The Scottish Government remain committed to ensuring the Arran ferry service is fit for the future, and to finding a solution at Ardrossan that can be delivered in a cost effective way, reflecting the needs of all of the partners involved. We understand and share frustrations at the pace of progress on the Ardrossan Harbour redevelopment.

Ongoing discussions and negotiations around the delivery of improvements at the port have been complex but the business case review is substantially complete, and project partners continue to work on this as quickly as practicable. The next meeting of the Ardrossan Task Force will be convened soon after the business case and cost review exercise has been submitted to Ministers for a decision.

Sara Sharif experienced unimaginable abuse during her life and was murdered by someone she trusted. It is essential children and young people are protected from harm and the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that robust child protection measures are in place across Scotland, and continue to be followed at all times.

The Scottish Government published revised National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland on 31 August 2023. The non-statutory guidance describes the responsibilities and expectations of everyone who works with children, young people and their families in Scotland. It aims to support improved cross-agency working and outcomes for children at risk.

The National Child Protection Guidance makes clear that, no matter the circumstances, concerns about risk to a child or young person should be reported without delay to social work or, in situations where risk is immediate, to Police Scotland. Child protection procedures are initiated when police, social work or health determine that a child may have been significantly harmed or may be at risk of significant harm. All concerns which may indicate risk of significant harm must lead to consideration of an inter-agency referral discussion (IRD). Again, this applies whether or not the child is in school. A practitioner’s failure to report child abuse could constitute a breach of their employment contract, lead to disciplinary action, or give rise to a claim for civil damages. Practitioners could also be struck off from social work, teaching, or medical registers for gross misconduct.

As outlined in the guidance, the decision to home educate a child should not, in itself, be regarded as a child protection concern. The Scottish Government is determined to ensure children and young people are fully engaged in their learning and Ministers recognise home education as a valid choice alongside sending a child to school.

Where a child is on a school roll in a local authority area, a parent must seek that local authority’s consent before withdrawing their child from the school. Whilst the authority must not unreasonably withhold consent to withdraw, local authorities can refuse to give their consent for a child to be withdrawn from the school roll in certain circumstances, including:

• where a child has been referred to social work, police or health for child protection reasons, and the matter is being investigated
• where a child is on the child protection register
• where a child has been referred to the Children’s Reporter on care and protection grounds, and the referral is being considered
• where the child is the subject of a supervision requirement.

The Scottish Government have been reviewing the home education guidance, working with stakeholders, and will publish updated guidance shortly.

Scottish Government officials are monitoring progress of the UK Government’s Children’s Wellbeing Bill and what implications this might have for child protection processes in Scotland.

SEPA has been preparing for implementation of the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 for several years, investing in new systems, people, processes and support mechanisms to ensure a smooth transition to the integrated authorisation framework.

Since 2021, SEPA has developed and launched on-line services for waste carrier registrations, existing private sewage treatment systems, simple waste exemptions, and radioactive substance notification. In July 2024, SEPA launched a new digital service for those who want to apply for an authorisation for a new small-scale sewage treatment system.

When the draft Regulations come into force, SEPA will have a system that will allow all new applications to be received, paid for and issued digitally. To ensure that this system will be ready, SEPA has been developing and testing prototypes of the systems and webpages that easily direct customers and stakeholders to the information they need and takes them through the application process.

The task forces referred to in the National Transport Strategy’s Fourth Delivery Plan are the Shetland and Orkney Ferry Replacement Task Forces. Further information is available on the Transport Scotland website: Ferry Services Managed by Transport Scotland.

Scotland’s first Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDSs) – established within existing NHS infrastructure – are operational in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders.

Our Programme for Government has committed to establishing a further Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service in NHS Forth Valley, bringing our national total to six. It is expected the RCDS in NHS Forth Valley will start accepting referrals by Spring 2025.

The transitional arrangements in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025 mean the fit and proper person test under the draft Regulations will automatically apply to all relevant activities without SEPA needing to take any action.

SEPA will include fit and proper person checks of existing authorisation holders as part of its targeted monitoring and inspection programme and where relevant in investigating environmental events and complaints. Where authorisations are varied SEPA must be satisfied that the person is a fit and proper person taking account of the changes being proposed to the authorisation.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that effective support is in place for all children and families experiencing problems with drugs and alcohol. Our framework to improve holistic whole family support sets out principles of how we will improve support for families affected by drugs and alcohol by taking a whole family approach and using family inclusive practice. The framework is supported by investment totalling £6.5 million per year over the life of the Parliament.

We are investing nearly £4 million to expand the successful Grow your Own Routes model for young people aged 12-26. This model supports young people with substance use in their families, by helping them meet their own goals and break inter-generational cycles of addiction.

To further ensure children and young people are protected from the harms associated with drug and alcohol use, in 2024-2025 the Scottish Government provided £475,000 of funding to the Corra Foundation to deliver the Way Forward for Families Partnership Fund (WFFPF). WFFPF is match funded by the Corra Foundation and delivers funding directly to Third Sector organisations to support families affected by drug and alcohol use. These organisations deliver vital work across Scotland, ensuring the right support is available.

The National Child Protection Guidance details the responsibilities and expectations for all involved in protecting children and young people. The guidance supports the care and protection of children by including detailed information on how concerns are identified and should be responded to. Children and families affected by drug and alcohol use is listed as a specific support need and concern in the guidance and there is information for practitioners on how to support families.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to ensure that robust child protection measures are in place across Scotland, and continue to be followed at all times.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on children from Scotland’s local authorities placed in secure accommodation outwith Scotland.

The responsibility for the placement and management of Scottish children in secure accommodation on welfare grounds through the children’s hearings system, or on an emergency basis under the authority of the relevant local chief social work officer, or remanded under section 51 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, or sentenced on summary proceedings under section 44 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, lies with each relevant local authority in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers are responsible for the management and placement of children sentenced on solemn proceedings under section 205 and 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Currently legislation does not allow for the placement of these children elsewhere in the UK. Our records show that no sentenced child from Scotland has been placed in secure accommodation in England and Wales or elsewhere in the UK.

While there may be some exceptional instances where a placement outwith Scotland would be appropriate, this should only be in the best interests of that individual child. Where practicable and appropriate, the view of the Scottish Government is that children should be placed as near to their home as possible.

We are currently considering all the issues raised in response to our recent consultation on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill. We will publish the commissioned independent analysis of these responses as soon as practicable.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is maximising theatre access for all surgical specialties. The Health Board are also running additional waiting list sessions targeted at various surgical specialties, including urology.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde North Sector, has established a one-stop urology, diagnostic and treatment service which provides earlier diagnosis for patients.

Significant additional activity is already underway following the allocation of £30 million funding to target reductions to the national backlogs that built up throughout the pandemic. This funding is being targeted at a series of national and local plans to reduce backlogs by maximising the use of local and national resources across Scotland. It is estimated this will help boards across the country deliver around 12,000 additional inpatient and day-case procedures, over 40,000 extra diagnostic procedures and around 12,000 new outpatient appointments.