Chamber and committees

The first milestone payment was made by CMAL on enactment of the contracts in April 2026. The next milestone payment, for cutting steel for Vessel 1, is expected in December 2026.

Work is underway to progress the appointment of the Land and Communities Commissioner. The appointment is subject to Parliamentary approval, and we will engage with the Rural Affairs Committee as part of this process. We anticipate launching the formal recruitment stage later this year.

Supporting transparency of who owns and controls land in Scotland is at the heart of our land reform objectives.

We are working with relevant partners, including Registers of Scotland, to explore options for further supporting transparency of land information.

Whilst the Scottish Government expects ScotRail to allocate its rolling stock in a manner that maximises operational efficiency and meets passenger needs, responsibility for these operational decisions rests with ScotRail as the train operating company, drawing on its in-house expertise.

This information is not held by the Scottish Government. The number of vehicles of any type seized due to antisocial use is not held. The data we receive from Police Scotland is a simple count of the number and type of crimes and offences recorded. We do not hold further details as to whether any of these involved quad bikes or off-road motorcycles.

Police Scotland may be able to provide this data upon request.

The Scottish Government commissioned an Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour which discussed this topic. Its report is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/report-independent-working-group-antisocial-behaviour/pages/23/. The Group noted that attention must be focused on addressing the broader societal factors that contribute to antisocial behaviour across all age groups, such as poverty.

I have overall responsibility for Life Sciences policy and delivery, as part of my wider remit for economic policy, including business, industry, manufacturing support and entrepreneurship.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the Life Sciences sector as a key driver of economic growth, innovation, and improved health outcomes, as reflected in Scotland’s Life Sciences Strategy and its associated delivery plan.

The Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for the Cowal and Rosneath were published on 11 September 2024. Further CNAs are currently in progress and are expected to be completed by the end of this year. These cover the following:

1.Coll, Colonsay, Iona, Kerrera, Lismore, Mull and Tiree

2.Outer Hebrides, Small Isles, Skye and Raasay

The intention is to commence work on the remaining CNAs in the Clyde and Hebrides during 2026 subject to agreed staff and budget resource.

I deplore any instances of disorder and vandalism and would urge any business affected by such behaviour to report it to Police Scotland.

We are aware of collaborative approaches being adopted by partners including a number of local authorities and Police Scotland to address issues in town centres and other communities.

The Scottish Government supports these efforts through record funding for local government and Police Scotland, helping to ensure that local agencies have the resources they need to respond to community concerns and support businesses affected by crime and antisocial behaviour.

The Scottish Government continues to have discussions with Police Scotland about the illegal use of off-road vehicles. These discussions respect the principle that operational policing including deployment of resources is a matter for the Chief Constable acting independently.

In particular, the Scottish Government has been working collaboratively with Police Scotland to explore legislative change, in line with our manifesto. This builds on work underway to review the secondary legislation governing the retention, disposal and recovery fees for vehicles seized under devolved powers.