Chamber and committees

It is the Scottish Government’s view that both parents should be involved in their child’s life, as long as this is in the child’s best interests.

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 is the key legislation on contact, residence, and parental responsibilities and rights. When deciding whether to make an order under section 11 of the Act (e.g. a contact order) the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The court must also – taking into account the child's age and maturity – have regard to any views the child wishes to express and the need to protect the child from any abuse, or the risk of any abuse, which affects or might affect the child.

There is no legal presumption in favour of contact contained in section 11 of the 1995 Act. It is for the court to decide what information and evidence it needs to make a decision about what is best for a child, based on the facts and circumstances of the case.

However, recent research suggested there is a general presumption that contact is in the child’s best interests: Domestic Abuse and Child Contact: The Interface Between Criminal and Civil Proceedings - SCCJR.

Following this research, the Scottish Government has held workshops with key stakeholders on how to improve the interaction between the civil and criminal courts in the context of domestic abuse. The Scottish Government is currently considering potential changes to take forward.

We have established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service pressures. This group provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer. Officials also meet with Boards’ Cancer Management Teams monthly to identify immediate challenges, explore solutions and share best practice.

The Scottish Government has mobilised an ambitious Oncology Transformation Programme and are working closely with NHS Board and regional leaders from across the country to address longer-term pressures. We have also committed to further funding for Chemotherapy and Acute Oncology services using a phased approach to ensure we build a sustainable workforce. The funding will reach up to £10 million per annum and will support increased regional working, workforce recruitment and maximise capacity across the existing workforce. £6.6 million has been provided in 2025-26 and will support NHS Boards to develop sustainable plans.

The Scottish Government regularly discusses a wide range of fire safety topics with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) including battery energy storage system (BESS) sites.

SFRS is a member of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and has access to the wide range of fire and rescue research, guidance and expertise provided by the NFCC. The Scottish Fire and Rescue service provides advice to the Scottish Government on fire safety matters.

There was no communication between the Scottish Government and the NFCC regarding the single recorded incident at a BESS site in Scotland. This incident involved a battery unit which was damaged in transit and was not yet installed. There were no casualties.

Scottish Government grant funding is subject to standard terms and conditions, which state that:

“No part of the Grant shall be used to fund any activity or material which is party political in intention, use, or presentation, or appears to be designed to affect support for a political party.”

Grant managers are expected to maintain strong relationships with grantees, with regular monitoring and reporting to ensure funding delivers agreed outcomes.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator provides detailed guidance on how charities can engage on political issues appropriately.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 27 March 2024 by Liam McArthur MSP (Liberal Democrats). As such, this is a Member's Bill, not a Scottish Government Bill.

As with all Bills, at Stage 2 of the Bill’s passage through Parliament it is for the Convener of the lead Committee to make a decision on the admissibility of any amendment put forward.

At Stage 3, it would be for the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer to make decisions on admissibility.

The Scottish Government is committed to making Scotland an attractive destination for investors. Our Programme for Government committed to increasing private capital investment in Scotland through delivering a co-ordinated programme to attract investment in priority areas of net zero, housing, and infrastructure.

This programme of activity includes intensifying our targeted engagement with key investors, developing the ‘InvestScotland’ portal to showcase investment opportunities, and exploring more co-investment from public and private pension funds into Scottish projects and businesses.

It is a matter for Glasgow City Region to determine their engagement priorities.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any recent review by Scottish Borders Council of its additional needs assistant allocation process for secondary schools.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that parents and carers are central to shaping the development of Additional Support for Learning (ASL) policy. As part of a wider review of ASL, Ministers will consider this publication and its recommendations in addition to other recent reports, which identify areas for improvement.

I have committed to a cross party roundtable with local government to discuss a wider review of the delivery and support for Additional Support Needs in Scotland’s schools. The scope and detail of the review will be informed by the outcome of the roundtable.

Our inclusive approach to education in Scotland is supported by a broad consensus that all children and young people should receive the support they need to thrive. Since the 2020 Morgan Review of ASL, we have delivered over 50 actions to improve educational experiences for children and young people with additional support needs (ASN), empowering them to become directly involved in decision making, increasing learning opportunities for educators and creating parent support groups.

We will continue to work at pace to deliver the remaining actions by the end of this Parliamentary term, including ensuring that parental voice informs the development of ASL policy.

The Scottish Government is working with Ferguson Marine and CMAL to understand fully the basis of the revised delivery plan for MV Glen Rosa. All requests for an additional budget for capital projects require detailed scrutiny processes before they can be approved and decisions taken on sources of funding within the overall Scottish Budget.

The Scottish Government does not hold figures on how many retail units are vacant in high streets and town centres across the country. Local authorities have responsibility for delivering local economic development and local regeneration.