Chamber and committees

Local authorities hold statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining their school estate, and we expect them to provide safe environments for all school users.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressures that many school staff are currently facing in relation to behaviour. Whilst the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2023 reported behaviour is generally good overall, it also reported increases in a range of disruptive and other negative behaviours in school.

In response, the Scottish Government and COSLA published a joint action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools in August 2024, setting out actions to support positive behaviour and reduce violence in schools. We have made significant progress on the delivery of these commitments and continue to do so. We are also committed to go further, and have committed to legislating to ban mobile phones in classrooms, as part of a wider and holistic approach to improving behaviour, reducing disruption and supporting positive learning environments for both pupils and staff.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges faced for patients accessing NHS dentistry in rural and island areas, which is why we have provided an additional £437k of recurring funding from 2025-26 to support access to dental services in NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

Responsibility for decisions about the delivery of education, including the use of digital approaches in classrooms and early years settings, rests with local authorities, who are best placed to assess the impact of local practice in light of the needs of their learners and communities. The Scottish Government recognises that the educational impact of digital device use cannot be judged on a simple assumption that more or less device use will in itself lead to better or worse outcomes. Evidence from international bodies, including the OECD and UNESCO, indicates that any benefit depends on a range of factors, including the quality of teaching, the nature of the learning activity, and how well digital tools are used to support pedagogy. Digital technology is therefore best understood as something that can enhance effective teaching practice where it is used purposefully and appropriately, rather than as a determinant of educational impact in its own right.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group, advises all four UK nations on population health screening programmes. Officials from the governments of all four nations, including the Scottish Government, attend all meetings of the UK NSC as observers, and regular meetings are held between the four UK nations to discuss the work of the Committee.

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland has been sighted on the evidence which has formed the basis of the recent UK NSC recommendation on prostate cancer screening. Additionally, Scotland is represented on the UK NSC by the Scottish Director of Screening, who liaises regularly with Scottish Government officials.

As part of a wider review of Scotland's home education arrangements that was committed to in June 2025, Scottish Government officials are working with local government to assess the information that is held by local authorities in relation to home educating children and young people. This has included official level contact and scoping meetings with COSLA, ADES and Local Authority Home Education Leads, and most recently an information request sent last month to clarify the latest information that is held by local authorities. Officials will continue to work with local government and data analysts to review that information, identify potential data gaps and work towards establishing a baseline on the number of children and young people who are home educating in Scotland.

A key strand of the 2025 Public Service Reform Strategy is to ensure that the service delivery landscape is proportionate, streamlined and designed to meet Scotland’s needs in the most efficient way by eliminating duplication. As part of this, we continue to engage and work in partnership with public bodies to bring forward specific proposals to streamline the landscape to deliver long term fiscal sustainability. A Public Service Renewal Bill will be necessary as part of this process to make any legislative changes required.

Undertaking river restoration and flood protection activities may require authorisation from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (EASR). From November 2025, these regulations created a more streamlined and integrated system for environmental authorisations in Scotland.

There are four types of authorisation and which one is required depends on several factors, including the risk to the environment from the proposed activity. For example, some low-risk activities may be carried out without the need to apply to SEPA, provided the associated rules (General Binding Rules) are followed.

SEPA provides guidance on the types of EASR authorisation and for certain activities, like dredging. Early engagement with SEPA is advised to prevent any unnecessary delays to any activities being considered that may impact the water environment.

In addition, the Scottish Government supports Farming and Water Scotland, which provides a range of advice and guidance to helps farmers and land managers understand and comply with relevant regulations.

The Road Safety Framework to 2030 sets out Scotland’s ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% and to have the best road safety performance in the world by 2030.

To support this ambition, the Scottish Government is investing £41 million in road safety in 2026-27. This includes £750,000 to our established Road Safety Framework Fund in 2026-27. This fund enables local authorities and partners to develop and deliver targeted road safety initiatives, any applications for Community Speed Watch initiatives would be considered through this fund. These projects play an important role in promoting safer driving behaviours, supporting communities, and helping to reduce casualties across Scotland’s road network.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) by ensuring that charging infrastructure is comprehensive, convenient, and accessible to all. I understand the importance of enabling those without access to off street parking to charge their vehicles conveniently, safely and cost-effectively.

The Road (Scotland) Act 1984 identifies that responsibility for private installations sits with local roads authorities. Under Section 109 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, local authorities have the power to issue permits for the installation of private apparatus, such as cross-pavement charging. Decisions about permitting cross-pavement charging are therefore the responsibility of Scotland’s local authorities.

On 22 May, the Scottish Collaboration of Transport Specialists (SCOTS), a strategic collaborative body representing Scotland’s 32 local authorities and seven regional transport partnerships, published guidance on cross-pavement charging, following a consultation with Scotland’s roads authorities. This guidance addresses legal, safety, and accessibility issues and supports local authorities to make decisions on cross-pavement charging.

Through our Cross-Pavement Charging Grant Fund, this Government is providing up to £3,500 to households to support the installation of cross-pavement charging solutions for domestic properties that lack off-street parking, subject to local authority approval.

The Scottish Government worked in partnership with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to develop the application and distribution process. Although there was no formal appeals process, unsuccessful applicants could contact HIE to outline any concerns about the process.