Chamber and committees

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service paid ALLIANCE £18,416 (ex vat) for the design, facilitation and reporting on in-person public meetings as part of the Service Delivery Review (SDR) consultation. This included the participation of multiple ALLIANCE staff as note-takers during breakout table discussions.

ALLIANCE compiled a report of all the public meetings their staff facilitated as part of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Service Delivery Review (SDR) public consultation.

The Scottish Government is aware of recent decisions of the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) in England concerning the application of PAS 9980 assessments and remediation obligations under the Building Safety Act 2022.

These decisions were made within the legal framework that applies in England and Wales and do not alter the legal framework for building safety in Scotland. Decisions on building assessment and remediation in Scotland continue to be taken in accordance with Scottish legislation, building standards and the evidence available for individual buildings.

The cases nevertheless highlight an important principle: a fire risk assessment is one source of professional evidence and does not, in itself, determine whether remedial works may ultimately be necessary. Decisions on remediation require consideration of the full range of evidence available, including the construction of the building, the nature and condition of materials present, fire safety measures and any additional information obtained through assessment and investigation.

That is why the Scottish Government's Single Building Assessment (SBA) takes a holistic approach to assessing cladding risk in buildings, and in doing so considering a broad range of factors. Where further investigation is identified as necessary to establish the nature and extent of any risk, this can form part of the evidence used in determining appropriate next steps.

We will continue to monitor developments in building safety policy, practice and case law across the UK and consider any relevant lessons that may support our objective of ensuring residents are safe and feel safe in their homes.

Since 2019, we have taken a range of actions to increase benefit take-up among older people. This includes promoting Pension Age Disability Payment through advertising campaigns and working with advice services, local authorities, health services and third sector organisations to raise awareness of entitlements through trusted local channels. Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to the vast majority of eligible people, reducing barriers to accessing support.

We also invest in free welfare, debt and income maximisation advice services, including support for Citizens Advice Scotland's Money Talk Team, which supported over 12,000 older people in 2025-26 and helped secure over £5.3 million in financial gains.

Reserved benefits, including Pension Credit remains the responsibility of the UK Government, and the Scottish Government has no formal role in the administration of these payments. While Scotland has the highest take-up rate of Pension Credit in Britain, through our next Benefit Take-Up Strategy, we will continue to tackle barriers to take-up and explore opportunities to raise awareness of this payment to people in Scotland. We continue to urge the UK Government to follow Scotland’s lead by introducing its own Benefit Take-Up Strategy.

The Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF) is the primary vehicle for the Scottish Government to fund active travel infrastructure. The tiered model for infrastructure delivery increases flexibility and control for partners to meet the active travel needs and priorities of people living and working in their communities. Tier 1 of the Fund is provided directly to Local Authorities through their General Capital Grant and they have the flexibility to use the funding as required. Tier 2 funding, directly managed by Transport Scotland, was open to applications from Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and National Park Authorities for the funding of larger scale projects most recently at the start of the calendar year 2026. Transport Scotland did not receive an application from East Renfrewshire Council nor Strathclyde Partnership for Transport for this project.

Each project specific Seabird Compensation Plan is considered on case by case basis in line with regulation and relevant guidance – it would not be appropriate to comment further on the content of individual Seabird Compensation Plans until they are submitted. There is nothing in regulations to preclude Seabird Compensation Plans including compensation measures delivered outside Scotland or the UK as long as it can be demonstrated that the compensatory measures proposed benefit the UK Marine Protected Area network.

As More Homes Scotland is currently being established, arrangements for monitoring and evaluating its performance remain under development. Appropriate governance, accountability and scrutiny arrangements will assess the agency’s effectiveness and impact, including its contribution to increasing housing supply, delivering affordable homes and addressing homelessness.

The exact timing of the submission of the Berwick Bank Seabird Compensation Plan is a matter for SSE Renewables. Current indication from SSE Renewables for submission is late in 2026. As per the Section 36 consent condition, consultation will be undertaken with NatureScot; Natural England and any such other advisors or organisations as may be required at the discretion of the Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Government published statutory guidance on compensating for adverse effects from offshore wind in July 2026. The guidance sets out processes for accessing a wider range of compensatory measures, including a requirement to work through a compensation hierarchy. As set out, the guidance should be applied by offshore wind developers when preparing compensation proposals. This includes the developer of the Berwick Bank offshore wind farm.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering Environmental Standards Scotland’s (ESS) report Protecting Scotland’s Seafloor: as assessment of Scottish Ministers’ implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report.