Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government holds no records of any communication between the First Minister’s office and the Scottish National Party headquarters in March 2020 regarding Covid-19 public messaging, including on panic buying, supermarket shortages or public behaviour.

Ministers did not receive any internal advice or briefing marked “official sensitive”, or a similar classification marking, before 9 March 2020 relating to panic buying, supermarket shortages or supply-chain pressures.

There are no specific requirements under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016 or Regulations for how a rent increase notice is to be served.

The Scottish Government Model Tenancy Agreement includes a section for landlords and tenants to agree how they will communicate during the tenancy including how notices will be served.

Tenants should check their tenancy agreement to see what it says about how notices will be sent during the tenancy.

If an online document portal is to be used by a landlord as a way of emailing the rent increase notice, the landlord should explain this in the tenancy agreement and the tenant should have clear instruction as to how to access and use the online document portal.

If a landlord or tenant is unsure of their legal rights and duties under the tenancy agreement they should seek independent legal advice.

The procurement and safe deployment of assets is an operational matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). It is important to note that the eight Ford Ranger Ultra-Light Pumping Units are replacing legacy fire appliances. These are not dedicated wildfire appliances, but they can be called upon to provide support at a wildfire incident if required. These units are not the same appliances as the ten Ford Ranger Wildfire Units which SFRS has previously confirmed are operational for dedicated wildfire management.

As of 3 June 2026, these vehicles are not operational, however, SFRS has confirmed that operational capability at the fire stations which will be receiving these appliances has not been impacted. SFRS notes that installation of the latest pumping and communication systems in these units is complete and envisages training and delivery of all units by the end of this summer.

The Scottish Government supports Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and training providers to work with employers to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships to their businesses.

SDS currently has operational responsibility for managing apprenticeship funding and delivery, and regularly monitors demand across all sectors.

SDS promote all types of apprenticeship opportunities, including in regulatory services, as an attractive career path through their all-age career service, in every local authority. An SDS Careers Adviser is embedded in every school in Scotland to highlight the career options available to people, including apprenticeships.

The My World of Work website, used in schools to support young people, includes in depth information about apprenticeships, whilst apprenticeships.scot is promoted to all ages as the main source of information about Scottish Apprenticeships. SDS also work with partners and employers to highlight the importance of apprenticeships particularly through Scottish Apprenticeship Week.

We will continue to work with key stakeholders to assess sectoral skill needs across the economy and ensure that all sectors, including the regulatory sector, can access appropriate support where required.

The Scottish Government draws on a range of evidence to inform its understanding of construction workforce requirements, including Skills Development Scotland’s Sectoral Skills Assessments, which provide an overview of workforce demand and supply across the construction sector.

We also engage regularly with a broad range of partners to ensure the skills system is responsive to the needs of the construction sector and supports delivery of Scotland’s housing priorities. This includes key stakeholder representative bodies, such as Homes for Scotland, to ensure we are aware of current and emerging issues affecting the construction workforce.

Given the number of variables influencing the pace, scale and delivery of housing projects, including market conditions, planning considerations and investment decisions, it is not however possible to produce a precise estimate of total workforce demand, current supply or any projected shortfall over a five-year period.

Progress against delivery of A Connected Scotland is monitored and reported through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Advisory Group (SIALAG), which will be chaired by the Minister for Equalities and International Development.

In recognition of the significant impact being delivered by funded activity, and the continued importance of tackling social isolation and loneliness, the Scottish Government has extended the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund to March 2027. This means total funding for 2026-27 will amount to over £1.05 million. The fund will be evaluated on its completion. Work is underway with SIALAG members to consider the future priorities of the social isolation and loneliness programme, as such the 2026 report has been delayed to bring it in line with this work and the conclusion of the fund.

The Scottish Government recognises that construction sector capacity, including the availability of labour, as well as the capability and capacity of firms, is key to the delivery of housing targets.

We engage regularly with local authorities who have responsibility for assessing local housing requirements and setting out delivery priorities in their Strategic Housing Investment Plans. We also engage broadly with registered social landlords who are responsible for procuring construction activity, and this engagement informs our understanding of strategic and operational delivery challenges including those related to construction sector capacity.

We have not produced a single estimate of the gap between planned and deliverable housing supply. This is due to the wide range of variables that affect delivery, including market conditions, supply chain pressures, planning factors and investment decisions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00006 on 2 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

There are various national policies and guidance documents currently in place which require NHS Health Boards to appropriately record and report incidents of violence and aggression, including sexual assault. This includes the Work-related Violence and Aggression Policy, and accompanying guides, which details the responsibilities of staff and managers, the procedures for reporting incidents and the support available to those affected. We have also published the NHS Public Protection Accountability and Assurance Framework, which sets out exemplar evidence of high-quality, safe and effective services that promote the protection of adults and children. Where there is concern about potential harm to a child, the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland makes clear that all concerns that a child has been abused or is at risk of abuse must be reported to the police or social work.

Sexual assaults occurring in our hospitals is unacceptable, and all Health Boards are expected to uphold their legal duties as employers to keep staff, patients and visitors safe. All crimes and instances of violent behaviour, including sexual assaults, should be reported to Police Scotland. The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with sexual offending.