Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the financial sustainability challenges being faced by many universities due to a range of factors, including inflation, the impact of UK Government immigration policies on international student recruitment, and the increase to employers’ National Insurance Contributions.

It is the responsibility of those transporting greyhounds to ensure that they are compliant with both animal welfare and animal transport regulations, including obtaining the appropriate transporter authorisation from the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Where local authorities are made aware of cases of non-compliance with the regulations, they will take appropriate follow-up action.

The statutory grounds for a Fatal Accident Inquiry were carefully considered by Parliament in 2016 following a review of the law conducted by Lord Cullen. There are no plans to look at this aspect of FAI legislation, although the member will be aware than in January I announced a focussed review of FAIs looking specifically at deaths in custody.

The model of Health Boards being responsible for delivering vaccinations is working well across Scotland, but I recognise the need for flexibility to account for specific circumstances that might negatively affect vaccine uptake.

That is why I have agreed to Highland HSCP putting in place a mixed model for vaccinations.

GP delivery will be key in some aspects of this model, however, the aim here is to take a collaborative approach to delivering vaccines.

The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland continue to engage with Highland HSCP to support a flexible and responsive immunisation service.

I have written to the UK Government several times, most recently on 3 February calling for a resettlement route for refugees from Palestine who choose to leave. I have also called for those with family members in the UK to be supported to join them.

We continue to urge the UK government to use its existing UK Resettlement Scheme, and ensure it is aligned with UNHCR to provide those who want to leave with the support they require. Our New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy supports refugees from the day they arrive.

The proposed reforms are about making the determination process more efficient – not making it easier for projects to get consent or undermining thorough scrutiny of environmental impacts. Decisions will continue to be taken by Scottish Ministers on a case-by-case basis, weighing the impacts and benefits of each development.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone living in Scotland is able to access the best possible care and support. We will continue to ensure specialist services are retained by engaging with boards, in particular service managers, including the national services division.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each initial destination (three months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.1a in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations, No. 7: 2025 edition. The supplementary tables with data on initial destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-attainment-and-initial-leaver-destinations-no-7-2025-edition/documents/.

The latest data showing the number of school leavers in each follow-up destination (nine months after the end of the school year) by local authority and nationally for each year since 2009-10 can be found in Table L2.2 in the supplementary tables published alongside the Summary statistics for Follow-Up Leaver Destinations, No. 6: 2024 Edition. The supplementary tables with data on follow-up destinations are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-follow-up-leaver-destinations-no-6-2024-edition/documents/.

Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) does not currently regularly inspect children and young people’s mental health services and did not visit Skye House between 2017 and 2024. The Mental Welfare Commission have visited Skye House seven times since 2016, using a mix of pre-announced and unannounced inspections to provide assurance.

Given the concerning issues raised in the BBC Disclosure Documentary, we have asked HIS and the Mental Welfare Commission to start joint inspections of the four units providing inpatient care to children and young people as a matter of priority.

These joint inspections will provide assurance of the safety and quality of the care provided in Scotland’s Child and Adolescent mental health (CAMHS) inpatient units as well as highlight any national recommendations to strengthen the quality and safety of CAMHS care.

Legislation does not currently allow for modifications, suspensions or revocations consents when errors in consents are found. Should any issues arise, an applicant must apply for a section 36 consent variation and go through the full variation process, including payment of a fee.

The number of section 36 variation applications consented in the past 5 years are as follows:

2024 – 5

2023 – 5

2022 – 4

2021 – 6

2020 – 1

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-35884 on 1 April 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.