The Scottish Government has no current plans to establish an independent body to oversee and regulate residential mobile home sites.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 controls the consumer rights of mobile home owners in relation to their pitch. The terms of the Written Statement, set out under the Mobile Homes Act 1983, include a number of provisions to ensure the transparency of fees and charges.

There is a requirement for site owners to provide documentary evidence in support and explanation of pitch fees, charges for gas, electricity, water or sewerage and other charges, costs or expenses. There is also a process set out for annual review of pitch fees which requires the site owner to issue a written notice setting out the proposed increase in pitch fees 28 days in advance of the review date. The notice must set out the services which are included in the pitch fee. The Written Statement also sets out what should be taken in to account in determining a new pitch fee, for example any sums expended on improvements since the last review date, and sets a presumption that the pitch fee does not increase or decrease by more than the rate of the retail prices index, unless this would be unreasonable.

Our priority at present is to work to change the basis of pitch fee uprating from the Retail Prices Index to the Consumer Prices Index under the Mobile Homes Act 1983. Once this is complete, we will work towards undertaking a post implementation review of the Residential Mobile Homes Site Licensing scheme.

The Law Society of Scotland provides information at https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/professional-support/legal-aid/ on how to access legal aid and how to identify a solicitor who has knowledge of their area.

Scottish Government officials have met with the Law Society of Scotland, along with the Scottish Confederation of Park Home Residents Associations, to discuss some of the difficulties residents have encountered in seeking to find a solicitor.

I recognise many of the challenges faced by the third sector and continue to work with my officials to champion the voice of the Sector across Government and ensure that the vital work of third sector organisations is well understood and valued as part of a thriving Scottish society.

The Scottish Government news release Fairer funding for charities - gov.scot provides details of the announcement on 5 February 2025 of the new Fairer Funding multi-year funding pilot.

In his address to third sector organisations at The Gathering, the First Minister stated that this signalled a clear direction of travel to increasing the number of multi-year funding agreements across the third sector.

The Pilot is part of a package of policy measures under the Fairer Funding heading, which also includes improvements to the grant making process, more timely notifications, rationalising reporting requirements and improving grant conditions.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 governs pitch agreements for permanent residential mobile home sites. It requires that the site owner provides a prospective resident with a copy of the Written Statement setting out the rights and responsibilities of both parties alongside other relevant information.

The Scottish Government published guidance (https://www.gov.scot/publications/guide-mobile-home-owners-scotland/) for mobile home owners in Scotland which explains the rights and responsibilities of residents of mobile homes sites.

The Scottish Government also publishes website information for mobile homes site residents and owners at https://www.mygov.scot/browse/housing-local-services/mobile-homes, which is in the process of being updated, in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

The following tables have been produced in answer to the question above. Table 1 shows figures for charges reported under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, Table 2 shows figures for charges reported with aggravations under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. It should be noted that cases which are reported in any given year may not result in prosecutions or convictions until subsequent years. Figures for 2025 cover the period from 01 January 2025 to 03 February 2025.

Table 1 Charges reported under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022

The latest available data on teacher contract type, broken down by permanent and temporary, are published in the 2023 Teacher Census Supplementary Statistics here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

Data on supply teachers is not collected or held by central government.

Local authorities have the statutory responsibility for delivering education. Therefore the Scottish Government does not collect data on teacher absences or the reasons for them.

The solar panels installed on core Scottish Government buildings have an output warranty of 25 years. The panels will continue to operate past 25 years, however their output will be lower than new panels. Maintenance costs are included in the overall building maintenance costs and cannot be disaggregated. The cost of replacing the panels at the end of their life cannot be estimated due to the timescales involved.