Chamber and committees

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is a reserved piece of legislation that is the responsibility of UK Government to implement. Scottish Government has been supporting the implementation of this legislation in Scotland through holding meetings and organising Webinars for interested parties, including Local Authorities. Scottish Government officials have met with Local Government representatives to discuss the impact of the legislation in Scotland. There is no funding being provided specifically for the 2025 Act in order to implement the legislation.

The provision of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation is the responsibility of Local Authorities and event providers in order to secure the safety of public spaces.

The Scottish Government has engaged with Local Authorities regarding their responsibility in their areas, and have provided advice and sign posted guidance provided by the UK Technical Authorities and Counter-Terrorism Policing. As part of the Protect strand of CONTEST, the Scottish Government is working with local partners and emergency services to develop opportunities to share solutions and good practice.

As announced in Parliament by the Deputy First Minister on 23 June 2026, from 1 April 2027, we will remove non-domestic rates relief from vape shops. We want to ensure vape shops are contributing to the high street, recognising the growth of the sector in recent years and ensuring rates relief aligns with our public health commitments. We will confirm the details of the policy in the Budget, which will be followed by the regulations setting out the scope and definition of the measures, including the definition of a vape shop.

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (also known as Martyn’s Law) is a reserved piece of legislation. It introduces a legal duty on those responsible for publicly accessible premises and events to improve preparedness for terrorist attacks. The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025.

A minimum 24-month implementation period means duties are expected to come into force from 2027, following statutory guidance published in April 2026. As the guidance is for reserved Legislation it is the responsibility of the UK Government to provide relevant guidance. The Home Office have recently published a series of guidance and documents to support the Act and those under its remit.

As at 1 June 2025, there were 100,700 properties receiving 100% Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) relief. We estimate that, in 2026-2027, more than 100,000 properties will be eligible for 100% SBBS relief, of which we estimate that around 96,900 will apply for and be awarded 100% SBBS relief. Table 1 shows a breakdown of these figures by council area and valuation joint board.

Whilst the figures above represent the number of properties, the number of businesses or ratepayers receiving 100% SBBS relief will typically be lower: one ratepayer can be liable for multiple properties, and receive 100% SBBS relief on multiple properties. The currently available data does not allow us to reliably estimate the number of businesses or ratepayers benefitting.

Additional information on SBBS relief awards as at 1 June 2025 is available in Non-domestic rates relief statistics 2025.

Table 1: Number of properties receiving 100% SBBS relief as at 1 June 2025, and estimated number likely to receive in 2026-2027.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and may not sum due to rounding. Figures for 2025-2026 are based on the billing snapshot as at 1 June 2025. Figures for 2026-2027 are estimates based on the available valuation data.

The Scottish Government’s Client Guide to Construction Projects provides detailed guidance for public bodies on the conduct of all construction projects including design and build. It reinforces the importance of embedding the delivery of quality in construction projects from the very start and recognises the critical role of clients in creating the systems and culture that underpin it. It is supplemented by construction policy notes which include guidance for oversight and site inspection in design and build projects. These are mandated for all projects which fall within the scope of the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM).

The Scottish Government also continue to encourage all public sector bodies to use the Client Guide and the associated Construction Capability Assessment Tool in order to ensure their organisation is prepared for and aligned with all the requirements of their chosen procurement route.

The Scottish Government will continue to review and develop the Client Guide to Construction Projects and strengthen its visibility and impact

The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership publishes data on their key performance indicators in their annual report. The data on the National Matchmaker Scheme will be included in the annual report for 2025-26 which is due to be published in the autumn.

Legislation and regulations relating to electricity transmission and distribution networks are reserved to the UK Government, with the National Energy System Operator (NESO) responsible for the strategic development of the electricity system across Great Britain. The Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP), which the Scottish Government has co-commissioned, will set out a long term, whole system view of how our future energy system should look, helping inform a more strategic approach to future grid connection offers.

In 2028 NESO will publish the Centralised Strategic Network Plan which will help to deliver the SSEP and set out a whole system view of future network requitements across Great Britain.

The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 (“the 2026 Act”) includes provisions that will allow local authorities to make by-laws in connection with the prevention of wildfires.

The 2026 Act is being brought into force on a phased basis, with the first provisions commencing in June 2026, and we will set out further details of the timetable for commencing and implementing individual provisions in due course.

We will continue to engage with stakeholders during the commencement and implementation process and will ensure that local authorities, other stakeholders, and members of the public have sufficient time to prepare before any provisions that affect them are brought into force.

The Scottish Government engaged with mortgage lenders, representative bodies and key partners in the development of the First Homes Fund. This helped to identify and address potential barriers, with clarification of processes and early sharing of guidance facilitating support and a consistent approach across the sector. We will continue this engagement and work closely with partners through phase one of the Fund to inform successful future phases and ensure the scheme delivers as effectively as possible for those seeking to access home ownership.

We have also published Information for Lenders and Independent Financial Advisers.