Chamber and committees

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, and I, met with the Scottish Retail Consortium on 3 May. At that meeting, a commitment was made to engage meaningfully at the appropriate stage of the process.

In February we announced our intention to introduce a Rural and Islands Housing Grant Scheme to complement existing funds within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, including the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund, both of which are open to application to March 2028.

The development of this new grant scheme will be taken forward with rural and housing partners. The scheme will be open to individuals to help meet the cost of securing a permanent home. It is expected it will provide support to first time buyers, families, rural returners and others to help them access affordable owner occupation in the rural and island communities of their choice.

Our intention is that the fund will be operational in 2026-2027 but will want to take time to develop the finer details in collaboration with rural and island housing partners to ensure that this scheme meets the needs of rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government works collaboratively with a broad range of rural and island stakeholders on a number of housing-related issues. This includes engagement on the development of the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan, published in October 2023, and on affordable housing delivery more generally.

In February 2026 we announced our intention to develop a Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme. The development of the scheme will be taken forward with close engagement with rural and island housing partners.

As set out in the manifesto, we will work in partnership with others to progress funding models that safeguard fiduciary duties, provide secure inflation linked returns and can accelerate the delivery of homes.

The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT) which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.

Police Scotland has stated that it investigated reports of suspicious behaviour and found no evidence of criminality. The safety and wellbeing of pupils in school and in the community is of the utmost importance. Responsibility for the safe operation of schools rest with local authorities, who work closely with Police Scotland to assess and respond to any risks, provide reassurance to pupils and communities, and ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.

NHS Highland has made sustained progress against the 15 recommendations set out in Sir Lewis Ritchie’s report. Most of the recommendations have now been fully implemented, with the remainder either partially implemented or progressed.

The nature of a small number of these recommendations, particularly those relating to workforce, housing, system resilience and partnership working, means that these are not finite end-points but areas requiring sustained focus and continuous improvement.

NHS Highland continues to work closely with local communities and stakeholders to build confidence and trust and to ensure that services evolve in line with local need and experience.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00342 on 5 June 2026. 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.

Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and all children and young people have the right to learn in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment.

Responsibility for the operational management of schools, including responding to bullying incidents and safeguarding concerns, rests with local authorities and schools.

To support schools and local authorities, the Scottish Government published updated anti-bullying guidance in November 2024. We expect all local authorities, schools and organisations to develop and implement anti-bullying policies in line with Respect for All. The guidance is clear that responses to bullying should be addressed in line with a school’s relationships and behaviour policy, with a focus on prevention, early intervention and appropriate support for all children and young people involved.

In 2026-27, we are providing £310,480 to respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service to provide advice, resources, and training for schools, local authorities and parents to help prevent and address bullying.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00537. on 8 June 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.