Chamber and committees

Public inquiries established under the Inquiries Act 2005 are not designated as Scottish public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). As the member may be aware, information held by other authorities about the work of a public inquiry may be exempt from disclosure. In particular, under section 37 of FOISA information is exempt if it has been created by a person conducting an inquiry for the purposes of that inquiry. These are absolute exemptions under the Act. These arrangements are in place to protect the integrity and independence of public inquiries.

The Scottish Government understands that key information about the costs of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry are published on the Inquiry website. It also understands that the Inquiry provided further detailed information about its costs in its Chair’s letter dated 22 May, to the Finance and Public Administration Committee. The Scottish Government would be happy to consider whether it holds any further relevant information in the event of any request for such, and would consider any such request in full compliance with its own obligations as a Scottish public authority under FOISA.

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.

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.

The strategic objectives of acquiring the additional land at Glen Prosen was to create a contiguous area of 10,000 ha of land in public ownership that could provide an opportunity for the development of an exemplar of integrated land management that furthers Scottish Government aims for people’s well-being, nature recovery at scale, and long-term climate resilience.

The framework document agreed between Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Scottish Ministers details how FLS will carry out Scottish Ministers’ functions under the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018.

It details the key roles and responsibilities of:

• Scottish Ministers; and
• the FLS Chief Executive (and Accountable Officer).

Those roles and responsibilities, include those relevant to the acquisition and disposal of land. The framework document is a key part of the accountability and governance framework and as a live document is reviewed by SG and Forestry and Land Scotland regularly.

The Scottish Government’s Fisheries Management Strategy sets out actions to support the fishing fleet to modernise, and for appropriate use to be made of new and additional technology, including remote electronic monitoring (REM). The Scottish Government has already delivered on our commitment to introduce REM requirements for pelagic and scallop vessels, with legislation being passed in June 2024. The legislation can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2024/165/contents/made

Pelagic vessels will be able to undertake REM system test trips from 7 September 2025 in advance of the pelagic REM measures becoming mandatory from 7 March 2026. A number of vessels have already started installing REM equipment and we expect this number to increase as the March 2026 date draws closer. The Scottish Government has published both REM technical specifications and guidance for the pelagic industry and continues to engage extensively with stakeholders to support vessels as they prepare for REM.

Further rollout of remote electronic monitoring to other fleets is under review and options will be developed alongside our Future Catching Policy.

A significant amount of work on the 21 Scottish-led Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) has been completed. This work is complex and requires further stakeholder engagement and consultation. The Marine Directorate has undertaken pre-consultation with stakeholders which will inform the first formal consultation planned for autumn 2025. Discussions with stakeholders were held last year and, more recently, in February, May and June, we held workshops on demersal and Nephrops FMPs with plans for further workshops on pelagic FMPs in the coming months. The fisheries policy authorities intend to deliver the FMPs according to the timescales set out in Annex A of the Joint Fisheries Statement by the end of 2026.

For offshore Marine Protected Areas, the Scottish Government has completed its public consultation on proposed fisheries management measures and published the consultation analysis. The Scottish Government expects to announce the final measures in autumn 2025, with implementation to follow within the same calendar year. For inshore Marine Protected Areas, the Scottish Government is completing the necessary statutory assessments and aims to consult on proposed measures in the coming months

Public Inquiries which are established under the Inquiries Act 2005 are independent of the Scottish Government. Public Inquiries relevant costs under the Inquiries Act 2005 are funded via the sponsoring Ministerial portfolio within the Scottish Government, but publication in relation to costs is undertaken independently by each inquiry.

The cost of a public inquiry varies and is very much determined by the complexity of the issue to be investigated, the number of witnesses, and the amount of technical expertise that may be required. There is a statutory duty placed on Chairs of independent inquiries, set out at section 17 of the Inquiries Act 2005, the they "must act with fairness and with regard also to the need to avoid any unnecessary cost".

All Inquiries are encouraged to engage with sponsor teams to communicate likely budget requirements in order to inform development of the Scottish Government budget each year, and to advise sponsor teams if expected requirements change or evolve.

We are making positive progress towards a reformed National Performance Framework (NPF), and we intend to launch a reformed framework in the new parliamentary session following the 2026 Scottish Election.

We are currently engaging with a range of experts and stakeholders on the detail of a reformed NPF, and as such, no decisions have been made on future outcomes or indicators. We intend to provide a written update on our progress to relevant parliamentary committees after the summer recess. Additionally, officials are scheduled to meet with several MSPs from across the Chamber in September to discuss NPF reform.

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.