Payments to generators are made by licensed electricity suppliers through the purchase of renewable obligation certificates (ROCs). While the published buy out price acts as a ceiling, the actual price paid for certificates is a matter for negotiation between the supplier and the generator and therefore the Scottish Government does not hold that data.

The table shows the Scottish Forestry grant awards to SIMEC Lochaber Hydropower 2 Ltd. since they purchased the Jahama Highland Estate in 2016.

Jahama Highland Estates own two large areas of land, the western estates of Mamore and Killiechonate at Fort William and Glenshero in the upper Spey.

The latest Forestry Grant Scheme award will support a landscape scale project near Fort William focused on deer management to enable the natural regeneration of over 3,000 hectares of native woodland. This will be delivered without the use of any deer fencing or planting. This is a large project restoring and expanding Caledonian pinewoods and Scotland’s rainforest by reducing herbivore browsing that is currently damaging woodland features of designated sites.

Other Forestry Grant Scheme awards since 2016 to SIMEC Lochaber Hydropower 2 Ltd. have been to; produce a forest plan for existing woodlands on the estates, to remove some areas of invasive non-native rhododendron, to support the management of the native woodland to allow expansion through natural regeneration and, in Glenshero estate, to plant new native and productive woodland.

Full details of how the Scottish Government undertakes these checks and risk assessments can be found on Scottish Forestry’s website. Forestry Grant Scheme guidance on financial eligibility is set out on the How to apply page. Information on the supporting evidence required to claim funds is set out on the Claims and payments page, and the Inspections page details Scottish Forestry’s approach to claim inspection monitoring.

The safety of staff and passengers across Scotland’s transport network is a clear priority for the Scottish Government. Transport Scotland officials are assessing the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group’s recommendations and as part of this they will examine whether these could be extended to other transport modes.

All aspects of the incident at Union Corner in Glasgow are being thoroughly investigated via a multi-agency investigation; this is currently underway and will establish the full circumstances when it is safe to do so. If there are lessons to be learnt from this fire, all levels of government will need to do so and, if it leads to the need for further regulation or policy guidance to ensure the safety of people and buildings, the Scottish Government is very open to that. However, it is important that the investigation is allowed to conclude so that the facts can be fully established, rather than speculated upon.

Planning applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, including an assessment of potential impacts.

The Scottish Government response to the independent Expert Group’s Roadmap, published in November 2025, sets out the associated actions we are already taking to transform the lives of people across Scotland.

However, the UK Government retains powers over a number of key policy levers, including the minimum wage, living hours and Universal Credit, needed to fully address the Group’s recommendations .

We are making progress towards the ambitions we share with the Expert Group by investing in policies which tackle poverty and address the cost of living, providing the strongest package of financial support for families anywhere in the UK.

The childhood assistance section of the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2025 provides powers to legislate for Scottish Child Payment as a standalone benefit. Any future developments would need to take into account finance availability, cost effectiveness and delivery and legal implications.

Police Scotland have a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) capability and rightly make operational decisions on how that is deployed. Police Scotland have advised this capability is within the development and evaluation phase, and future deployment will depend on their ongoing operational assessment and further technological development. Police Scotland also note that Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems cannot be used to pursue vehicles, and Civil Aviation Authority regulations can restrict operation to within visual line of sight.

Police Scotland have confirmed that, to date, one off-road motorcycle has been seized as a result of this activity in Lanarkshire and no vehicle seizures are attributable to such activity in Greater Glasgow.

The aim of the 1140 policy is to support affordability and improve outcomes for all eligible children and their families, with 1140 hours per year offered to all 3- and 4-year-olds and eligible 2-year-olds and we have invested around £1 billion every year since 2021 to support that.

Families who are not yet eligible for funded early learning and childcare (ELC) can access financial support with childcare costs through either Universal Credit or Tax-Free Childcare. Tax-Free Childcare support is per child, and the upper limit on Universal Credit support with childcare costs is also set higher for families with more than one child. The Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Grant are also both paid on a per-child rather than per-family basis.

All local authorities have the discretion to make funded ELC available to address specific needs, and parents are encouraged to engage with their local authority to ensure that their needs are known and understood.