Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to a public health, evidence-based approach to drug harms as outlined in our Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan published on 10 March. We recognise substance use as a complex health and social issue often driven by trauma, poverty, inequality and marginalisation. The Strategic Plan sets out how we will strengthen prevention, harm reduction, and treatment and care measures to promote wellbeing and support recovery.

However, many internationally recognised, evidence-based harm reduction interventions for drugs remain prohibited under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. We will continue to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to pursue further harm reduction measures to support a public health approach.

The Strategic Plan is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/preventing-harm-promoting-recovery-scotlands-alcohol-drugs-strategic-plan-2026-2035/.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to reducing drug-related harms. On 10 March 2026, the Scottish Government and COSLA published ‘Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland’s Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035’. This long-term plan builds on the achievements of the National Mission and provides a clear framework for sustaining action to reduce both drug- and alcohol-related harms.

To deliver on our ambitions, we are sustaining the significant increase in investment made over the course of the National Mission. We are maintaining record levels of funding of more than £160 million in total. This includes £115 million for Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships across Scotland and continued investment in the third sector.

The Strategic Plan is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/preventing-harm-promoting-recovery-scotlands-alcohol-drugs-strategic-plan-2026-2035/.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting digital learning within schools and recognises the importance of harnessing technology in ways that enhance learning and teaching, ensuring alignment with the wider ambitions of Scottish education.

Denmark has announced that it will ban mobile phones and other personal internet enabled devices at school, during both lesson and break times. It is important to distinguish between school-managed learning devices and personal devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

Personal devices and school-issued devices serve fundamentally different roles in educational settings. Mobile phones and other personal devices which are not managed by local authorities, may have unrestricted access to the internet and apps that are not chosen for educational value. Digital technology, in the form of school managed devices and carefully curated tools and services, is a key part of modern education and we are working to ensure it is used purposefully to enhance learning experiences. Teachers are using their professional judgement to determine when digital tools add value and when traditional methods are more appropriate.

As part of our work to develop a new digital strategy for education, we are engaging with partners to explore and define the essential components that enable digital technology to be used in ways that genuinely add value to learning, while protecting children’s wellbeing and safety. These include clarity of educational purpose, age-appropriate approaches, strong safeguarding measures, professional learning for staff, and meaningful engagement with parents and carers.

Learning how to use technology responsibly, within clear boundaries and with appropriate support, is also an important part of helping children and young people develop the skills they need to navigate the wider digital world.

Decisions of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (the Tribunal) are published on their website, and these are intimated to Scottish Government officials. In addition, the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011 requires the Tribunal to notify Scottish Ministers when a property factor has failed to comply with a Property Factor Enforcement Order (PFEO).

On receipt of a Notice, the Scottish Ministers initial aim is to encourage compliance and ensure all issues are addressed. When assessing whether a factor remains fit and proper, Ministers will consider all relevant information, and this will include the extent to which a factor has demonstrated compliance with the property factor code of conduct and any PFEO made by the Tribunal.

Where appropriate compliance cannot be achieved, Scottish Ministers can remove the property factor from the Register, which would prevent the individual or organisation from operating legally as a property factor in Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports households of all ages who are in, or at risk of, fuel poverty to makes their homes warmer and cheaper to heat, through our Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes. This can include solar panels where appropriate. These schemes have supported around 75,000 households in the last 5 years alone, including over 2000 solar PV installations.

There are no age restrictions on these or any other Scottish Government energy efficiency schemes that would prevent people over 75 from benefitting, although, our Home Energy Scotland scheme no longer supports the installation of solar panels.

The Home Energy Scotland advice service, which is funded by the Scottish Government, already offers free, bespoke, impartial advice to all Scottish householders, on how to make their homes greener and easier to heat. This service offers the gateway to accessing all our energy efficiency funding schemes. Households who want advice about Scottish Government funding schemes, or improving the energy efficiency of their homes in general, can call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.

The average lifespan of a passenger ferry is 25-30 years, a number of CalMac Ferries are operating beyond their original planned service.

The Island Connectivity Plan (ICP) includes the Vessels and Ports Plan (VPP) and the VPP provides detail of vessels operating the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) and Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS), information is available on the following link: Islands Connectivity Plan – Vessels and Ports Plan 2025-2045

The Scottish Government relies on the independent analysis provided by the Scottish Fiscal Commission, including its forecasts of the number of taxpayers in each band in future years. These are published as part of its regular economic and fiscal forecasts.

These forecasts, which include the effects of the latest policy decisions, are set out here: Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts – January 2026, and form an important part of our understanding of how the tax system may evolve.

We have invested over £6m to support implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework since its implementation in May 2023. Total recorded crime is down 38% since 2006-07 and half the level of 1991; homicide is at its lowest level since comparable records began in 1976; and the number of emergency hospital admissions due to a sharp object fell by 72% between 2006-07 and 2024-25.

However, any increase in reported crimes is of concern – particularly those relating to sexual offences and domestic abuse. We recognise that some of this may be due to actions to increase confidence in the justice system so more victims come forward to report sexual crimes. It is abhorrent that such crimes, which are mainly against women, take place.

In response we remain steadfast in our commitment to preventing and eradicating all violence against women and girls and addressing the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it. That’s why we are increasing the Delivering Equally Safe Fund by 5%, bringing total investment to almost £46 million over 2026–2028, to ensure organisations continue their vital work to prevent violence and support survivors.

It is also vital that women and children have access to frontline services dealing with violence and domestic abuse - that is why, through the Victim Centred Approach Fund, we are also investing £12 million between 2025-27 for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.

We have also made changes to the justice system to make it easier to report incidents and legislated to give police, prosecutors, and the courts greater powers to tackle domestic abuse crimes. We are also commencing provisions with the Victims Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, a landmark piece of legislation, that aims to transform the Justice system in Scotland through significant reforms to ensure that victims and witnesses are treated with compassion and supported throughout the legal process.

The Scottish Government expects that all train operators providing rail services in Scotland, including publicly owned ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper, as well as cross-border operators, schedule the necessary maintenance work to ensure the rolling stock they operate is travel worthy. These are operational matters for these operators.

I refer the Member to the answer to the question: S6W-43106 on 26 January 2026. All parliamentary questions are published on the Scottish Parliament’s website: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.