Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not undertaken, and currently has no plans to undertake, a feasibility study into the provision of west-facing slip roads at Junction 3 of the M9.

NorthLink engages and will continue to engage on a regular basis, with both RMT and Nautilus International on all aspects of current and future operational activity including the new Freight Flex vessels. The Freight Flex Vessels include provision for 28 seafarer cabins and 2 double cadet training accommodation cabins and 1 spare seafarer double cabin per vessel, allowing for up to four trainee placements to be provided at any point in time.

While the Scottish Government has no policy to reduce herd numbers, we do not set targets for livestock numbers, including breeding pigs, as these are primarily driven by market conditions and individual business decisions. However, we recognise the reported 7.3% decrease in pig numbers in 2025 when compared with the five-year average and the importance of a resilient domestic supply. The Scottish Government will invest more than £1 billion in the rural affairs budget during 2026-27, and we continue to provide certainty to the industry. We have a proud record of supporting and investing in farming and food production and are wholly committed to continuing to support active farming and maintaining a secure and sustainable food system for the future.

Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in clinical and medical oncology and key surgical specialties. Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Oncologists workforce by 46% (from 97.5 WTE as of March 2016 to 142.2 WTE as of March 2026). The number of consultants working in surgical fields relevant to cancer care stood at 1,096.1 WTE as at 31 March 2026. This is an increase of 28%, or 242.3 WTE, over the last decade.

Scotland has 16 registered product names with the UK’s protected food and drink scheme. This protection is called a Geographical Indication (GI) and is protected as intellectual property. Geographical Indication protection guarantees a product’s characteristics or reputation, authenticity, and origin. It protects the product name from misuse or imitation. The UK GI schemes protect registered product names when they are sold in Great Britain and in some international markets. Northern Ireland is covered by the EU GI scheme. Each product registered with the scheme is subject to rigorous audit on an annual basis by an independent body, most commonly the relevant local authority.

The UK register of protected food names is found here - https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names

ScotRail Spirit of Scotland pass is aimed at leisure travellers, with morning timing restrictions in place to encourage travel at quieter times out with busy commuting times.

For those who wish to travel earlier, we’ve reduced the cost of rail travel by removing ScotRail peak fares for good, saving 17% on average on previously peak fares. We’ve also frozen rail fares this year. Given these significant savings already in place for rail passengers before 9:15 am, we have no plans to review the conditions of the Spirit of Scotland pass.

Where reported to police, a knife-related assault within a school would typically involve two crimes being recorded – one for possessing a bladed/pointed article within a school and a second for the assault. Information is not held centrally on the volume of such incidents, as the data provided by Police Scotland to the Scottish Government for the Recorded Crime Official Statistics is a simple count of the number of recorded crimes and offences, for each local authority. Therefore, whilst both crimes in the above scenario would be counted within the statistics, they cannot be linked within the data we receive.

However, the Scottish Government collects information on staff experiences of use of weapons in schools, towards staff and pupils, through the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research (BISSR).

The Scottish Government has had ongoing discussions with Police Scotland regarding the antisocial and illegal use of quad bikes, off-road motorcycles and scrambler bikes, while respecting the principle that operational policing, including the deployment of resources, is a matter for the Chief Constable acting independently.

In particular, officials are actively reviewing the existing powers available to Police Scotland. In this work officials have been working collaboratively with Police Scotland to explore where changes may be required. A significant part of the relevant legal framework, including road traffic law, vehicle registration, and the regulation of the import and sale of e-bikes and e-scooters, is reserved to the UK Government. We continue to engage with the UK Government and press the case for action.

There is a known relationship between persistent non-attendance, exclusion and anti-social behaviour. That is why the Scottish Government is clear that good school attendance is vital for children and young people. Schools and local authorities must do all they can to ensure that children and young people are included, engaged and involved in their learning.

The national guidance on school attendance was updated in March and reaffirms the importance of engaging and supporting children, young people and their families to secure regular school attendance, and is clear that education authority attendance procedures must be underpinned by robust safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Our national guidance also recognises the importance of strong, trusting relationships between staff and children and young people, along with collaboration with local police and youth services, as appropriate, in reducing some forms of absence and helping to prevent children and young people from being at risk.

For any major public events in the city, Glasgow City Council will chair a Safety Advisory Group (SAG). This is a non-statutory body, comprising of council departments and safety and security multi-agency partners, that advises the Council on public safety and licensing for sports grounds and events. The SAG reviews event management plans and provides specialist advice regarding crowd safety, traffic management, and emergency procedures. This is a recognised practice across all Local Authorities and ensures compliance with statutory requirements across a range of safety and security-related legislation. Scottish Government are not a core member of such groups.

For major events, such as the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026, the event organiser is also expected to chair a safety and security group with all relevant partners, including Scottish Government, to ensure safety and security risks are planned for, assessed and proportionately mitigated in a collaborative manner.