Chamber and committees

Statistics on the Forestry Grant Scheme are published monthly on the Scottish Forestry website, the January 2026 statistics are the latest available.

A breakdown of how many woodland creation schemes of (a) up to two, (b) two to five, (c) six to 10, (d) 11 to 20, (e) 21 to 50, (f) 51 to 100, (g) 101 to 200 and (h) over 200 hectares have been approved in each complete financial year from 2017 to 2025 is shown in Table 1.

We put child poverty at the heart of the 2026-27 Scottish Budget and of the Scottish Spending Review, which outline how we will tackle the cost of living and drive continued progress to break the cycle of poverty. This includes a package of measures to reduce child poverty and target support to those who need it most.

Recognising that families with a baby are more likely to live in poverty, we have announced our intention to introduce a Scottish Child Payment premium bringing the total Payment to £40 per week for all eligible children under the age of one, commencing during 2027-28.

Further measures to reduce child poverty will be set out in the forthcoming Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan by the end of March 2026. This will set out the actions to be taken between 2026-2031 to drive continued progress toward the 2030 targets set in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that solar energy plays in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy system and supporting a just transition to net zero. Solar generation, alongside other forms of renewable energy, will continue to contribute meaningfully to Scotland’s future energy mix.

Since the publication of our draft solar vision there have been several policy developments at a UK level that require careful consideration. These include the UK Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and Warm Homes Plan, as well as the creation of the National Energy System Operator and associated reforms to grid connections.

In addition, the Scottish Government has co-commissioned the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, which will provide an updated assessment of Scotland’s future energy system needs including for solar. This is due for publication in 2027.

The Forestry Grant Scheme has funded 13 woodland creation projects over 500 hectares since 2015, the year the grant scheme opened.

The Scottish Government has met the stated commitment confirming all territorial NHS boards and the National Hospital Golden Jubilee were scheduled into the national theatre scheduling tool rollout plan by the end of June 2025, in line with the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan (https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-operational-improvement-plan/pages/1/).

The tool is now live in seven territorial boards – NHS Lothian, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Borders, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, and NHS Tayside – and implementation continues across the remaining Health Boards.

The remaining Health Boards are on track to go live by the end of March 2026.

The Scottish Government continues to support solar deployment through our Heat in Buildings Programme, with targeted solar PV assistance for households in or at risk of fuel poverty delivered via Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes.

Households can also access loan funding of up to £5,000 for solar thermal technology.

We will consider all relevant evidence when making decisions about how best to support solar deployment in Scotland, and we keep emerging research and analysis under review. We currently have no plans to publish additional analysis at this time, but our policy development will continue to be informed by up-to-date, robust, and proportionate evidence.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-05505 on 12 February 2026. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 12/02/2026 | Scottish Parliament Website

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-05505 on 12 February 2026. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 12/02/2026 | Scottish Parliament Website

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43703 on 20 February 2026. 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

Spending data on Additional Support for Learning (ASL) is collected from local authorities via the 2024-25 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that almost £1.1bn was spent on ASL by local authorities in 2024-25.

Local authorities are asked to record all centrally funded ASL expenditure under Special Education, irrespective of where it is delivered. Decisions about prioritisation and budgets, including those for the provision of services for pupils with additional support needs, are a matter for individual councils. It is important to note when making comparisons between local authorities and years that there may be variations in local accounting practices.

Table 1 shows gross revenue expenditure on (ASL) education for 2024-25, split by Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary and Special Education.

Table 1 – 2024-25 ASL expenditure by Local Authority (£000)