Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government regarding the concentration of gambling advertising in areas of deprivation in Scotland.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) administer advertisement rules which are designed to ensure gambling advertising is responsible, supported by Ofcom for broadcast gambling adverts, and the Gambling Commission for non-broadcast gambling adverts.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government (and Welsh Government) over the distribution of the Gambling Levy, to ensure there are funds available to develop a comprehensive approach to gambling prevention, early intervention and support in Scotland.

The Scottish Government supports a range of activity to encourage organisations to buy from social enterprises.

Through funding for Social Enterprise Scotland, we support the Buy Social Scotland initiative which promotes responsible procurement and connects buyers with social enterprise suppliers. Over 48 organisations have signed the Buy Social Pledge, including local authorities and private sector firms. A national Supplier Catalogue, developed and regularly updated as part of the initiative, helps buyers identify and engage with social enterprise suppliers.

We also published the first SME and Third Sector Procurement Action Plan in April 2024 to reduce barriers and improve access to public procurement. A review of the impact of this plan was published in August 2025. Through Scottish Government funding, Public Contracts Scotland was updated to allow third sector organisations to self-identify, enabling contracting authorities to take a more targeted approach to procurement opportunities such as Quick Quotes. These changes have been promoted across the third sector and the wider Scottish public sector to encourage utilisation.

The Scottish Government recognises that the ongoing cost of living crisis and the impact of inflationary pressures on food and high energy costs are causing difficulties for many individuals and families in Scotland.

Scotland’s classroom teachers are currently the best paid in the UK. The top of the main grade scale for classroom teachers has increased from £37,575 in April 2018 to £50,589 in August 2024.

Between April 2018 and implementation of the previous pay award in August 2024, average teachers’ pay increased by more than 37% in cash terms, and by 7.7% in real terms compared with CPI inflation.

We recognise that there are teachers who aspire to permanency or continuity of employment but who are unable to secure a position. It is for this reason we are providing £186.5 million to local authorities in 2025-26 to restore overall teacher numbers across the country to 2023 levels and maximise the number of teaching posts available.

The press release on 26 September 2024 reflected the Programme for Government long-term commitment to provide £100 million over a number of financial years to grow with institutional investment, to at least £500 million supporting the construction of around 2,800 mid-market rent homes. Since then, a market testing exercise has been commissioned and concluded – that will help inform the next steps to commission a fund manager.

Mid-market rent development continues to progress through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. The latest statistics are available at Housing statistics - gov.scot. The Scottish Government does not hold information on proposed housing developments which have only progressed to the point of receiving planning permission.

The 2015 Flood Risk Management Plans contained 42 flood protection schemes. 40 were initially eligible for funding. 9 were removed because they were no longer required, subject to alternative arrangements or failed to meet progress deadlines. 21 are complete, 1 is under construction, 6 are expected to have a main construction contract in place by March 2026 and 3 are subject to local hearing or public local inquiry. The information requested regarding completed schemes is given in the following table.

The Scottish Government welcomes the contribution of the Scottish Retail Consortium and other stakeholders to the debate on how best to support economic growth in Scotland. We will outline our spending and taxation for 2026-27 in the Scottish budget on 13 January 2026.

The Scottish Government are awaiting the outcome of the Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee (FPAC) inquiry on the cost-effectiveness and timescales of public inquiries in Scotland before making any legislative and non-legislative commitments.

The planning and provision of local healthcare services is a matter for NHS Boards, consistent with national policies, frameworks and best practice. Core NHS services are provided free at the point of use. Some Health Boards partner with charities to deliver therapies under NHS contracts and, when accessed via referral, these are free. Information relating to charges set by third sector organisation for access to their services, where no NHS contract is held, is a matter for those organisations and is not held centrally.

MNPI (Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention) specialist services are closely aligned to maternity and neonatal services, and are focused on those parents who experience complicated bereavement after losing a baby, during their pregnancy or within the postnatal period. This includes those who are pregnant who have previously experienced baby loss and require specialist support.

Our Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland also details work to map out existing mental health services available following a pregnancy and baby loss to ensure that women can access the appropriate mental health support they require.

To further support families who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss the Scottish Government fund and support the baby loss charity Sands to develop and support NHS Boards to implement, the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) for pregnancy and baby loss in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s ‘A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action’ contains a dedicated strand focused on activity we are undertaking to ensure people can access public and other services as they age.

We provide funding of £3.2 million over three years, through the Equality and Human Rights Fund, to older people's organisations and age equality projects. This funding is delivering a range of initiatives that tackle inequality, including among older people. A copy of the fund's progress report can be found here Equality & Human Rights Fund Impact Report Final_ Oct 21-Mar25 and provides details on initiatives we are delivering with this funding.

The Scottish Government recognises that an ageing population increases demand for accessible environments and services. Our Disability Equality Plan, supported by a £3 million investment, including a £1.5 million Improving Access Fund aims to improve access for disabled people, including older individuals with mobility or sensory impairments.

We also fund Access Panels across Scotland, which work locally to promote inclusive design and planning. These panels take a pan-disability approach, ensuring older people's needs are considered in accessibility improvements.

The Scottish Government promotes good practice in completing Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) by conducting them at the earliest stages of developing new policies or revising existing ones. This includes strategies, legislation, guidance, frameworks, training, funding, reviews, and any other activities that affect different groups of people, particularly those with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. This includes consideration of impact on different age groups.

The Scottish Government supports and works closely with Food Standards Scotland, who have previously and will again repeat a winter campaign encouraging people to take a daily vitamin D supplement to maintain bone and muscle health.

The campaign primarily focuses on online advertising and social media posts. A campaign toolkit has also been developed and shared with a wide range of stakeholders to help support efforts to raise awareness of vitamin D, with graphics, web text, and social media posts available in nine languages (https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/publications-and-research/publications/vitamin-d-campaign-toolkit).

Information on vitamin D is also available and promoted through a range of resources. Dedicated public advice on vitamin D is available on NHS Inform, including a general information leaflet highlighting the importance of vitamin D, which is available in a range of formats and languages (https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/food-and-nutrition/eating-well/vitamin-d).

Additional information can be accessed through our Parent Club (https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/eating-well-at-home) and Ready, Steady Baby! (https://www.nhsinform.scot/ready-steady-baby) resources, Food Standards Scotland (https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/consumers/healthy-eating/nutrition/vitamins-minerals/vitamin-d) website and Eat Well, Your Way (https://www.eatwellyourway.scot/what-is-a-healthy-balanced-diet/vitamin-d/).