for multi-agency support and awareness (medics, dentists, social services, educators) as well as the development of any new interventions such as awareness training required for diversions to social workers from the Procurator Fiscal).

b. Resourcing social work and other interventions, as required by prosecution policy.

c. Technology capability and police officer capacity for recording and reporting.

d. Campaigning and awareness – within public institutions, workplaces, education.

e. Learning from projects and good practice in other places and jurisdictions – e.g. Nottingham, Washington DC, France"

Many of these recommendations relate to the implementation of the proposed Misogyny Act. As such, they will be matters for consideration during the implementation of the legislation, should it be passed by Parliament.

We also recognise the importance of campaigning and awareness-raising to address misogyny more broadly. Earlier this year, we delivered a campaign aimed at boys aged 11 to 18, as well as parents and carers, to raise awareness of the scale and impact of misogyny and to encourage positive behaviours and support for those affected. Our Programme for Government includes a sustained, multi-year public health campaign to address misogynistic attitudes and violence against women and girls, alongside a range of wider measures to challenge harmful attitudes and behaviours.

We have also published a national framework for schools to support action to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and gender-based violence. Misogynistic behaviour was identified as an emerging concern in the 2023 Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research report. The publication of the Gender Based Violence in Schools Framework, developed by a working group jointly chaired by us, Rape Crisis Scotland and Zero Tolerance, demonstrates our commitment to responding to these concerns and ensuring that pupils and staff receive the support they need.

In addition, we remain committed to supporting the implementation and expansion of both the Time for Inclusive Education programme and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue's Digital Discourse Initiative in Scotland. Schools, teachers, trade unions and young people have highlighted the value of the Digital Discourse Initiative in helping educate young people about online hate and disinformation. Zero Tolerance has also contributed to the programme by supporting the development of content and case studies on misogyny and the so-called "manosphere.