Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government committed to implement 20mph speed limits on those roads where it is appropriate to do so across Scotland. Assessment criteria were prepared in conjunction with the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), Police Scotland, Transport Scotland and various local authorities to identify which roads can be considered as ‘appropriate’

A total of 104 locations were assessed by Transport Scotland for introduction of 20mph speed limits in line with the assessment criteria. Of the 104 locations, 75 were identified as being suitable for a 20mph speed limit. It has been agreed that implementation of one of the two sections of 20mph speed limit on the A78 in Greenock will be delayed until completion of major roadworks in the area.

Of the remaining 74 locations, all are currently operating with a 20mph speed limit in place.

The Scottish Government has pursued two approaches to assess Scottish bracken area since the HSE decision not to authorise the emergency use of Asulox in 2023. The first was to commission the creation of a Scottish bracken map to provide a baseline from which future changes in coverage can be assessed. The second was to conduct a survey of upland hill farmers, gathering information on current bracken coverage and impact, change over time and treatment. Both outputs are due to be published in summer 2026.

The last update was provided to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee in late February 2026. An external contractor, funded by the Scottish Government, has completed the creation and validation of the Scottish Bracken Map and the project is now in the final stages of reporting, knowledge, and data transfer to Scottish Government geospatial analysts. The mapping layer is expected to be available for general use during summer 2026.

The Scottish Bracken Working Group will next meet on the 22 June 2026. The frequency of the meetings varies; it is dependent on the actions being pursued and the need for input from the group as well as availability of members.

Minutes from the Scottish Bracken Working Group meetings are available at the following link: Bracken: Scottish Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

We welcome the fact that in Scotland we have tough legislation in place to deal with livestock worrying. The Scottish Government supported Emma Harper’s member’s bill when it was introduced, to provide Police Scotland and the courts with greater powers to deal with those who allow their dogs to worry, attack, or kill livestock in Scotland’s countryside. Under this law owners of dogs that attack or worry livestock can be fined up to £40,000 or face a prison sentence of up to 12 months.

Please find the following tables with information about the highest fine (table 1) and custodial sentence imposed (table 2) in each of the last two years under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Scotland) Act 1953 or the amendment, and how many people received these. This information has been extracted from the management information data used to prepare the Scottish Government Justice Analytical Services Criminal Disposals Dashboard

Table 1: The highest fine imposed each year and number of accused who received it.

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

SPS understand the risk that drones present to security and stability of our prisons and that is why we have implemented security measures such as window grilles and targeted interventions to lessen their impact.

Drone recoveries include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, SIM cards, weapons, various drugs and miscellaneous articles such as USB memory sticks and tweezers.

SPS recognise the continued threat presented by drones and are actively engaging with Police Scotland and both UK and European Prison Services, to share best practice and explore common solutions.

SPS record confirmed data on drone sightings and recoveries. The latest full year figures are presented in the following table:

Section 67 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 amended the Contempt of Court Act 1981 to allow for more detailed research into jury deliberations, where research has been approved by the Lord Justice General. During Stage 3, the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs committed to commission research into jury deliberations as a priority, highlighting the need to better understand the impact of rape myths on jurors’ decision making. The 2025 Act introduced landmark changes to the justice system and there are no current plans to introduce anything further.

As required by section 111 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, Scottish Ministers will undertake a review of the operation of the Act, which will include reviewing the operation of the provisions that abolished the not proven verdict and changed the jury majority required for conviction. That is separate to the Jury Deliberation Research.

It will be the defining mission of this Scottish Government to support families with the cost of living and eradicate child poverty.

Our third Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, ‘Bringing Hope, Building Futures’ was published on 12 March and sets out a robust and enduring framework that will enable further progress against Scotland’s 2030 child poverty targets.

The Plan commits concrete action to drive continued progress. This includes investing £40 million in 2026-27 to deliver new support with transport and skills for families, increasing our Scottish Child Payment to £40 for families with a child under 1 during 2027-28, and investing to deliver a national breakfast club offer for primary school aged children with provision in all primary and special schools by August 2027.

Building on the actions we have taken to date, measures within the delivery plan are estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.

We have committed to go even further to help people keep more money in their pockets and tackle child poverty. This includes introducing legal price caps on a range of essential food in big supermarkets, expanding support for childcare to all children from nine-months to the end of primary school, and introducing a £2 nationwide cap on bus fares to lower people’s travel costs.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.