Chamber and committees

The UK-wide impact assessment on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill noted that there is not sufficient evidence to be able to provide an estimate for how this policy may impact the number of incidences of violence or abuse towards retail workers or monetise the impact. Further impact assessments will be undertaken by the Scottish Government before making any Regulations under powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill that rest with the Scottish Ministers.

Retail workers (as well as all other workers) are protected by a wide range of criminal laws (i.e. the statutory offence of threatening or abusive behaviour; the common law offence of assault; and the common law offence of breach of the peace).

In addition, the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-Restricted Products) (Scotland) Act 2021(“the 2021 Act”) came into force in August 2021 and created a statutory offence of threatening, abusing, or assaulting a retail worker, adding to the offences that can already be used to prosecute those who abuse retail workers.

Scottish Government partners, like the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), share best guidance and resources, such as the free Grocery Aid helpline, and Victim Support, for victims of violence and abuse in a retail setting. We will continue to work closely with retailers to support them in preparing for and implementing the Bill.

As part of its budget for 2025-26, the Scottish Government is making an additional £3 million available for Police Scotland to work with the sector to tackle retail crime.

Whilst the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for operational matters - including the staffing of individual services – rests with individual health boards based on national, regional and local priorities.

Should health boards require direct support with attraction and recruitment activities they can contact Centre for Workforce Supply, hosted by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) who can provide bespoke, direct support, guidance and advice on such matters.

Following work with stakeholders to review the number of medical specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties, including in haematology.

Looking ahead, the Scottish Government recognises the need for a medical workforce plan to account for what patients and the public want and need from their health service, and to ensure the attractiveness of medical careers. To that end we have committed to taking forward the ‘Future Medical Workforce’ project which will report on the extensive planned dialogue with doctors and analysis of workforce demand and supply by the end of 2025.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.

The Scottish Ministerial Code is clear on the need for Ministers to make a distinction between their roles as Ministers and their roles as Members of the Scottish Parliament. Chapter 9 of the Code sets out the requirements of Ministers in relation to the presentation of policy and Chapter 4 offers guidance on the appropriate separation of Ministers' official duties and their party political interests.

Regulation of artificial intelligence is a reserved matter, and the Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government on this issue. We understand that the UK Government is preparing to introduce new legislation related to AI, and we will continue to work closely with them to ensure that Scotland’s interests are represented.

While we do not have plans to introduce legislation specifically aimed at preventing job losses due to AI, we are focused on mitigating potential impacts through proactive measures. This includes investment in AI literacy and skills development to ensure that individuals and communities are equipped to adapt to technological change.

The Scottish Government closely monitors food inflation data published by the Office for National Statistics and inflation projections published by the Office for Budget Responsibility and Bank of England. The British Retail Consortium’s forecast is concerning, particularly for low-income households in Scotland who are already grappling with cost-of-living pressures and are disproportionately affected by rising food prices. That is why the Scottish Government continues to allocate over £3 billion a year to policies which tackle poverty and the cost of living, as well up to £1.3 million to tackle food insecurity. The Scottish Government remains committed to improving our food security, making Scotland a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture (with high quality food production one of the five objectives of the Agriculture and Rural Communities Act), and supporting Scotland in becoming a Good Food Nation.

There are a range of global and domestic factors driving food price inflation and whilst the Scottish Government is seeking to support households and local food suppliers in Scotland, there are a number of challenges that lie specifically with the Uk Government. Indeed, the Bank of England’s latest monetary report details factors such as regulatory changes and rising labour costs, which have been exacerbated by the UK Government’s increase to Employer National Insurance Contributions in autumn last year, in turn creating an additional financial burden on businesses, households, and the public sector. While many of the levers to address these challenges lie with the UK Government and could be managed more effectively in an independent Scotland, the Scottish Government remains committed in the meantime to using the powers available to us to support people across our nation with the cost of living pressures.

I refer the member to information recently submitted to the Finance & Public Administration Committee which is available on the parliament website at Costeffectiveness of Scottish public inquiries Letter from SCAI of 22 May 2025 | Scottish Parliament Website.

Registers of Scotland is a non-Ministerial Public Body answerable to the Scottish Parliament.

As of 12 August 2025, Registers of Scotland (RoS) had 59,655 dispositions undergoing registration as compared with 68,894 a year prior, representing a c13% reduction (9,239) year on year. In financial year 2024-25 RoS dealt with over 558k applications to the Land Register , 93% of which were completed within 35 days.

The process of registration in the Land Register involves digital copies of title deeds being sent to the Keeper who then updates the Land Register (LR). The applicant retains the original deeds. The legal effect of registration stems from the date the Keeper receives the application and not from the date when the updates are completed. Further information, including the total number of inflight applications of all types, is available on the Keeper’s website.

The Scottish Government is working closely with local authorities and enterprise agencies to explore opportunities for AI-related investment.

While certain aspects of economic zoning and investment policy may intersect with reserved matters, the planning, infrastructure, and economic development components are largely devolved responsibilities.

We remain committed to ensuring that Scotland is an attractive location for AI investment and data infrastructure, and will continue to work with partners to assess the feasibility and benefits of such zones.

On 3 March 2022, when Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, I wrote an open letter to business in Scotland asking them to review their links to Russia, however indirect, and to sever them, with due regard for the safety of any employees or individuals they may work with.

It remains the position of the Scottish Government that it, and its economic agencies, will not support trade and investment activity with Russia. This policy is additional to the UK government’s regime of sanctions against Russia.

We cannot however, force businesses to sever links if what they plan is otherwise lawful, including not breaching the UK sanctions regime. There may also be legitimate reasons why links cannot be severed, for example: if staff safety might be jeopardised; contractual reasons; and/or being prohibited from selling assets due to Russian law.