Chamber and committees

Local authorities are responsible for determining their own approach to properties affected by RAAC to ensure the response takes account of local circumstances and there is no duty for local authorities to report to Scottish Government on their approach to RAAC. However Scottish Government engage with local authorities as required. The most recent meetings between the Scottish Government and Angus Council to discuss RAAC are as follows:

• Scottish Government officials met with officers from Angus Council on 27 March 2026 to discuss their approach to RAAC in Monifeith and what options the Council are considering for both council-owned properties and owner-occupied properties affected by RAAC.
• Elected members and officers from Angus Council attended the RAAC in Housing Leadership Group meeting, chaired by the former Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan, on 28 January 2026. This meeting focussed upon the guidance published by the Institution of Structural Engineers to identify, assess and remediate RAAC.
• The former Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan, met with Dundee and Angus residents and elected members on 27 August 2025 to hear directly from people impacted by RAAC.

The former Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Mairi McAllan, invited local authorities to submit proposals for financial flexibility to support solutions for RAAC affected properties. Angus Council have not submitted any requests to date.

In line with the public health approach to addressing VAWG outlined in our Equally Safe strategy, using a wide range of data and evidence is central to informing policy and practice, monitoring progress, and identifying areas for future improvement.

These include official statistics, such as the domestic abuse statistics recorded by the police in Scotland and the findings on partner abuse from the Scottish Crime and Justice survey; academic research, such as that commissioned to shape our approach to challenging men’s demand for prostitution; literature produced by human rights bodies; and the views of experts by experience and profession. We also gather data by leading and participating in various groups and forums where evidence is shared.

We are also currently working with partners and academics to develop a measurement framework that can be used to monitor progress against the activities and outcomes outlined in the strategy.

Furthermore, the Equally Safe Delivery Plan includes commitments to develop a primary prevention framework, test an evidence-based implementation approach, and establish an Implementation Forum to build awareness and capacity of how to implement a public health approach to the prevention of VAWG at a local level. This work is ongoing in partnership with Public Health Scotland and the Improvement Service.

An evidence based approach was used to develop the tackling misogyny campaign, which launched in February 2026, aimed at boys aged 11-18 to make them aware of the impact of sexist content online and to parents to educate them on the scale of online misogyny and encourage conversations with their children around the harms of online misogynistic content, resulting in an effective campaign.

The Scottish Government regularly reviews Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) resourcing to ensure it can effectively discharge its statutory functions.

This review is consistent with the wider principles of the public service reform strategy that aims to deliver a more collaborative and efficient public service across Scotland.

Alongside its existing workload, the DPEA has experienced a significant increase in renewable energy-related casework, particularly in relation to onshore wind developments, strategic electricity transmission infrastructure, and associated wayleave and anticipated compulsory purchase order cases.

DPEA has implemented a range of operational improvements to support increasing workloads. These include enhanced forecasting and case management, strengthened engagement with consenting colleagues and transmission operators, the early allocation of reporters to priority cases, expansion of its pool of consultant reporter's, to help manage increasing volumes efficiently, increased use of digital processes, and ongoing review of procedures and guidance. Together, these measures are designed to ensure cases are handled as efficiently and proportionately as possible whilst maintaining the quality and robustness of decision-making.

The Scottish Government will continue to keep DPEA's resource requirements under review, within the principles of the wider public service reform strategy, to ensure it is able to support the timely determination of planning and energy infrastructure projects that are critical to delivering Scotland's net zero targets and long-term energy security.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people can access extracurricular activities, regardless of family income, and we recognise that cost remains a significant barrier for some families.

We are taking forward a range of measures to reduce these barriers.

We continue to support the Active Schools programme, which provides free opportunities for children and young people to participate in sport and physical activity before, during and after the school day across all local authority areas, ensuring access irrespective of socio-economic background.

Our Summer of Sport investment is also providing opportunities for children and young people to take part in free and low-cost sporting activities this year. The aim is to create opportunities for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantage, to get active, stay active, and enjoy the benefits of physical activity. We want children and young people to benefit from an inclusive system which leads to longer-term participation.

We recognise the importance of children and young people having the opportunity to take part in a wide range of hobbies, such as sport, music and the arts. We are engaging with key stakeholders to consider the overall landscape of provision across Scotland in order to better understand the barriers families face and identify further action to ensure all children can access the hobbies they enjoy.

These actions are part of our broader efforts, including through the Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, to reduce costs for families and ensure that all children have the opportunity to benefit from activities that support their wellbeing, confidence and development.

Scotland is a welcoming nation that rejects racism, hate, and prejudice. The Scottish Government stands in solidarity with Muslim communities across Scotland and unequivocally condemns the heinous attacks that took place in Edinburgh on 19 June. Each individual impacted by these incidents, either directly or indirectly, is able to seek mental health support and we encourage people to do that via their GP in the first instance.

NHS Lothian holds statutory responsibility to assess and meet the mental health needs of its population. In accordance with its duties under the Equality Act, it provides a range of culturally appropriate and accessible mental health supports and services (delivered in collaboration with local statutory and voluntary sector partners), which ensures responsiveness to the trauma experienced by minority ethnic communities. In practice, NHS Lothian’s evidence-based tiered provision of community-based, psychologically informed, trauma services includes: the Minority Ethnic Health Inclusion Service; Health in Mind; Rivers Centre (specialist psychological trauma service); and CAMHS (Meadows) trauma service.

Nationally, with Scottish Government investment of around £1.5 billion annually, we have record numbers of staff, providing more varied mental health support and services to a larger number of people than ever before. We have provided £99 million for grassroots projects through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults since 2021, with support totalling £194 million since 2020. A further £15 million will be invested in the Communities Fund for Adults in 2027-28 as part of the Fairer Funding Pilot.

Additionally, over the last 5 years the Scottish Government has undertaken extensive work with delivery partners, including NHS Boards, to improve access to quality psychological therapies, which evidence shows are an effective intervention for supporting people affected by trauma. The National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions sets out what high quality psychological care and practice looks like and acts as a service planning and evaluation resource for delivery partners.

Finally, since 2018, the Scottish Government has invested over £12 million in our National Trauma Transformation Programme. This provides training resources and implementation support for all members of the workforce, supporting the Scottish Government and COSLA’s shared ambition for a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive workforce and services across Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01371 on 17 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-01371 on 17 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-01503 on 17 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-01503 on 17 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-01371 on 17 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.