Chamber and committees

No Code of Practice on investigation functions as set out in section 57 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 has been published.

Accordingly:

1.There have been no revisions to a published Code of Practice since the Act came into force;

2.No revised version has been in place; and

3.There have been no reviews of a published Code of Practice.

The Scottish Government, as part of the Marine Consultation on ‘Proposed Fisheries Management Measures in Scottish Inshore Marine Protected… has undertaken a Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA).

In accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, there is a requirement to consider reasonable alternatives that fulfil the objectives of the proposed fisheries management measures as part of a SEA.

For the purposes of this assessment the reasonable alternatives are considered to be the two alternative management options under consideration, referred to in the consultation documents as Option 1 and Option 2.

Option 1 proposes a zoned approach in sites where possible – either spatial, temporal or in 2 sites by engine power for Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and for proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas, the proposed measures are across a smaller spatial area. Option 2 represents a scenario of greater restriction for fisheries management measures in MPAs or proposed (PMF) management areas.

The SEA assessed the likely environmental effects of both Option 1 and Option 2. While both options were assessed as contributing towards the environmental objectives of the proposals, Option 2 generally represents a greater level of restriction on fishing activity and therefore has the potential to deliver greater environmental benefits where additional restrictions are proposed.

It is concluded the proposed fisheries management measures under either Option 1 or Option 2 are likely to result in immediate and future benefits and achieve the SEA objectives.

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) monitors visitor numbers at several sites within the 7stanes network. Available data shows that visitor trends have varied across the network over the last five years, with some sites recording increases and others experiencing periods of decline before recovering.

For example, recorded visits to Glentress increased by 12% between 2023 and 2025, while visits at Dalbeattie declined between 2021 and 2024 before recovering by 29% in 2025 compared with the previous year.

FLS considers that a range of factors have influenced these trends, including increased participation in outdoor recreation during and immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic, storm damage and associated trail closures, forestry operations affecting site access, the introduction of parking charges at some locations, and investment in new trails, visitor facilities and major events such as the UCI Cycling World Championships at Glentress.

As visitor counters are not currently in place at every 7stanes location, it is not possible to determine a single overall trend for the whole network. However, FLS have recently approved investment to expand and improve its visitor number monitoring infrastructure next year.

At this time, the Scottish Government has no plans to regulate this trade and correspondingly we have not consulted with stakeholders on any particular course of action. However, we continue to engage with stakeholders to inform future policy, including the need for further regulation.

There are currently no internal or external audit recommendations that are outstanding beyond their agreed implementation date.

Keeping families safe online is of paramount importance for the Scottish Government and prevention is key.

The Scottish Government’s Parent Club resource is one of the ways that we support parents and carers, providing advice, information and guidance through a website, social media channels and email programme. Parent Club offers policy-led, empathetic advice and support across a wide range of topics. It provides practical advice, information and tips on many topics - from online safety for young children and teenagers to establishing healthy sleep routines and supporting the overall wellbeing of the whole family.

The performance of the Parent Club website is monitored regularly using Google Analytics. Since 1 April 2026 the pages relating to online safety have been viewed 8,010 times by 5,180 users, with users spending an average of 53 seconds per page.

In 2022, the Scottish Government carried user testing on the pages with parents and teachers which confirmed that the participants found the content timely, relevant, inclusive, informative, engaging, actionable, user-friendly and supportive of their needs.

In addition to Parent Club, the Scottish Government funds the Scottish Youth Parliament’s “Mind Yer Time” online resource which includes tips for adults written by young people. The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Scottish Youth Parliament and receive annual reports on the impact of “Mind Yer Time”.

This year, the Scottish Government has also provided funding to Fathers Network Scotland to issue a national Dads Survey 2026. The survey asked a range of questions on how dads across Scotland access digital resources, including Parent Club.

The Scottish Government has also launched two Digital Wellbeing surveys: for children and young people and parents and carers, on 19 August 2026. The surveys will be open until 30 September and seek to gather the views and experiences of children and young people and their parents and carers in relation to their online activities, digital wellbeing, online safety, use of social media and digital devices, and the support and information they may find helpful. Once analysed, the results of these surveys and the Dads survey will inform the strengthening of Scottish Government policy and guidance relating to online safety and digital wellbeing.

A detailed breakdown of the £400,000 is shown in the following table.

Scotland follows the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), the independent expert body that advises all four UK nations on screening programmes.

The UK NSC currently does not recommend prostate screening for the general population of men over the age of 50. It has found that there is not yet a suitably accurate test for a national screening programme of asymptomatic men, and there is currently insufficient evidence that the benefits of screening outweigh the risks.

The UK NSC is monitoring ongoing studies and emerging evidence closely and will consider whether new evidence supports expanding their recommended eligibility criteria for prostate cancer screening. Should they recommend screening the general male population aged 50 and over, we will work with the NHS to take that forward in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring that the principles set out in Scotland's Feminist Approach to International Relations (FAIR) position paper are reflected across its international work.

Delivery of the commitments set out in the position paper is being progressed through relevant portfolios and existing delivery mechanisms, with ministers and officials exploring how FAIR principles can further inform policy development, programme delivery and international engagement.

The Scottish Government will continue to consider how best to support and communicate on the implementation of its FAIR as part of the Government’s wider approach to its international relations in this parliamentary session.

Local Government pay is a matter for local authorities. Officials are engaging with Delivering Equally Safe fund managers to understand the implications of the proposed changes to pay and grading within Glasgow City Council on the delivery of agreed service outcomes under grant funding conditions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting specialist services that provide vital support to victims and survivors of gender based violence and is aware of the pressures front line support services are under. That is why the Delivering Equally Safe fund benefited from a 5% increase in 2026-27, taking total investment in the Delivering Equally Safe Fund to almost £46 million over 2026-2028 (almost £23 million per year). The Delivering Equally Safe fund managers, Inspiring Scotland, work with funded organisations to review their outcomes. This enables services to consider necessary changes where circumstances have changed.

Our Programme for Government 2026 to 2031, sets out that we will act quickly to provide emergency funding to organisations under significant pressure, enhance arrangements for the Delivering Equally Safe Fund and develop a new multi-year fund to ensure vital services are sustainable and can respond flexibly to need.