Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not conduct ghost gear retrieval activities and has no record of gear recovered by other organisations.

We fund KIMO’s Fishing for Litter initiative through our Marine Fund Scotland which supports fishers in bringing ashore and disposing of marine litter they catch at sea while conducting normal fishing activities. The waste brought in is mixed and includes old ghost gear.

Fishing for Litter waste since 2021

2021 – 195 tonnes

2022 – 139 tonnes

2023 – 185 tonnes

2024 – 214 tonnes

2025 – 176 tonnes

2026 – until 9 September 2026 – 79 tonnes

The Scottish Government understands how important it is to embed collaboration is to the delivery of our shared priorities. In the Programme for Government, we announced the development of a Scottish Prevention Investment Framework, which aims to provide a consistent approach to identifying, assessing and prioritising investment in prevention and early intervention, helping direct resources towards actions that improve outcomes for people and reduce future demand on public services. Collaboration with external parties, including with philanthropists and the third sector, will be part of the development of this Framework.

The Scottish Government is carefully considering the findings and recommendations of Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) contained in its report Protecting Scotland’s Seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers’ implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report.

The Scottish Government will set out its position on the report's findings and recommendations through that engagement and in its formal response, updating the Scottish Parliament as appropriate in this respect.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution curling makes to sport and physical activity in Scotland.

With a strong tradition and cultural identity, the sport provides opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to be active, connect with others, and compete at every level, while also delivering wider benefits for physical and mental wellbeing, confidence, and community connection.

Our national agency for sport, sportscotland, recognises this through its investment in Scottish Curling. Between 2023-2027, this includes £742,300 in core funding and a further £284,428 provided through the additional sports investment announced in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, to support coaching, athlete pathways, clubs and the Summer of Sport programme.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 already provides the statutory framework concerning preventing, planning for and responding to emergencies in Scotland, including wildfires. To strengthen preparedness for wildfire specifically, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have developed a multi-agency Wildfire Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for consideration by the Scottish Resilience Partnership. It promotes a greater emphasis on prevention, risk reduction, readiness and multi-agency coordination, alongside operational response.

The Scottish Government’s Wildfire Strategic Action Plan sets out a coordinated approach to preventing, preparing for and responding to wildfires, and was published on 5 March 2026.

The Scottish Government continues to support reforms across our justice services – responding to society’s changing needs, removing duplication and ensuring there are modern user-centred digital services which deliver best value for money and fully support all users of the justice system, including expanding digital evidence sharing capability and enabling police and expert witnesses to give their evidence remotely.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is an independent, judicially led, public body, chaired by the Lord President. The scheduling and delivery of programmes, including database integration, are operational matters for the SCTS Board and the Scottish Prison Service.

In implementing provisions in the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026, the Scottish Government will consider how relevant and meaningful statistics can contribute to evaluating the Act's impact.

The Scottish Government has previously developed experimental statistics for Gross National Income (GNI) and primary income account statistics which deal with aspects of income flows into and out of Scotland, including Foreign Direct Investment, and has shown a net outflow of income from Scotland with the latest being published in 2023.

Our national agency for sport, sportscotland, supports efforts to increase awareness and participation in curling through its investment and partnership work with Scottish Curling.

This includes supporting initiatives such as the national Try Curling programme, club development activity, workforce development, and investment in projects designed to strengthen pathways and create more opportunities for people to experience and participate in the sport.

In addition, Scottish Curling and sportscotland are committed to helping to raise the awareness of curling by hosting major international events. In March 2025, Scotland hosted the World Wheelchair Curling Championships and the World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championships in Stevenston, North Ayrshire, helping to showcase the sport to wider audiences.

There are currently no NICE or British Society for Rheumatology clinical guidelines specific to hEDS/HSD, reflecting the current limitations in the evidence base to support their development at this stage.

In Scotland, clinicians can access national decision support resources through Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Right Decision Service, including guidance relating to the assessment and referral of people presenting with hypermobility, suspected hEDS and related HSD. This supports a more consistent approach to decision making, alongside local clinical pathways and governance arrangements.

The development of national evidence-based clinical guidance in Scotland is led by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), within Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Through Scotland’s Rare Disease Action Plan, we are taking forward actions to improve support for people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and related conditions, including hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). This includes work to support earlier diagnosis, increase awareness among healthcare professionals, and improve coordination of care and access to services. The Rare Disease Action Plan Progress Report, published on 27 February 2026, provides an update on progress to date.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, the delivery of healthcare services is the responsibility of local NHS Health Boards, in line with national guidance and population needs.