Chamber and committees

No public funding is required from the Scottish Government for the delivery of Commonwealth Games 2026 and the Scottish Government will not provide any financial underwriting. The Commonwealth Games Federation will cover the majority of costs using compensation from the Victorian Government following their withdrawal.

The additional investment will be supplemented by commercial income from ticketing, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandising. The Scottish Government thanks Commonwealth Games Australia for their offer of additional investment and the UK Government for its offer of contingency funding provisions that can be accessed if existing budget funds and contingency have been exceeded and all efforts to reduce costs have been exhausted.

The Scottish Government has conducted a thorough assessment of Commonwealth Games Scotland’s proposal for Glasgow to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, alongside key partners. The collaboration has been positive and as a result, the Scottish Government has given its support for the proposal.

The Scottish Government funds the Glasgow to Campbeltown, Tiree and Barra air services.

Dundee City Council funds the Dundee to London Heathrow air service with financial contributions from the Scottish Government and the UK Government.

Highland Council funds the Wick to Aberdeen air service with a financial contribution from the Scottish Government.

Argyll & Bute Council funds the Oban to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree air services.

Orkney Islands Council fund the Kirkwall to Papa Westray, North Ronaldsay, Westray, Sanday, Stronsay and Eday air services.

Shetland Islands Council fund the Tingwall to Fair Isle and Foula air services.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar fund the Benbecula to Stornoway air service.

A programme of evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund (ASF), of which Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) is a key part, has been ongoing since the inception of the Scottish Attainment Challenge (SAC). The evaluation aims to provide learning about the overall implementation of the ASF and to assess progress towards its long-term outcomes. Pupil Equity Funding is considered in all evaluation activity and reporting.

The current ASF Evaluation Strategy, which can be found here: Attainment Scotland Fund - 2022 to 2026: evaluation strategy, was published in 2022 and sets out plans for evaluation between 2022-23 and 2026-27. Alongside this, a detailed analytical plan outlining evaluation activity in support of the high level strategy will be published annually over the course of this parliament. The first two analytical plans can be found here:

• Attainment Scotland Fund 2022 - 2026 Evaluation: Analytical Plan Year 1 (2022/23) (www.gov.scot)
• Attainment Scotland Fund 2022-2026 evaluation: analytical plan - year 2 2023 -2024 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The most recent publications that contribute to the ASF Evaluation Strategy are:

• Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation: Process Evaluation - Scottish Attainment Challenge Local Authority Leads Survey Report, 2022/23
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: National Improvement Framework - attainment and health and wellbeing measures, 2023
• Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation: Reporting on National Improvement Framework Attainment and Health and Wellbeing Measures, 2024
• Attainment Scotland Fund Evaluation: Reporting on Wider Evidence Sources, 2024
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: Thematic Evaluation Summary Report 2024
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: Families and Communities Thematic Evaluation Report 2024
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: Readiness to Learn Thematic Evaluation Report 2024
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: Voice of Children and Young People Thematic Evaluation Report 2024

Prior to 2022, the evaluation reported annually with an initial report on Year 1 and 2 (2015 to 2017) published in 2017 and found here: Evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund - interim report (Years 1 and 2) (www.gov.scot), and annual evaluation reports published from 2018 to 2022 which can be found here:

• Evaluation of the Attainment Scotland Fund - Interim Report (Year 3) (www.gov.scot)
• Evaluation of Attainment Scotland Fund - Third interim report - Year 4 (www.gov.scot)
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: Fourth interim report - year 5 (www.gov.scot)
• Attainment Scotland Fund evaluation: fifth interim report - year 6 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

In March 2021, Scottish Government and Education Scotland published the Closing the poverty-related attainment gap: progress report 2016 to 2021.

In addition to the ASF Evaluation, Education Scotland publish a range of evidence detailing how the Attainment Scotland Fund programmes, including Pupil Equity Funding, are helping to close the poverty related attainment gap.

The latest national report, published in August, is a high-level evaluative summary drawn from Education Scotland Attainment Advisors’ reports on 32 local authorities for the period December 2023 to March 2024. The key theme for this reporting period was ‘Evidence-based approaches’. Case studies from each local authority focused on different aspects of equity. The national summary report contains links to all case studies. The report can be accessed here: National Summary Report March 2024 | Scottish Attainment Challenge | Learning in Scotland | Education Scotland

Complementing this work, officials are undertaking a PEF Sampling exercise with over 100 schools across Scotland to draw out key learning on how PEF is contributing towards improving the educational outcomes of children and young people and their families, impacted by poverty. Once completed we will seek to share the innovative work taking place in our schools and communities, supported by PEF, with other Headteachers, Local Authorities and key stakeholders.

We outlined our plans to reform and modernise mental health legislation in Scotland in our “Mental Health Capacity Reform: Delivery Plan” published in June 2024 (Mental Health and Capacity Reform: delivery plan October 2023 to April 2025 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)).

The plan lists several actions under the priority of Mental Health Law reform. One of these is that we will consider whether the Mental Health Tribunal should have a role in appointing a named person and in what circumstances that provision might apply. Scoping work for this is well underway but further work is needed to inform that position.

Statistics on the employment status of post-induction scheme teachers, including counts and percentages of those in full-time and part-time permanent and temporary employment are published in Table 1.6 of the teacher census supplementary statistics, available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/

In line with the recommendation made in the Scrutiny and Assurance Review, we have been working with the Care Inspectorate, Mental Welfare Commission and Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop a framework for scrutiny and assurance in mental health. We are in the process of agreeing this with scrutiny bodies and aim to publish shortly.

The initial Delivery Plan for the Mental Health and Capacity Reform Programme published in June 2024 set out a range of actions being taken forward under Adults with Incapacity (AWI) and mental health law reform.

In terms of reforming capacity legislation, the AWI Amendment Act consultation was published in July and will run to October 2024 (Adults with Incapacity Amendment Act: consultation - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space). This builds on previous consultation work undertaken in this area and takes account of the targeted discussions that have taken place over the past year with stakeholders around specific policy proposals.

The Programme for Government 2024-25 which was published in September confirms that the Adults with Incapacity Bill will form part of the Year 4 Legislative Programme and officials have been working to progress this.

As part of work to progress mental health legislative reform, we have undertaken extensive engagement with partners to consider various aspects of the scope of compulsory care and treatment within the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, with a view to developing potential options for change. We have also begun scoping work to consider recommendations around named persons and advanced statements.

The spend on peatland restoration in recent years is shown in the following table:

Scotland has a current reported potential pipeline of over 40 GW of offshore wind projects. ScotWind reflects very significant market ambition for offshore wind in Scottish waters – around 28 GW across 20 projects.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with the UK Government to discuss the development and implementation of initiatives to support the offshore wind supply chain in Scotland and across the UK.

For example, we have worked closely with the UK Government on its plans to introduce a Sustainable Industry Reward (SIR) into the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme. The SIR will help drive investment in the supply chain here in Scotland and across the UK, and into greener supply chains globally.

COPFS has contracts and service level agreements with universities, local authorities, Scottish Police Authority and the NHS for pathology mortuary and toxicology services across Scotland to allow the discharge of our death investigation duties.

As part of those agreements, pathologists will meet with nearest relatives if they wish to discuss their post mortem examination findings. In our experience, these discussions are of great assistance to families in understanding what happened to their loved ones and pathologists are experienced at providing that information in a respectful and sensitive manner.

We are reviewing those agreements with all service providers and the report’s findings will be taken into account in our discussions.

COPFS ensures that nearest relatives are kept informed of decisions in relation to a post mortem and are offered a copy of the pathologist’s report if they wish.

We have also established a Death Investigation Improvement Board and work is ongoing to improve the quality and level of information provided to nearest relatives in the early stages of the investigation, including what is involved in the post mortem examination process.