Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has been working closely with Motability to understand how any changes it is considering to its provision as a consequence of the removal of tax exemptions in the UK Budget might affect customers in Scotland, including those living in rural, remote rural and island communities.

The UK Government did not consult the Scottish Government on its changes to the associated tax exemptions in the November 2025 Budget, despite the clear and significant impacts for the devolved Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme in Scotland under which Motability is the provider. Scottish Ministers wrote to the UK Government in November upon becoming aware of the potential tax changes, emphasising that they would cause significant fear and uncertainty for disabled people who rely on the AVE Scheme to remain mobile.

The 1 July 2026 commencement announced by Motability for its changes in the rest of the UK is not set to apply in Scotland. However there may need to be future changes to Motability’s provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme as a result of the UK tax changes, in which case customers will be notified as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right support to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.

Local Authorities are legally required to set a balanced budget for each upcoming financial year and all 32 councils agreed balanced budgets for 2026-27, ahead of the statutory deadline of 11 March 2026.

The Scottish Government appreciate the pressures facing Local Government and that’s why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant and full flexibility on council tax. The vast majority of funding allocated by the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant and it is then for individual Local Authorities to allocate the total resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, including for Social Care Support for people at home.

The Scottish Government has a long history of working with COSLA and Local Authorities to make sure council finances are sustainable and that available resources can meet long-term commitments. Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

Justice partners including Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) will continue to build on the significant progress made in reducing officer time spent in court.

The introduction of the judicially led Summary Case Management (SCM) approach, supported by the implementation of Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) has led to quicker resolutions on a number of cases and it is estimated that over 100,000 fewer police officers were cited to give evidence during the period of the national rollout of SCM.

This was highlighted in the joint report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (IPS) on court citations published in March of this year. The report also made a number of recommendations around how the system of court citations could be made more user friendly for all court users, including police officers. It is for Police Scotland and COPFS to consider and implement these recommendations.

These reforms will continue to improve efficiency across the system by reducing unnecessary trials, minimising witness citations, and helping to address court backlogs. We also expect to see further reductions in court time for officers with the rollout of Body Worn Video (BWV), as video evidence is processed.

We are currently working with all health boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan for Scotland. This supports continued safe and effective use of existing facilities, through ongoing business continuity planning, as well as informing future investment priorities based on assessment of need across the whole of Scotland.

The first phase, Business Continuity Planning, is focussed on priority investment in the existing estate to support service continuity. Boards have completed risk-based assessments and received confirmation of items which can be progressed with additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The second phase is focussed on the longer-term development of the estate to meet national, regional and local needs.

All Health Boards have been asked to undertake strategic needs assessments for three local investment priorities which align with the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework. If NHS GG&C believe that the development of the Stobhill campus is a priority, it is through this process that it would be escalated.

Further detail on NHS Whole System Infrastructure Planning is set out in DL 2025-15.

The Scottish Government is clear that people should be able to receive the support they need, at the earliest opportunity based on need, and this should not be dependent on formal diagnosis.

Although colleges operate independently of government and universities are autonomous, they are responsible for ensuring students are supported in their learning. Students are encouraged to engage with student support, wellbeing and learning support services, through which needs can be identified and reasonable adjustments put in place. Institutions are supported by Scottish Government funding: the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) delivered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland; the Access and Inclusion Fund in colleges; and the Disabled Students’ Premium which supports inclusive learning and reasonable adjustments for students with additional needs, including those not eligible for DSA.

For school pupils, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, places duties on education authorities and other agencies to identify, meet and review additional support needs, including those arising from neurodevelopmental differences. To support parents/carers, young people and children, the Scottish Government also funds Enquire, the national advice and information service on additional support for learning and My Rights My Say, which supports children aged 12 and over, enabling them to understand and exercise their rights and participate fully in decisions about their education.

We are taking bold and ambitious action to reform and renew our health and care systems in line with our vision where people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives while recognising the financial pressures facing the health and social care sector now. The 2026-27 Budget provides almost £22.5 billion investment in health and social care services, exceeding consequentials and providing a real terms uplift to enable more sustainable and resilient services.

Delivering the transformation the people of Scotland need depends on improving prevention and ensuring that health and care services are accessible, high quality, and person led. The Service Renewal Framework provides a structured approach to drive the transformation necessary to realise our vision - responding to today’s pressures but also building the foundations for long-term sustainability and improvement. Renewing Scotland’s essential public services must be rooted in a long-term vision - one that prioritises prevention and early intervention.

The integration of health and social care planning is essential in ensuring services are well-coordinated and responsive to the population's evolving needs, and the report recognises the need for local collaboration in setting budgets. This means that local authorities are responsible for how they choose to invest in those services, not Ministers.

The Scottish Government recognises that anxiety can impact people’s ability to enter and sustain employment, and is committed to ensuring timely, joined up support that improves wellbeing and enables access to fair work. Our social security system takes a compassionate approach to delivering Adult Disability Payment, ensuring people can access the support they are entitled to.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and our accompanying Delivery Plan prioritises early intervention and prevention, ensuring people can access support quickly and at the earliest stage before their condition worsens. We fund a range of accessible services, including Mind to Mind Scotland and 24/7 support through NHS 24’s Mental Health Hub, alongside the Breathing Space helpline.

We have invested £164 million since 2020 in community-based mental health and wellbeing supports, including over 6,100 projects through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults. These provide early, practical support such as peer support, social connection and activity based interventions that help people manage anxiety and build confidence, including for work.

Through our funding for devolved employability services, support for people to progress towards and into employment is available in all 32 local authority areas. Our Specialist Employability Support offer ensures place-and-train models of support for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions are in place across the country.

Together, these actions ensure that people experiencing anxiety can access timely support and are helped to progress towards fair and sustainable employment reducing the risk of long-term welfare dependency.

Residential Properties

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the homeowner. To confirm the presence of RAAC, any property suspected of having RAAC requires a survey by a qualified professional which homeowners would need to agree to.

Intelligence gathering, undertaken as part of the RAAC Cross Sector Working Group, has indicated that RAAC has not been used extensively as a building material in private sector house building in Scotland. However, some homes containing RAAC have passed into private ownership through Right to Buy transactions and other mechanisms.

The Scottish Housing Regulator wrote to all social landlords on 13 October 2023 to request a data return on the presence of RAAC in social sector housing. Additional information was sought from landlords in relation to homes where they have maintenance obligations, provide factoring services, or have previously sold properties.

In July 2025, the Scottish Housing Regulator published an update on the number of social landlords that have identified RAAC in their social rented homes. The data returns showed that 17 landlords identified RAAC in 2,205 homes. Regulator publishes update from RAAC data collection | Scottish Housing News

Public Buildings

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of public buildings affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as of 31 March 2026.

Information on public buildings identified as having RAAC is contained in a Scottish Government report published in September 2024 and available here: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland - gov.scot. Current information may be obtained from individual public authorities who retain responsibility for matters of building maintenance as building owners.

Data and information about Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme (CRP) has been published regularly since June 2025. The range and structure of information released is developing across publications, reflecting Programme progress and activity over time, and to date has included:

• the number of expressions of interest (EoIs) submitted via the Single Open Call, by type of applicant
• the number of EoIs that had been identified as likely to be eligible or ineligible for Scottish Government funding from the CRP to carry out an Single Building Assessment (SBA)
• the number of initial grant or funding offers issued
• the number of SBAs started and completed
• whether remedial works were identified as a result of those SBAs
• information relating to remediation and urgent interim measures
• Programme expenditure by financial year
• Information on developer funded assessment and remediation

The latest information on the number of expressions of interest received via the Single Open Call and the number of grant offer letters issued as a result of expressions of interest made to the Single Open Call, was published in the management information release reporting on progress at 31 December 2025.

The latest information on the progress of the Cladding Remediation Programme was published on 28 April 2026, in the management information release reporting on progress at 28 February 2026.

Further financial information relating to the Cladding Remediation Programme was published on 25 March 2026 in a Letter to Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

The next management information release, reporting on the progress of the Cladding Remediation Programme at 31 March 2026, will be published on 16 June.

I refer the member to the response provided for PQ: S7W-00484