Chamber and committees

An industry led EID pilot has directly engaged with 18 auction marts, 14 abattoirs and 425 farms from across Scotland, as well as those across the border. The pilot has concluded its findings with a report published in 2023, highlighting improved Health and Safety as one of the many advantages of ultra-high frequency (UHF) due to reduced animal handling. The Scottish Government also meets regularly with the Bovine EID Industry Stakeholder group, which includes the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS).

2021: a registered slaughter facility that was owned and used specifically on an individual farm closed.

2022: no closures

2023: a small commercial abattoir that dealt mainly in private kill closed

2024: no closures

2025: no closures

We recognise that managing agents undertake a range of valuable services to support apprentices and employers. This includes pre-assessment, support materials, pastoral care and the delivery of final assessments (where appropriate).

The role, responsibilities and funding arrangements for managing agents are being considered as part of our work on apprenticeship reform. We are committed to working with Colleges Scotland, managing agents and key agencies including SDS and the SFC, to ensure that apprenticeship funding is sustainable for the future and focused on supporting apprentices to train and progress.

It is important that we retain all of the very best elements of the current system while maintaining best value for public funding.

It is important to expand the sources of income into the college sector, which is why the Colleges Tripartite Alignment Group, comprised of Colleges Scotland, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, has been exploring the perceived barriers to income diversification and how to overcome them.

The City of Edinburgh Council will be implementing 9 Firework Control Zones in Edinburgh at Balerno, Calton Hill, Corstorphine, Gracemount, Longstone, Moredun, Niddrie, Seafield, and Sighthill between 31st October to 9th November 2025.

Glasgow City Council will have 3 Firework Control Zones in Govanhill, Pollokshields and Broomhouse from 1st to 10th November 2025.

There are maps of the Firework Control Zones within each council’s website. These are available at Firework control zones – The City of Edinburgh Council and Fireworks Control Zones (FCZ) - Glasgow City Council.

The Scottish Government does not propose introducing additional legal duties specifically requiring parents and carers to take reasonable steps to prevent and address harmful behaviour by their children online. Instead, our approach focuses on supporting families through education, guidance, and early intervention.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of preventing children and young people from being involved in harmful behaviour, including online. We are committed to promoting the wellbeing and safety of all children through a rights-based approach, as set out in our national child protection policies and the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) framework.

Prevention is key to tackling harmful behaviour, including online and we are taking a range of actions to raise awareness about online safety with parents and carers, including providing advice and support through the Scottish Government’s Parent Club website: Online Behaviour & Safety | Parent Club and Online Behaviour & Safety | Parent Club and through Education Scotland’s Digital learning, digital life and digital work | My child | Parentzone Scotland | Education Scotland.

The We’re here for you | Parent Club website provides advice and information for parents and carers on online safety, including signposting to support when things go wrong. This includes advice on what to do if there are concerns about children being involved in harmful behaviour. There is also advice on what to do if there are concerns about a child being involved in bullying others.

Parentzone Scotland | Education Scotland provides information and advice primarily for parents and carers about education in Scotland from early years to beyond school. The site includes practical ideas to support learning at home in a variety of curriculum areas such as literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and science, as well as information on additional support needs; and also tips on how parents can get involved in their child’s school and education. It includes information, guidance and signposting for parents including on harmful online behaviour. The website also has information on how parents and carers can help protect their child and understand online dangers.

We continue to work with partners across education, health, social work, and law enforcement to strengthen child protection responses, including addressing inappropriate or harmful online behaviour. This includes:

• The National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, which outlines responsibilities for professionals and agencies.
• Supporting the implementation of the Online Safety Act, which places new duties on tech companies to protect children from harmful content online.
• Promoting digital literacy and responsible online behaviour through schools

We will continue to monitor developments in this area and engage with stakeholders to ensure our policies remain responsive to emerging challenges.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of youth perpetrated sexual offences as the data we receive from Police Scotland for the Recorded Crime statistics is a simple count of the number of recorded crimes by crime type.

Police Scotland have provided the following management information on the number of people under the age of 18 who were accused of any sexual crime between 1st January 2025 to 30th September 2025.

It should be noted that the totals presented in the following table for crime types (and overall) are not necessarily all unique individuals as it is possible an accused may have committed more than one sexual crime during the period. Furthermore, the table below is not a total of sexual crimes as some crimes may have had multiple perpetrators.

Number of Accused aged under 18 at time of Offence

The current sharing of intimate images offence already carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in custody. It is an operational police matter to investigate all alleged offences and for independent prosecutors to decide what action to take upon receiving reports of crimes being committed. In cases that are prosecuted, it is for the independent court to sentence upon conviction within the legal framework.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners to raise awareness of online risks and harm. The Scottish Government’s We’re here for you | Parent Club website provides advice and information for parents and carers on online safety, including signposting to support when things go wrong. As the Scottish Government's key portal for parents and carers, it offers policy-led, empathetic advice and support on a wide range of topics to help families navigate the complexities of family life, this includes a comprehensive online safety section, with information for children aged 3-18: Online Behaviour & Safety | Parent Club.

The Scottish Government last engaged with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the 9 October to update them on the specific actions we have taken following the Supreme Court judgment.

The Scottish Government welcomes continued engagement with the EHRC relating to the Supreme Court judgment, given their role as regulator of the Equality Act 2010.

The Scottish Government’s position remains that the current UK immigration system is not working for Scotland.

We continue to call on the UK Government for urgent changes to ensure that the immigration system reflects Scotland’s distinct demographic and economic needs. Our tailored migration proposals including a Scottish Visa, a Rural Visa Pilot and a Scottish Graduate Visa are designed to operate within the existing UK immigration framework. They have, however unfortunately been repeatedly dismissed by the UK Government.

Labour's immigration policies are damaging to our National Health Service, public services and our economy. They have refused to work with us on our proposals. It is clear that Scotland requires a tailored approach to migration which can only be delivered through a fresh start with independence.