Chamber and committees

Ministers have confirmed that the Air Discount Scheme will continue to operate beyond 31 March 2026 and are also considering how the Scheme could be reviewed.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution the Men’s Shed movement makes to men’s health and wellbeing, particularly in reducing social isolation and loneliness and supporting positive mental health. Once seen as projects supporting older men, many Sheds are multi-generational which not only tackles isolation and loneliness across age groups but also breaks down stigma related to age and ageing, tackling unhelpful stereotypes.

The Scottish Government engages with the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) at a cross-portfolio level and ensures the organisation’s activity is connected with relevant policy areas including suicide prevention, alcohol and drugs policy, social isolation and loneliness and population mental health.

Since 2016-17, the Scottish Government has invested over £1 million in the SMSA to support the growth and sustainability of Men’s Sheds across Scotland. Individual Sheds are responsible for securing their own funding, and, collectively, they have received £452,819 through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.

Further information on the Scottish Government’s position on a dedicated men’s health strategy is set out in the response to Parliamentary Question S6W-42517 on 29 December 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.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving life expectancy and tackling health inequalities across the whole population.

During the development of Scotland’s Population Health Framework in 2024, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care met with Movember, a charity that raises awareness of men’s health issues, who expressed their support for the development of a men’s health plan for Scotland. Other organisations have also publicly called for the development of a men’s health strategy, following the UK Government’s publication of a Men’s health strategy for England.

While noting the views expressed by stakeholders, the Scottish Government is embedding action to improve men’s health across key areas, rather than developing a separate, standalone strategy. In doing so, it is focussed on delivering concrete actions to improve men’s health, by considering the impact on men’s health throughout policy development and service delivery across a range of key areas.

On 17 June 2025, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework, which sets out a whole-system, cross-government and cross-sector approach to improving population health and reducing inequalities over the next decade. By focusing on prevention, early intervention, and the wider determinants of health and wellbeing, the Framework aims to reduce the persistent health inequalities experienced across all of society, recognising that social and economic disadvantage, place and other structural factors impact on long-term outcomes. The Framework includes 30 initial actions, including in areas that disproportionately affect men, such as a commitment to develop a Healthcare Inequalities Action Plan to improve access to, and equity within, healthcare services and the development of an Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan - building on the progress of the National Mission - which will be published this year. In addition, a new Suicide Prevention Action Plan, for 2026 – 2029, will be published shortly.

Moreover, in response to insights showing that men were less likely than women to contact their GP, the Scottish Government’s Be the Early Bird campaign, for detecting cancer earlier, has used specific strategies to reach men, reaching over two million men so far.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving life expectancy and tackling health inequalities across the whole population, and delivering concrete actions to improve men’s health across key areas rather than developing a separate standalone strategy.

On 17 June 2025, the Scottish Government and COSLA published the Population Health Framework, which sets out a whole-system, cross-government and cross-sector approach to improving population health and reducing inequalities over the next decade. By focusing on prevention, early intervention, and the wider determinants of health and wellbeing, the Framework aims to reduce the persistent health inequalities experienced across all of society, recognising that social and economic disadvantage, place and other structural factors impact on long-term outcomes. The Framework includes 30 initial actions, including in areas that disproportionately affect men, such as a commitment to develop a Healthcare Inequalities Action Plan to improve access to, and equity within, healthcare services and the development of an Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan - building on the progress of the National Mission - which will be published this year. In addition, a new Suicide Prevention Action Plan, for 2026 – 2029, will be published shortly.

Moreover, in response to insights showing that men were less likely than women to contact their GP, the Scottish Government’s Be the Early Bird campaign, for detecting cancer earlier, has used specific strategies to reach men, reaching over two million men so far.

Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November 2025 but may be subject to change. The final valuation roll will come into effect on 1 April 2026 and the Scottish Government will publish its report on changes in rateable values once final valuations are available.

The Scottish Budget 2025-26 supported local government with £14.4 billion in revenue funding and the 2026-27 local government finance settlement will be set out in the Scottish Budget on 13 January.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42507 on 22 December 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.

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

A range of checks are carried out before the release of a prisoner is authorised including but not limited to, an identity check of the person, confirmation of liberation date and a check for any known outstanding warrants.

A liberation in error occurs when an individual is released from a Scottish Prison Service establishment without lawful authority.  This situation typically arises due to an administrative or procedural mistake, such as incorrect interpretation of documentation, miscalculation of sentence dates or incorrect data sharing from other partners.

When such an error is identified, the Scottish Prison Service works in partnership with Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure the individual is returned to custody as soon as possible.  Once notified, it is the responsibility of Police Scotland to execute any live warrants.

The following table provides the numbers of total liberations, liberations in error and those still not returned to custody since 2021-2022, up to and including 5 December 2025. 

As you can see from the above table, over the period 2021 to 5 December 2025 there are a total of five individuals who have been liberated in error from prisons who have not returned to prison custody. The reasons for these non-returns are outlined below:

*All liberations in error are subject to review by the Warrants Administration Group (WAG), at which point the data may change depending on the outcome of the review. 

We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Information and guidance on IBD including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis is already widely available to the public via the NHS Inform website: Scottish health information you can trust | NHS inform

The Scottish Government welcomed the recent Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, “How it feels,” and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK helping raising awareness of the condition.