Chamber and committees

Air Weapons licensing statistics are published by Police Scotland annually. Available data only reaches as far back as 2018, Police Scotland have rejected the following amounts of applications for each year from 2018, including renewal applications:

2018-19 - 94

2019-20 - 35

2020-21 - 28

2021-22 - 51

2022-23 - 41

2023-24 - 35

2024-25 - 41

There is no mandatory curriculum in Scotland and the Scottish Government does not prescribe the content of lessons taught within Scottish schools. The Curriculum for Excellence framework allows teachers to plan and deliver learning which meets the needs of learners at every age and stage. This includes delivering learning and teaching on first aid.

There are a range of "experiences and outcomes", which outline expectations for learning and progression in the curriculum in Scottish schools. The section on Physical Wellbeing includes the statement, ‘I know and can demonstrate how to keep myself and others safe and how to respond in a range of emergency situations.’ This means both first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) can be taught as a part of the curriculum in Scotland. Resources used in schools include the Save a Life for Scotland approach, which provides training and advice on taking account of any healthcare needs of particular pupils. The Scottish Primary School First Aid Programme, launched by St Andrew’s First Aid, also provides free and easy online access for primary teachers to download and teach first aid in their class.

The Scottish Government provides funding annually to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services. The funding is provided as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget is provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes. It is up to Health Boards to decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome. The published Scottish Budget for 2025-2026 includes £72.2 million for the Outcomes Framework.

The Scottish Government has committed to launching the AI Scotland programme, announced in the Programme for Government in May, to lead the development of a refreshed national AI plan. This builds on the current AI Strategy, which concludes in 2026.

AI Scotland will be a national transformation programme aimed at accelerating AI adoption and innovation across sectors. It is being delivered through close collaboration between business, academia, government, and public agencies.

The refresh process is currently underway. Further updates will be shared publicly as new commitments and deliverables are finalised under the AI Scotland programme.

The Scottish Government has had regular engagement with the UK Government regarding the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill over the last 12 months. The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health met with the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Prevention on 4 November 2024 to discuss the Tobacco and Vapes Bill where she reaffirmed Scottish Government support for this historic piece of legislation and highlighted how it could positively impact health inequalities in Scotland.

The Bill’s subsequent re-introduction on 5 November 2024 followed close collaborative work across the 4-nations over the content of the Bill. Officials across the 4-nations continue to meet regularly to discuss the Bill to ensure coherence and alignment of implementation, where this is possible and appropriate.

The Scottish Government Planning Application Statistics (PAS) asks planning authorities to indicate the number of planning applications they have decided for major housing developments (50 or more dwellings or a site area that is or exceeds two hectares) and local housing developments (less than 50 dwellings or a site area of less than two hectares). The PAS does not include the number of new homes approved in each reporting period.

The number of decisions made on local planning applications for housing for the period 2021-22 - 2023-24 is:

• 2021-22 - 4608
• 2022-23 - 4194
• 2023-24 - 3653

The number of decisions made on major planning applications for housing for the period 2021-22 - 2023-24 is:

• 2021-22 - 123
• 2022-23 - 97
• 2023-24 - 77

Total numbers of approvals can vary from year to year in line with numbers of applications submitted in any given period. The overall rate of approvals of applications in 2023-24 was 92.3%.

The CMA’s Housebuilding Market Study included figures for the number of housing units given planning approval from 2014-15 – 2021-22, informed by the Home Builders Federation’s (HBF) quarterly “New Housing Pipeline” report. This report is published on the HBF’s website, and the most recent edition records a figure for the number of housing units given planning consent for all of Scotland in the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 26,301
• 2023: 23,867
• 2024: 24,054

The Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply records the number of new dwellings started in Scotland for the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 22,088
• 2023: 16,849
• 2024: 15,759

The Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply records the number of new dwellings completed in Scotland for the years 2022 - 2024 as:

• 2022: 23,486
• 2023: 21,318
• 2024: 19,988

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39145 on 29 July 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Shipbuilding is a competitive global market and any direct award of a public contract must comply with procurement rules and be capable of withstanding legal challenge.

Ministers will consider future vessel contracts, including those mentioned, from public agencies at an appropriate time and on a case-by-case basis to determine whether any might legally be open to direct award. Under public procurement and subsidy control rules, direct award of public contracts is only possible in strictly limited circumstances.

We are currently considering the business case and next steps in relation to the Lord of the Isles replacement and will confirm these in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39529 on 15 August 2025.

Taking Fergusons into public ownership saved the last commercial shipyard on the Clyde, rescued over 300 jobs and ensured Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa would be delivered in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to supporting Ferguson Marine to competitively bid for future contracts and to securing a sustainable, long term future for the yard.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector. We have commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition, which includes consideration of offshore energy supply chains during the transition.

The regulation of the offshore oil and gas sector, including in relation to decommissioning, are matters currently reserved to the UK Government.