Chamber and committees

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.

We have not done a formal assessment of barriers at this stage, however we discuss issues such as this through our engagements with industry and will consider barriers in the course of our work to develop a climate change action plan for fisheries.

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.

The Scottish Government does not support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

In the event of Scotland becoming an independent country, decisions about membership of intergovernmental agencies would be a matter for the government of the time, elected by the people of Scotland.

The Scottish Government proposes that Scotland would seek to join the EU as soon as possible after independence. The EU is a full member of the G20, and represents it’s member states at G20 summits, alongside the leaders of G20 member countries.

The Scottish Government’s position on share of UK debt following a vote for independence is set out in the publication Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence - gov.scot.

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 Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 grants FLS the powers to enter arrangements, acquire land by agreement, and/or compulsory purchase land.

Following acquisition, FLS has undertaken extensive public and stakeholder consultation, and environmental survey work, to enable the development of a comprehensive Land Management Plan to meet the aims and objectives for the acquisition.

The process undertaken by FLS to establish a Land Management Plan for Glen Prosen for subsequent approval by Scottish Forestry, follows current best practice and current legislative requirements.

Investment in Glen Prosen will result in a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits through the opportunity it provides for landscape scale habitat restoration and a more joined up approach to land management substantially within the Cairngorms National Park. These benefits will be realised over time and as the approved Land Management Plan is implemented.