Chamber and committees

Scottish Government have allocated £13.6 million to General Practice to assist with recruitment and retention by directly funding GP practices to pay partners and staff; distributed by Scottish Workload Formula and Income & Expenses Guarantee entitlement this year, next year by Scottish Workload Formula, Income & Expenses Guarantee entitlement and increased item of service fees for some optional services.

Scottish Government have not conducted an analysis of the impact of GP Numbers on GP access: access is affected by a number of factors and we continue to work with the profession to ensure they offer suitable access arrangements for their patients.

The latest GP headcount publication from September 2024 shows an increase in the number of fully qualified GPs.

The vast majority of dog owners are responsible people who take good care of their animals and enjoy the widespread benefits of dog ownership and companionship.

The Scottish Government Code of Practice on the Welfare of Dogs, approved by the Scottish Parliament, provides dog owners with information on caring for their pets. This has been promoted by various marketing campaigns in recent years working in partnership with the relevant stakeholders.

Furthermore The Scottish Government would encourage all dog owners to follow the guidance and advice from reputable organisations such as the Scottish SPCA, the Dogs Trust and others if they require assistance with the use of crates for their dogs and crate training.

Since the independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates, a range of key reforms to the NDR system have been implemented to support growth, improve administration and increase fairness.

Following the implementation of the final recommendations of the Barclay Review on 1 April 2023, a consultative sub-group on Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) was established under the New Deal for Business to advise on further enhancements to the NDR system. This sub-group provides a forum for ongoing dialogue and engagement on NDR issues with members who come from a range of business representative organisations, including the hospitality sector, as well as Scottish Assessors and local authorities who are also represented.

The Scottish Government has no plans to consult on a long-term replacement for the NDR system in advance of the next revaluation on 1 April 2026 but remains committed to the NDR sub-group and to working with the hospitality sector on the long-term issues that have been raised by the sector.

The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy sets out a range of ‘conditions for success’ required to ensure its Strategic Outcomes are achieved, including securing the necessary investment. The Biodiversity Investment Plan is therefore an important element of our Strategic Framework for biodiversity, setting out actions we will take to improve the flow of investment into nature restoration projects. The Biodiversity Investment Plan was published on 26 February 2025 and is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836910640.

Currently there are a total of 58 non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). This compares to a total of 130 NDPBs in 1999.

The Scottish Government will continue to pursue effective deer management that will help secure our climate and nature objectives, on land owned by the Scottish Government and other land. This includes changes that are being made to deer legislation through the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, implementing recommendations of the Deer Working Group, and progressing deer management priorities set by the Strategic Deer Board.

The Scottish Government has been actively working to increase the number of wind turbines on land it owns. The vast majority of the land owned by Scottish Government is occupied by croft tenants. Third party lease negotiations require the support of the crofting tenants and approval by the Scottish Land Court before the development can proceed.

The regulatory requirement relating to training is contained in Chapter XII of Annex II of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs and is a general requirement that food handlers be supervised, instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity. Those responsible for establishing a food safety management system within a food business based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles or for the operation of relevant guides must have received adequate training in the application of those principles. Beyond this there must be compliance with any specific requirements stated in law.

Whilst much of what Food Standards Scotland (FSS) provides falls into the categories of guidance or advice, FSS does provide online training materials in relation to allergens:

• Online Allergy Training | Food Standards Scotland
• Advanced Online Allergen Training | Food Standards Scotland

FSS also offers tools for fresh produce and safe smoked fish to assist relevant food businesses produce safe food:

• Fresh Produce Tool | Food Standards Scotland
• Safe Smoked Fish Tool | Food Standards Scotland

Many food businesses make use of our CookSafe Manual, guidance and templates when planning their HACCP based management systems. Cooksafe is particularly aimed at caterers and provides instructions to develop procedures to fit the business needs.

If asked for direction to training, FSS advice is to contact the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS). A section of their website dedicated to training, which can be found here Community Training - REHIS.

As direct imports into Scotland are a small proportion of food placed on the market in Scotland, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) funded surveillance is undertaken on a risk basis and will include imported food when certain goods, irrespective of origin, are considered a higher risk to consumers (for example smoked fish or raw milk cheeses). Imported food must meet at least the same regulatory standards as domestically produced food and the legislative basis for the import checks that apply is set out in what is known as “the official controls regulation” (OCR). The OCR is in process of being amended to implement the Border Target Operating Model which was published by the UK Government in 2023. Responsibility for enforcement of import controls and food safety standards (other than in certain meat establishments) is the responsibility of local authorities.