Chamber and committees

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice met with the Minister for Border Security and Asylum on 15 December where she raised the pressure that was being placed on certain local authorities in Scotland, especially Glasgow City Council, as a result of increased asylum decision making.

Everyone in Scotland has a right to support when they are experiencing homelessness and temporary accommodation if they need it in the short-term. Those assessed as unintentionally homeless should be offered a permanent home. We welcome efforts by the UK Government to clear the significant asylum backlog, but this must be properly planned and coordinated with adequate support and funding provided to support newly recognised refugees.

Migration is vital for supporting sustainable communities, economies and public services in Scotland. Refugees are free to move within the UK and may do so for a variety of reasons including for work, study, family or community connections. Scotland is a diverse, multi-cultural society and it is important that all Scotland’s people are able to access the public services they need. Asylum and immigration are reserved to the UK Government, and we will continue to call for adequate resources to be provided to local authorities, particularly where increased asylum decision making places an additional burden on local services.

At RAI Committee, on 17 December, I answered directly that the Rural Support Plan would not be laid in Parliament or published in December 2025.

The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 requires Scottish Ministers to prepare, lay and publish a Rural Support Plan and sets out requirements on the role, content, scrutiny, reporting and monitoring and evaluation of plans. Scottish Ministers are clear that we have a duty to lay a Rural Support Plan in Parliament as soon as practicable.

On 9 September, in answering S6W-39888, I set-out that it was our intent to lay and publish the Rural Support Plan in December 2025. That answer was provided in good-faith. Unfortunately the uncertainty caused by the much-delayed UK Government budget has impacted this process.

As a result of the choices made and the delays caused by the UK Government, the 2026-27 Scottish Budget process has rightly been moved into 2026. This budget process will inform the shape of the Plan and must be completed first.

Laying the first Rural Support Plan after the Scottish Budget is the right course.

The Scottish Government fully supports driver education as an alternative to prosecution where appropriate, understanding how these courses can positively influence behaviour and align with our long-term goal of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads. It’s important to note that we are not only looking to bring in speed awareness courses but a full suite of courses aimed at lower-level offences where the aim is behaviour change rather than punishment.

We have undertaken an in-depth review of all of the leading studies in this area. For example a three year evaluation, previously published by DfT, found that course participation reduced the likelihood of reoffending within six months by up to 23%. It further highlighted that the course was more effective in reducing speed reoffending than the penalty points and fines typically associated with fixed penalty notices for eligible drivers. This positive impact appeared to persist for up to three years following participation. Although a direct link to a reduction in road traffic collisions was not established, it was determined that the speed awareness courses contributed to reduced reoffending rates, and it is reasonable to anticipate that course participation encourages safer driving behaviours, indirectly lowering future collision risks.

Additionally, in 2023, the Transport Research Laboratory conducted an evaluation of the majority of National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme (NDORS) courses, which found that overall the courses are having a positive impact on the various behaviours they target.

The total funding support, through NatureScot Management Agreements, awarded to participating holdings in the Sea Eagle Management Scheme in each year since 2021 are as follows:

Due to the complexity of this issue, NatureScot does not hold annual data on the instances of predation of livestock by white-tailed eagles. Confirming the number of white-tailed eagle predation instances on individual holdings is challenging, especially in extensive sheep systems, where often lambs go missing without trace or there is very little carcass material left for analysis.

NatureScot work closely with farmers and crofters to better understand white-tailed eagle interactions with livestock on individual holdings.

This work includes analysis of flock performance data, white-tailed eagle prey remains analysis, installation of cameras on white-tailed eagle nests and funding for measures such as enhanced shepherding, which supports additional shepherds on extensive areas to collect data on a range of variables. In 2025, the Sea Eagle Management Scheme supported 36 shepherds across 19 holdings in this work. A report of this collaborative work will be available in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42494 on 5 January 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.

As part of the reporting requirements of the Sea Eagle Management Scheme, participating holdings are required to submit annual Flock Management Log returns which collect data on flock performance in individual years and provide an opportunity for farmers and crofters to provide feedback on the efficacy of the support they have received and detail any ongoing challenges with predation.

Following the launch of Enhanced Measures support in 2020, NatureScot expanded this exercise and sought additional feedback from those in receipt of this support level, to inform stakeholder discussions and measure efficacy.

NatureScot staff are also in regular contact with participating holdings in the Scheme on the efficacy of support in mitigating any ongoing predation challenges.

Further information can be found at the following links: https://www.nature.scot/doc/sea-eagle-management-scheme-sems-review-scheme-delivery-2020-2023

https://www.nature.scot/doc/sea-eagle-management-scheme-2024-report-stakeholders.

Protecting children from harm is a key priority for the Scottish Government.

There are already relevant systems in place in Scotland to deal with complaints and whistleblowing. We have a framework in place which includes regulatory bodies which provide ongoing inspection, as well as complaint routes to look into specific cases. Adding another body or process into a system with a range of existing processes and functions risks increasing complexity and undermining understanding and clarity of roles.

We acknowledge however that concerns that have been raised in relation to complaints and whistleblowing processes and we are actively considering this issue. The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills raised the concerns at the Education and Childcare Assurance Board in September 2025 and underlined the assurances she required about the robustness of these important processes. This issue has also been discussed by the National Public Protection Leadership Group who acknowledged the challenges with current whistleblowing procedures, especially in terms of clarity and confidence among staff to raise concerns and agreed to support further discovery work on this issue. The National Public Protection Leadership Group will be having a further detailed discussion on the issue at their next meeting on 27 January.

Following the Stakeholder review of the Sea Eagle Management Scheme in 2024, the Scheme was revised for 2025 with an uplift of £300 for all holdings in receipt of Standard Measures support, meaning a new minimum payment in this support tier of £800 per annum and maximum payment of £1800, with a sliding scale based on holding size.

The previous Enhanced Measures annual support cap of £5,000 was doubled to £10,000 per annum. The rates used to inform Enhanced Measures support calculations were also updated with Farm Management Handbook 2024-2025 costings used for 2025 Enhanced Measures Management Agreements.

The Sea Eagle Management Scheme was the focus of review work in 2024-2025. In 2026 the White-Tailed Eagle Action Plan review will be one of the priority areas of work for the National Sea Eagle Stakeholder Panel, which is chaired by NatureScot.