Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of important steps to support its Land Reform objectives including supporting diversity of land ownership.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is currently being considered by Parliament and represents a significant step forward on Scotland’s Land Reform journey. The Bill will give communities more opportunities to use their Right to Buy and will stop sales of large landholdings from proceeding until Ministers can consider the impact on local communities. Ministers will be able to require land to be sold in lots, further supporting diversity of ownership. The Bill will also require landowners to engage with local communities, giving them more of a say in how land is used and managed, and will also improve the rights of tenant farmers.

The proposals in the Bill build upon the success of earlier legislation such as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. This helped establish the Scottish Land Commission which provides evidence-based advice to inform land policy in Scotland and also works to support good practice in land ownership, management and use, and also the functions of the Tenant Farming Commissioner.

As Summary of Research and Recommendations has shown, concentrated land ownership and the associated lack of supply of land can lead to many important social, economic or environmental objectives being more difficult to achieve. That is why we are taking ambitious action to tackle it through the Bill and other work. These steps support the many sector-specific policies that apply to all land, irrespective of ownership.

Scotland has a proud history of land reform since devolution. The Government is committed to driving forward land reform and increasing diversity of land ownership in a way that is fair, proportionate and within the terms of the current devolution settlement.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 2025 All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W 41083 on 21 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting a strong and sustainable construction skills pipeline through the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme, delivered in partnership with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).

Modern apprenticeships in construction continue to be delivered across a wide range of occupational areas, and full details are available on the Skills Development Scotland website here: https://www.apprenticeships.scot/browse-frameworks/?frameworkAudience=Individual&searchTerm=&apprenticeshipType=ma#letterC. These frameworks have been developed and maintained through close collaboration with industry to meet the sector’s diverse needs. Construction and related occupations accounted for 25.6% of all MA starts in 2024-25.

The Scottish Government recognises the potential of the shared apprenticeship model to support small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that may lack the capacity to employ an apprentice independently. Officials will continue to explore this model alongside other measures which may enable more SMEs to take on apprentices.

A key priority for the Scottish Government is also to promote apprenticeship delivery in island and rural communities, reflecting it's commitment to inclusive growth. To ensure equitable access to apprenticeships, particularly in remote and rural areas, the Scottish Government has introduced a rural uplift: an enhanced payment to training providers that incentivises delivery in these locations. This additional support enables providers to develop and deliver flexible, locally tailored apprenticeship programmes that meet the needs of learners and employers in these communities.

The Scottish Government, along with our tourism agency VisitScotland, acknowledges the significance of adventure tourism. VisitScotland has teams strategically located throughout rural Scotland that are instrumental in collaborating with regional stakeholders to identify local needs and opportunities.

Scotland has an enviable global reputation as a major events powerhouse. Across the country our iconic venues and picture-perfect backdrops play host to world-leading cultural, business and sporting events all year round.

NHS boards were contacted on 10 January 2025 inviting feedback by 22 January on activities which could be delivered and supported by single-year funding of £4.5 million allocated on a non-recurring basis in the financial year 2025-26. A further opportunity to provide feedback was provided on 29 January with feedback invited by 4 February.

To enable a case for multi-year funding to be considered, on 2 May NHS boards were requested to provide by 16 May an indicative multi-year proposal covering the financial years 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28. Responses beyond this date were accommodated in instances where NHS boards indicated that additional time was required.

On 6 August NHS boards were requested to provide finalised versions of the indicative proposals supplied in May. Boards were provided with the option of two deadlines for returns, 18 August and 11 September.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care wrote to NHS Board Chief Executives on 18 September to confirm that NHS boards’ shares of the available 2025-26 funding would be allocated in full on a recurring basis. These shares were reflected in NHS boards’ allocation schedules for September 2025.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the body responsible for issuing guidance to and ensuring compliance by public bodies in this matter as it is the statutory regulator and enforcer of the Equality Act 2010. The Scottish Government has consistently supported the view that public bodies must comply with the law, and has actively encouraged them to take any necessary steps to do so since the Supreme Court’s judgment.

We wrote to the UK Government on 4 September, requesting sight of the revised Code of Practice sent to them by the EHRC, which we have not yet seen. We will continue to engage with the UK Government to seek urgent clarity on the timeline for the Code’s approval and laying before the UK Parliament. While we acknowledge the time that was needed by the EHRC, to analyse the public consultation responses and revise the Code before they sent it to the UK Government for approval, it is essential that clear, authoritative guidance is now provided to all those operating in this complex legal area.

It is not possible to determine the number of prescription items dispensed by community pharmacies at weekends, since 1999, using existing data.

The annual Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis publication, managed by Public Health Scotland, provides information on the total number and cost of NHS prescriptions items dispensed in the community in Scotland. The most recent publication shows that 117 million items were dispensed in primary care settings for the financial year 2024-25. The most recent publication can be found online at Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis - Prescribing data - System monitoring, accountability and quality of care - Healthcare system - Public Health Scotland.