Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised by some stakeholders regarding unintended consequences of the proposed price cap on essential food items.

That is why we are engaging constructively with all relevant stakeholders to support considered and informed discussion on this. We are consulting on draft proposals before any decisions are taken. The consultation seeks views and evidence from consumers, retailers, producers and other stakeholders on the potential benefits, risks and issues of any food price cap scheme.

I am pleased to report that as of September 2026, Public Service Delivery Scotland and Local Government Digital Office have accepted a formal commissioned to develop a programme around the Digital Health and Care Record. £3.6m will be invested this year to begin the necessary initial technology testing and business case work needed to set out the path to delivery and estimated delivery cost.

The Scottish Government recognises and greatly values the commitment of on-call firefighters and the flexibility of their primary employers in allowing them time off to provide the essential fire and rescue cover across Scotland.

On-call firefighters have contracts of employment with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and receive an annual retainer fee together with additional payments for incident attendance, training and other approved activities. These payments are made directly to the firefighter rather than to their primary employer.

The Scottish Government is providing Highland Council with £3m to provide support to business affected by the fire and this funding will support their immediate recovery while also contributing to the longer-term economic recovery and resilience of the area.

Where proposed development, whether pumped storage hydro or otherwise, is likely to affect a protected area, NatureScot will be a statutory consultee within the approvals process. When considering its response to such consultations, NatureScot will consider both direct and indirect impacts on the protected area of the development in itself and any potential cumulative effects. Amongst a range of considerations, NatureScot will evaluate the extent to which the proposed development could negatively affect the effective management for biodiversity on the site and therefore the ability of the protected area to contribute to achieving the 30 by 30 commitment.

The resilience of the Polaris All-Terrain Vehicles as well as the resilience of all vehicles within its fleet is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service(SFRS).

The establishment of Integrated Navigation Centres and Co-ordination Hubs forms part of our wider programme of reform, as set out in our Health and Care Improving Flow Plan 2026-2031, to improve patient flow and access to care across the health and social care system.

Detailed planning is underway with system partners. Decisions on the number of centres and hubs, workforce requirements and associated costs will be considered within that planning. As this work progresses, we will continue to assess local and national needs to ensure these arrangements deliver the greatest benefit for patients and services.

The training of firefighters, including controlled burn training, is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

The SFRS has informed Scottish Government that ten fire stations are currently participating in tactical backburn training and these are listed by local authority area as follows:

• Ballater (Aberdeenshire)
• Dumbarton (West Dunbartonshire)
• Dunblane (Stirling)
• Elgin (Moray)
• Invergordon (Highland)
• Kilwinning (North Ayrshire)
• Musselburgh (East Lothian)
• Pitlochry (Perth and Kinross)
• Stornoway (Western Isles)Ullapool (Highland)

Tactical backburn training is an essential part of the SFRS wildfire training programme and this supports closer collaboration with land managers and partner agencies, helping to strengthen a coordinated response to wildfires across Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the risks associated with litter picking on high-speed roads and the need for robust safety measures. Responsibility for litter collection on Scotland’s trunk roads is shared between Transport Scotland and local authorities. Transport Scotland’s Operating Companies manage litter picking on motorways and special roads, while councils are responsible for other trunk roads, including the A9. Both must carry out risk assessments and implement safe working practices, including traffic management where required. To further reduce risks, Operating Companies coordinate maintenance activities with local authorities, enabling litter-picking to be undertaken when traffic management is already in place.

The Scottish Government remains committed to establishing a National Oversight Mechanism (NOM) for deaths in custody. Officials are working with HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS) to establish an initial prison-focused model, following the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice’s commissioning of HMIPS earlier this year. Work is progressing on a phased test-of-change basis, with governance and staffing arrangements currently being finalised.

The NOM will draw on findings from Fatal Accident Inquiries, internal reviews and wider scrutiny activity to identify systemic issues, promote learning and improve accountability. By tracking recommendations, monitoring progress against agreed actions and reporting on recurring themes and areas of concern, the NOM will help ensure that lessons identified through FAIs are considered, implemented and embedded across the system.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has invested £1.6 million in its wildfire strategy over the course of its three year roll-out, which will be complete by the end of this year.

This has been used to obtain specialist equipment and support firefighter training and SFRS intend to continue to develop its Wildfire capability with enhanced equipment, vehicles and specialist Personal Protective Equipment that will continue to strengthen Scotland’s preparedness for wildfire incidents.

The SFRS budget for 2026-27 provides an additional £23.8m, noting the total SFRS budget for this financial year is £435.96 million. This clearly demonstrates the continued commitment to support the SFRS to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe. The Scottish Government will continue to discuss future budget requirements with SFRS.