Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background.

Through the Scottish Attainment Challenge, we are investing up to £200 million in 2026-27 to improve outcomes for children and young people impacted by poverty. Schools and local authorities are supported to use national and local data to identify need and target support accordingly.

This investment is complemented by wider action to tackle the impact of poverty on children's lives, including the provision of free school meals, support through the School Clothing Grant, and action across government to reduce child poverty through measures such as the Scottish Child Payment.

The management and maintenance of school estates, including playground equipment, is a statutory responsibility of local authorities. Scottish Government officials remain in close contact with the Highland Council regarding its programme of playground equipment inspections.

The Council has advised that inspections are progressing and are expected to be completed by September. Where inspections have been completed, equipment has either remained in use, been reopened following assessment or, where issues have been identified, appropriate remedial actions have been put in place. Equipment presenting a potential safety concern remain unavailable when awaiting repair, replacement or further assessment.

The Council has confirmed that it recognises the importance of outdoor play and physical activity and has advised that, while some equipment has been temporarily unavailable, schools have continued to provide access to playground areas, outdoor learning opportunities, physical education and other play activities to help minimise any impact on children's wellbeing and physical activity.

Nonetheless, I will raise your concerns with Highland Council when we next meet.

The views of communities and other key stakeholders will be sought during the consultation outlined in the answer to question S7W-01577 on 23 July 2026. 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 S7W-01413 on 23 July 2026. 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 new Register of Ancient Woodlands is scheduled to be published in the late summer of 2027.

As of June, there has been 51 cases raised with the Procurator Fiscal in 2026. There were 26 cases reported in 2025 and 14 in 2024.

Public Services Delivery Scotland and One Advanced provide support to health board teams and GP practices to guide them through the use of a new system and the migration process.

NatureScot and Scottish Forestry will lead consultation with stakeholders to examine how they use the existing Ancient Woodland Inventory and identify barriers to its use. This work will inform a stakeholder requirements catalogue, which will guide development and delivery of the Register.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the property factor regime operates effectively for homeowners and consumers. In this parliamentary session, we are undertaking work to improve delivery of services by factoring organisations, starting with improving our understanding of the issues that have been raised and considering what action may be required.

A total of £75,000 has been committed to this project, £50,000 by NatureScot split over 2026-2027 and 2027-2028, and £25,000 from Scottish Forestry for 2026-2027. Future budget beyond 2027-2028 has not yet been committed.