Chamber and committees

The average length of time between the date of alleged commission of a criminal offence and the date of a final court verdict increased considerably as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions brought in to try to limit the spread of coronavirus.

This affected the prosecution of all types of offences, including speeding offences. Scottish Government investment has helped aid the recovery of the summary courts from the effects of the pandemic.

It is not possible to separately identify which convictions for assault were specifically for assaults on nurses

The Food Standards Scotland (FSS) website provides a range of curriculum for excellence linked resources to support educators develop lesson plans and deliver food safety and healthy eating messages.

Food safety & healthy eating education | Food Standards Scotland | Food Standards Scotland

In addition, FSS provide a free, online healthy eating tutorial which aims to provide an introduction to nutrition for people who may be required to provide healthy eating messages to others as part of their job. This could include those working in health and social care, education, community groups, local authorities, retail, catering and/or food manufacturing. This tutorial may also be of interest to consumers who want to learn more about healthy eating.

Healthy Eating Tutorial | Food Standards Scotland

Scottish Ministers are concerned about the use of novel nicotine products such as nicotine pouches and, in particular, their appeal to children and young people.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will introduce a range of restrictions – for example around age of sale and advertising- applicable to these products, taking on board concerns raised by members previously about novel products becoming more prevalent on the market and their appeal to children and young people.

The purchase of vaping products is already age restricted and it is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18. Trading Officers are using every tool at their disposal - including fixed penalty notices - to ensure retailers are not selling vaping products to under 18s. Border Force and HMRC also have an important role to control the illicit vape trade and we continue to work with them on this.

We are currently the only nation in the UK with a functioning Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Register. The Tobacco and Vaping Framework set out our intention to consider how the register could be improved. A refreshed digital product went live in January 2025. This will ensure that the register is a more effective and efficient tool for enforcement as well as for engagement with retailers on compliance with current and future legislation.

The purchase of vaping and tobacco products is age restricted. It is illegal to sell to, or buy them for, anyone under the age of 18.

Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework, launched in 2023, is our roadmap to 2034 and a tobacco free Scotland.

Our Framework is underpinned by a wide range of legislation including legislation to support the Register of Tobacco and Nicotine Vapour Product Retailers. We recently launched a new digital Register platform which will help to ensure accurate data and help Trading Standards with enforcement of current and future regulations.

A key strand of the first implementation plan of the Framework is the work that has taken place across the four nations on creating a smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping, which has led to the introduction of the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

Measures within the Bill include the introduction of a wide definition of a nicotine product, which is designed to cover products currently on the market such as nicotine pouches, as well as any future nicotine products. If passed with the consent of the Scottish Parliament the Bill will make it an offence to sell all nicotine products to under 18’s, stopping the next generation from becoming addicted.

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will also expand both the register and enforcement powers to cover herbal smoking products and nicotine products.

In addition to the training provided, FSS attends and provides the Secretariat function to the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Group. The details of this Committee can be found here: Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee (SFELC) | Food Standards Scotland. FSS attends the Local Authority Food Liaison Groups meetings and establishes working groups to discuss in greater depth areas of food law that require focus and direction. FSS supports and works in partnership with the Professional bodies representing Environmental Health and Food Safety Officers.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-34080 on 13 February 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

“Preparing Scotland” is a set of national guidance documents, currently under review, to assist stakeholders, including local authorities, in planning for, responding to and recovering from emergencies. It consists of a “Hub” which sets out the philosophy, principles and good practice for emergency response in Scotland, and “Spokes” that provide detailed guidance on specific matters. The spoke on “Responding to Emergencies” describes how resilience partnerships and SGORR activate, and how they meet, report and share information. In an emergency, and where the structures have been activated, local authorities engage with SGORR as part of a resilience partnership.