Chamber and committees

In relation to the long-term solution to the landslip challenges at the Rest and Be Thankful, an economic assessment has been undertaken in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, which sets the standard for good practice for assessing and designing roads and is used throughout the UK. The Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Stage 3 Assessment Report, which includes the traffic and economic assessment, can be found on the Transport Scotland website.

The traffic and economic assessment considers the traffic and economic performance of the preferred route option, including consideration of the ways the option improves the resilience, safety and operation of the route. The A83 is considered key infrastructure in supporting the wider national economy through; connecting businesses and communities, facilitating access to essential services, and supporting jobs and activities in industries such as healthcare, education, aquaculture, forestry, tourism, energy and renewables. Therefore, consideration of the wider economic benefits also forms a key part of that assessment.

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs met with the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator at the Royal Highland Show on 18 June. The Fair Dealings Obligations Regulations seek to ensure greater fairness and transparency in the supply chain by requiring there to be written purchase contracts between pig producers and their buyers and sets out a number of the provisions that should be in these contracts. Retailers are therefore unlikely to fall under the scope of the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator unless they are buying pigs directly from farms and instead fall under the scope of the Groceries Code Adjudicator.

The Scottish Government worked closely with the UK and other devolved governments to develop the Fair Dealings Obligations Regulations in the milk and pig sectors. The pig regulations are in force for new contracts signed after 13 August 2025, and for existing contracts from 13 August 2026. The Scottish Government will continue to stay engaged with the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator, Defra and industry on the practical effects of the regulations.

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

Whilst the Government's role is to set the strategic policy direction, operational matters such as staffing, including recruitment of newly qualified nurses is a matter for the individual health boards as they are the employer. The Scottish Government expects Boards to make recruitment decisions in line with their duties under the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

We are fully engaging with health and care providers to understand their position in relation to posts for graduates. Whilst it is hoped that all nursing graduates secure a post in Scotland upon graduation, this is not always immediately possible as vacancies can, due to many factors, fluctuate significantly each year.

Strong industry led clusters are a proven means of delivering economic growth. The Scottish Government commissioned a report in 2025 to take views from industry and other stakeholders and inform the design of a cluster development function to augment and support existing engagement. (a) We will shortly be procuring the cluster development organisation. (b) Given that Life Sciences in Scotland is a mature landscape, with a number of existing sub-cluster entities, the structures and scale of the cluster development organisation can be expected to evolve over time. Its initial role and remit will be to provide a focal point to support sectoral growth and integration across the Life Sciences cluster; deliver the actions assigned to it within the first year delivery plan; and work with all stakeholders to develop a year 2/3 delivery plan. (c) We are working with the Life Sciences Scotland Industry Leadership Group to develop appropriate governance and oversight.

Personal imports of pork from ASF affected countries represent a high risk of bringing the disease to the UK. The Scottish Government recognises the urgent need for more stringent controls on personal imports of animal products from Europe, particularly in light of the spread of ASF in many European countries.

Scottish Ministers have written to previous Defra Secretaries of State on at least six occasions in the last five years, seeking urgent action, in particular calling for increased resources and investment to improve biosecurity standards at border posts.

In November 2019, Scottish Ministers agreed to the establishment of a dedicated detector dog service delivered by Border Force for the detection of products of animal origin (PoAO) in Scotland’s airports and ports. The dogs have been a great addition to the Border Force team and are highly efficient in the detection of PoAO, stopping these products from entering Scotland.

The Scottish Government has a strong track record of support for Scotland’s meat processing industry in general, including pig processing. The Food Processing, Marketing and Cooperation (FPMC) Grant Scheme has previously provided support to pig processing; details of awards given under the Scheme can be found here: Food-Processing-Marketing-and-Co-operation---Funding-Awards-2014-20-and-2021-24-Nov-2025.pdf.

In addition, the Small Producers Pilot Fund has in recent years provided resource support to explore solutions to challenges surrounding abattoirs and small producers’ access to private kill services. Over £400,000 was invested in 2025-26, and support will continue for small producers with a budget of £1m in resource and £1.5m in capital this year.

The Scottish Government’s Food and Drink Processing Scheme Scotland was open between 17 March and 15 May this year. The competitive Scheme is aimed at supporting the food and drink processing industry through capital grants and is part of a £9 million capital investment package. Applications are currently being assessed.

The Scottish Government is clear that everyone should be able to practise their faith safely and free from fear and condemns all forms of religiously motivated violence affecting Muslim communities and places of worship.

We are continuing to work closely with Police Scotland, Muslim communities and local partners to understand the concerns being felt, particularly following recent incidents, and to identify what support may be needed to provide reassurance and enhance security. This includes ongoing dialogue to ensure that responses are informed by the experiences of those directly affected.

We will continue to support communities and work in partnership with local and national organisations to help ensure that places of worship remain safe and that communities feel reassured in their daily lives.

It should be noted that the UK Government’s Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme is available for communities in Scotland, with applications open continuously, and details of how to apply can be found at Protective Security for Mosques Scheme - GOV.UK.

Alongside this, we will continue to consider how our wider work on community safety and resilience, including through the Hate Crime Strategy, can support communities and respond to emerging concerns.

The Scottish Government is clear that we must not allow recent attacks to stoke fear or division. We recognise the distress these events have caused, and that everyone in Scotland should be able to go about their daily lives without fear.

Ministers and senior officials have met with Police Scotland following the reported attacks in Edinburgh on 19 June 2026. The Scottish Government engages regularly with Police Scotland on issues of community safety and the policing of public events, and recognises the importance of communication that supports safety and provides reassurance across communities.

The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) articles apply to marches, parades and static demonstrations and organisers of static demonstrations or protests do not need to notify a local authority or Police Scotland of their intentions to hold an event. Police Scotland regularly communicates information about events and potential disruption through public communications, local engagement, and partnership working, including outreach to affected communities where appropriate but they will often not have advanced information to communicate ahead of a static demonstration taking place.

Scottish Ministers do recognise the importance of ensuring that all interested parties, including small community groups, are able to participate effectively in the inquiry process. In this context, a number of measures are available within existing procedures and practice.

All interested parties are notified of the inquiry and given the opportunity to participate in the DPEA process. Reporters appointed by DPEA are responsible for ensuring that proceedings are conducted in a fair, transparent and proportionate manner. This includes tailoring how evidence is presented, ensuring that the evidence presented is accessible by all parties, focusing on the key issues, and putting in place arrangements that enable all parties, including small community groups, to participate effectively without requiring extensive legal or technical resources.

In addition, the new Planning and Infrastructure legislation strengthens requirements for early and meaningful engagement with communities at the pre-application stage. This enables communities to identify and address concerns before any application is made.

Guidance is available to support participants in understanding the process, and Scottish Ministers continue to consider how participation can be further supported. Together, these measures are intended to ensure that inquiry processes are accessible and that community groups are able to participate on a fair and proportionate basis.

Both Ministers and officials engage regularly with faith groups, Muslim community organisations and third sector partners across Scotland, including in Edinburgh and the Lothians, to understand local concerns and strengthen community safety and resilience.

The Scottish Government will continue to engage regularly with faith communities through established mechanisms, including the Faith and Belief Representatives Group, alongside targeted roundtables and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that their views inform policy development and responses to emerging issues.

Work is currently progressing on the next phase of Scotland’s Hate Crime Strategy, and we are taking steps to ensure that the experiences and priorities of those most affected by hate crime, including faith communities, help to shape its development.

The Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism Delivery Plan 2026–2030 sets out a cross-government approach to tackling structural and systemic racism, with the aim of creating a Scotland where equity, justice, dignity and respect are upheld for all. The Plan responds to calls for practical action, long-term systemic change and stronger accountability, embedding anti-racism across government through clear governance and lived experience leadership. Establishment of the Anti-Racism Observatory further supports this, and works closely with affected communities and uses evidence to inform priorities and action.