The Scottish Government fully supports the work of the Respiratory Specialty Delivery Group, based at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), which is developing this pathway. While the Scottish Government is not directly involved in drafting, we understand it is progressing through CfSD’s internal assurance processes, and we will continue to work closely with colleagues leading this work to keep stakeholders informed.

NatureScot has written to all 32 Local Authorities updating them on funding of £100,000 being made available to facilitate an area based management for gulls.

NatureScot has prioritised the funding, in the first instance, to areas where they have been involved in significant casework whether through wider scale licensing requests or advice on mitigation measures.

As a first tranche the local authorities prioritised for funding are:

• Moray Council
• Highland Council
• Aberdeenshire Council
• Aberdeen City Council
• Fife Council
• Scottish Borders Council
• Dumfries and Galloway Council

It is likely that funding to each local authority will be in the region of £10k. While prioritising the seven local authorities in the first instance, NatureScot has offered to consider support to all of the other local authorities where there is significant gull issues and where they are seeking to develop an area-based management approach.

NatureScot is looking to conclude funding arrangements with the local authorities in early January 2026. As such, no funds have been distributed to local authorities to-date.

The £100k funding does not include additional costs for other elements of the action plan, such as for Best Practice Guidance, survey work, and for the proposed four regional roundtables, which are being resourced by NatureScot separately.

Additional funding of £10,000 from NatureScot has been made available to Highland Council as part of the Inverness Gull Management Pilot.

The full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers by gender and local authority for early learning and childcare settings provided in the following table. Statistics for teachers in primary and secondary schools are published in the teacher census supplementary statistics: Teacher census supplementary statistics - gov.scot

Table 1 Teachers in early learning and childcare settings by sex, FTE, 2024

The full-time equivalent (FTE) secondary school teachers with English as their main subject or other subject in 2024, by sex and local authority, is provided in the following table.

The Independent National Review of Group-Based Sexual Abuse and Exploitation will be jointly undertaken by the Care Inspectorate, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, and Health Improvement Scotland. The four statutory Inspectorates are independent of government and the organisations which they scrutinise. They have powers to compel public authorities to provide information they request.

Professor Alexis Jay will provide expert advice on the Review’s design and at key stages of the process given her extensive knowledge and experience of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.

As of 30 September 2025, 2,110 parents or carers in the Clackmannanshire local authority area, and 2,320 parents or carers in the Stirling local authority area were actively in receipt of Scottish Child Payment.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 stipulates that the Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

These arrangements are in place to ensure that the police act independently, free from unwarranted Ministerial interference. Police Scotland’s record keeping is an operational matter for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

It would therefore be inappropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on operational matters.

For the years 2010-11 to 2024-25 the Scottish Government’s school estates data collection makes a distinction between schools built and those refurbished, while for the years 2007-08 to 2009-10 no such distinction was made in the data collection.

Between 2007-08 and 2009-10, one primary (Deerpark) and three secondary (Alloa Academy, Alva Academy, Lornshill Academy) schools were built or refurbished in Clackmannanshire, while in Stirling eight primary (Cambusbarron, Raploch, Our Lady’s, Buchlyvie, Aberfoyle, Breahead, Bridge of Allan, St Mary’s) and five secondary (Dunblane High, Stirling High, McLaren High, St Modan’s High, Wallace High) schools were recorded as built or refurbished.

Between 2010-11 and 2024-25, one primary school was built in Clackmannanshire (Redwell), and two were refurbished (Alva, Clackmannan). In Stirling, four primary schools (Braehead, St Margaret’s, St Ninian’s, East Plean) were built, while six primary schools (Aberfoyle, Strathyre, Riverside, Strathblane, Borestone, Cowie) and one secondary school (Bannockburn High) were refurbished.

In addition, one special school in Striling was built or refurbished in 2007-08 (Castelview), and another one (Student Support) was refurbished in 2010-11.

For context, in 2024 there were 23 schools in Clackmannanshire and 46 schools in Stirling.

Across all years, only schools where the total cost of the works (build or refurbishment) was £500,000 or more for primary schools or £1 million or more for secondary and special schools are included.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Chief Constable of Police Scotland is responsible for the policing of Scotland and is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority for this, rather than to Scottish Ministers directly.

Police Scotland is by law, operationally independent of the Scottish Government, and is held to account by the Scottish Police Authority which provides oversight and scrutiny.

The Keeper of the Records of Scotland oversees record keeping by public authorities.