Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government accepts the recent Supreme Court judgment on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 and expects all public bodies, including Police Scotland, to comply fully with their legal duties. The Scottish Government is aware of Police Scotland’s interim guidance, which broadly follows the interim guidance issued by the National Police Chief’s Council. While operational decisions rest with the Chief Constable, all search practices must be lawful, respectful, and uphold the dignity of individuals.

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC) has indicated that communication ACCC/C/2025/216, which alleges a failure on the part of the Scottish Civil Justice Council to publicly consult on amendments to the rules governing Protective Expenses Orders contained in the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Protective Expenses Orders) 2024, has been found to be admissible on a preliminary basis. Further procedure is to be followed before a decision is taken on admissibility by the ACCC and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

The Scottish Civil Justice Council was established under the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance Act 2013. It is an independent statutory body with responsibility for preparing draft rules of procedure for the civil courts, and advises the Lord President on the development of the civil justice system in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has every confidence in the work of the Scottish Civil Justice Council.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Government’s Victim Notification Scheme (VNS) in Scotland is an opt-in scheme, which affords victims the right to decide whether they choose to receive information, including but not limited to, the offender’s release date.

The SPS’ VNS Team hold the contact details for registered victims who have joined the VNS. Registered victims, where the offender was released early as part of Early Release, were notified by SPS’ VNS Team of the change to the offender’s release date, ahead of release.

In addition, temporary expediated processes were also introduced to enable victims who had not registered on the VNS but confirmed eligible to join, to find out themselves or through a named VSO, the release date of an offender.

The Scottish Government is committed to consulting on whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 from 16. We will also consult on whether to legislate to extend the existing forced marriage or forced civil partnership offence so that any conduct with the intention of causing a person under 18 to marry or enter a civil partnership would be a criminal offence, including where there is no evidence of coercion.

The consultation will also seek views on other aspects of family and succession law, as set out in the answer to question S6W-23651 on 7 December 2023.

We anticipate the consultation will be published later this year.

The consultation will be accompanied by a range of relevant draft impact assessments, including draft Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments and draft Equality Impact Assessments.

As part of our considerations on the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership, we have engaged with a wide range of organisations and interested individuals in order to gather views and evidence. I refer the member to the answers to S6W-16048 on 5 April 2023 and S6W-19070 on 29 June 2023 for further information on who we have met with.

We will consider the consultation responses as we reach decisions on our next steps on the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership.

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.

The Scottish Government published the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan: Progress Update and Next Steps on 11 June 2025. This update outlines progress made since publication of the Delivery Plan and includes information on the implementation of Psychological Therapies and Interventions Core Standards. A further high-level progress report is due to be presented to the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leadership Board on 21 August 2025.

The update does not include a specific analysis of the mental health impact of non-communicable diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring people living with long-term conditions, including CKD, have access to safe, effective and person-centred care, including appropriate psychosocial support. NHS Boards are expected to follow current best practice in delivering this care.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is currently consulting on a Long Term Conditions Framework, which will help inform future approaches to prevention, diagnosis and care, including support for mental health and wellbeing. We are also considering the findings of Kidney Care UK’s June 2025 report Left to get on with it and will reflect these in future planning where appropriate.

The Scottish Government will introduce a revised Heat in Buildings Bill that will set a new target for decarbonising heating systems by 2045, alongside continuing work to reduce fuel poverty. This includes introducing a minimum energy efficiency standard in the private rented sector, where fuel poverty rates are at 44%. The worst levels of fuel poverty are associated with the lowest energy performance certificate bandings.

The revised Heat in Buildings Bill will take a technology-neutral approach to decarbonising Scotland’s buildings, recognising that different properties and people will require different heating solutions. It is important that a whole-house approach is taken to ensure that whichever heating solution is chosen for the property can run effectively, and this might involve installing energy efficiency measures as well as a heating system.

While not appropriate for most homes, which will be suitable for heat pumps or heat networks, bioenergy – as a low carbon, renewable energy source – may be the best solution for decarbonising homes in some remote and rural communities. We intend to ensure sustainable bioenergy and biofuels remain an option for these communities. Support for households in, or at risk of, fuel poverty is available through our Warmer Homes Scotland scheme, including those in rural and remote areas.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of timely access to psychological therapies and continues to work with NHS Boards to reduce waiting times. We are taking forward targeted actions to expand the mental health workforce by making better use of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists who are currently not in practice. In collaboration with key partners, we are developing practical measures to support these professionals to return to the workforce. This includes exploring flexible employment opportunities, providing access to professional supervision, and ensuring alignment with the needs of mental health services. These efforts are part of our wider investment in workforce development and contribute directly to the implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan. Workforce planning and service delivery are led locally, aligned with national frameworks and informed by local need.

The Scottish Government has provided substantial investment since the pandemic to help clear backlogs and to implement the Specification, leading to a 31.7% growth in the psychological therapies' workforce since March 2021.

While not appropriate for most homes, bioenergy, including renewable liquid biofuels, is a low carbon, renewable energy source which can prove the best solution to decarbonising heating in some remote and rural communities. We intend to ensure that sustainable bioenergy and biofuels remain an option for these communities, and the provisions of our proposed Heat in Buildings Bill will take a technology-neutral approach so that building owners are able to choose the technology which is right for them.

We are currently consulting on proposals for a Heat and Energy Efficiency Technical Suitability Assessment (HEETSA). The consultation will remain open until 29 August 2025. The HEETSA will include a technical suitability assessment methodology that allows for the comparative assessment of different clean heat options in a property and provide information on when the installation of a system would not be suitable.

The Public Service Reform Strategy sets out a clear direction for modernising how we work, with workforce transformation at its core. It supports a shift in operating models, with a focus on efficiency, collaboration, and protecting frontline delivery, and will significantly increase our focus on delivering the most efficient and effective public services system, this includes the Scottish Government. We will be reviewing the service delivery landscape to make sure it is the right composition to deliver the services the people of Scotland need, this will include both public bodies and Scottish Government directorates. There are also plans in place to drive workforce reductions to meet the £1 billion target. Updates on the progress of this work will be provided to Parliament as part of regular updates on the wider PSR Strategy.