Chamber and committees

It is not possible to record the number of individual passengers who have benefited from the £2 bus fare cap since the introduction of the scheme. Passenger journeys are however recorded, which shows that since it was launched in the Highlands and Islands, over 1.7 million journeys have been made using the £2 bus fare cap.

These figures are correct as of 28 September 2026.

Journey data on the £2 fare cap scheme launched on 7 September 2026 in the Strathclyde area is not yet available.

The Scottish Government does not receive census data from the University of Edinburgh's St Kilda Soay Sheep Research Project.

The recently launched Central Belt roe deer pilot scheme, led by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association with support from NatureScot, will run until the end of March 2027 for the first year of the pilot.

This is one of a number of deer management incentive schemes that we have supported across Scotland in recent years. The findings from the schemes, including barriers and successes can be found on the NatureScot website: Deer Management Incentive Scheme pilots | NatureScot.

As set out in the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, we will produce a National Deer Management and Venison Plan for Scotland. The findings from the existing schemes will help to inform decisions on future incentive schemes and on the Plan itself.

Gene editing is in scope of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, which is currently being negotiated with the EU. The summit, which marks the conclusion of these negotiations has been announced for 20 November, at that point we will have clarity on Scotland’s obligations to align with the EU’s upcoming regulatory regime for gene editing.

Following the establishment of the Responsible Dog Ownership Expert Advisory Group, a number of sub-groups were also set up. These sub-groups are currently looking at specific areas of work, including key issues such as enforcement of dog control laws, education, prevention and communication, data to inform and support dog control policy, and dog welfare. That work is ongoing and the Scottish Government looks forward to seeing the recommendations of the Expert Advisory Group in due course.

Once their recommendations are available, the Scottish Government will consider how best to take forward further policy development work to promote responsible dog ownership and improve dog welfare.

We welcome the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 6 report on the impact of the pandemic on the publicly and privately funded adult social care sector across the four nations of the United Kingdom. A copy of the report is available online at: https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/reports/

During the pandemic, the Scottish Government’s foremost priority was to protect the public from the novel Covid-19 virus. Ministers sought to be open, transparent and accountable in respect of the decisions made. We extend our sincere and deepest condolences to the many thousands who have lost loved ones and who continue to experience the profound impacts of Covid-19.

We recognise the loss, hurt and suffering experienced by people across Scotland and the rest of the UK, particularly among those who relied on, delivered or supported adult social care services during an exceptionally challenging period. We acknowledge the significant impact of the pandemic on people who draw on care and support, their families and loved ones, and the many unpaid carers who provided essential care, often in difficult and isolating circumstances. We would also like to reaffirm our gratitude to the health and social care workforce for their dedication, professionalism and commitment to supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities throughout the pandemic.

The Scottish Government will now take the necessary time to fully and carefully consider the findings and recommendations set out in the Inquiry’s Module 6 report, and will provide a detailed response to the report’s recommendations in due course, in line with the timescales set out by the Inquiry chair.

Scottish Ministers remain fully committed to making data on subsidy payments made to beneficiaries in Scotland under all CAP legacy schemes more accessible to the public.

The first publication was made on the Scottish Government website on the 30th June 2026 for the data relating to all CAP legacy schemes subsidy payments made to beneficiaries in Scotland during the EU financial year from 16 October 2024 to 15 October 2025 and this data will remain available for two years, until June 2028.

This publication included the names of all beneficiaries apart from those who received less than the equivalent of 1,250 in total subsidy during the year that are not shown in the spreadsheet. In these cases, payment amounts are included, but beneficiary names have been removed. For the purposes of this publication , 1,250 has been converted to a sterling equivalent of £1,114.

Similar publications will be made on the Scottish Government website on the 30th June in subsequent years throughout the current parliamentary session.

In terms of the regulations that provided for the above approved by Parliament, these are just temporary bridging measures for our period of transition until such time as the new data scheme publication arrangements are made in terms of the secondary legislation to be introduced later on under the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024.

At that time, Scottish Ministers shall seek to address any opportunities to improve accessibility for the public to this type of data.

The creation of an industry led communication group has been discussed during recent meetings of the Scottish Government’s Bluetongue stakeholder group, which has met frequently since the first detections of bluetongue in Scotland. As soon as the group has been established and membership, chair and terms of reference agreed, information will be provided on the GOV.SCOT bluetongue web page.

It is expected that the first meeting of the group will take place on 26 October, with invitations sent to all members of the Scottish Government’s bluetongue stakeholder group, which includes; Association of Independent Meat Suppliers (AIMS), , British Veterinary Association (BVA), Cattle Information Service (CIS), Deervet.co.uk, Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers Scotland (IAAS), Moredun Institute, National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), National Sheep Association (NSA), Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers (SAMW), Scottish Beef Association (SBA), Scottish Dairy Cattle Association (SDCA), Scottish Rural College (SRUC), Invitation will be extended to other groups as required and agreed. There will also be representation from all three bluetongue serotype 3 vaccine manufacturers; Boehringer Ingelheim, Ceva, and Virbac.

As vaccination is seen as the only long term viable option for the control of Bluetongue, and foreseeing challenges that are likely in communicating that key message consistently to livestock keepers, it is expected the group will remain in place throughout the next high risk season for bluetongue virus between May and September 2027.

The welfare of stud dogs is already covered under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 Regulations). The licence conditions set out in Schedule 2 (General Conditions) of the 2021 Regulations includes provisions that seek to protect the welfare of all animals kept by or under the care of licence holders, including that of stud dogs. Schedule 6 (Specific Conditions: breeding dogs) sets out specific licence conditions (including welfare provisions) applicable to all dogs kept and used for breeding, as well as a number of conditions specific to breeding bitches and their pups in recognition of the additional risks and needs associated with birthing and puppy care.

The Community Asset Register (CAR) is a Scotland wide database of volunteers willing to help during an emergency. The database plots assets on a map so if an emergency incident occurs, SFRS can identify those who could help. Assets can be people with either skills or equipment. It is currently managed and hosted by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), but other organisations such as Police Scotland and local authorities can access it. The register was launched in 2017, and is built on existing local databases.

Under action 3 within our Strategic Wildfire Action Plan, which was published in March 2026, we committed to review assets registered on the CAR. The Review set out that:

This should include in relation to wildfires but also include a wider review to consider the need for appropriate insurance to be in place so resources are able to respond to incidents, as well as competency to operate/accreditation. This review should include what mechanisms need to be in place to include civilian resource into an emergency response achieving Command, Control and Coordination to reduce the risk of near misses and ensure a safe response for all. Where near misses occur, a process should be in place to properly record and learn from these.

Work on this action continues, however, SFRS has reviewed and consolidated membership of the Community Asset Register across Scotland in order to ensure all registered assets are fully compliant and to improve the process to induct new assets. As part of our review of the Action Plan we will consider what further action may be required.

More information on the CAR can be found here, on the SFRS website: Community Asset Register | Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.