Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that individuals impacted by Huntington’s disease, including those in the NHS Highland area, can access the mental health support they need.

This includes access to community mental health teams and psychiatry by referral through their GP or a Huntington’s specialist. Clinical leads and Huntington’s disease specialists, supported by the Scottish Huntington’s Association network, coordinate physical and mental health care and provide clear pathways to mental health services, including psychiatry.

We have published Core Mental Health Quality Standards which aim to ensure equitable access to mental health services, through clear referral processes, reduced barriers, and prioritisation of those most in need, which could include those with Huntington’s.

VisitScotland’s system does not allow point in time reporting required to share location-specific information for staff for each December since 2018.

VisitScotland’s staff numbers at the end of each financial year are reported in its annual accounts as follows:

In accordance with the Scottish Ministerial Code paragraph 6.42, Ministers should use Government systems for all Government business. Any communication on Government business engages Ministers’ obligations to ensure accurate public records are kept.

The Scottish Government policy on use of mobile messaging apps can only be enforced using technical means on corporate devices connected to the Scottish Government network.

• Highlands and Islands includes the following local authorities: Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles (aka Outer Hebrides / Eilean Siar).
• Average spend figures are shown in pounds. These figures are nominal and have not been adjusted for inflation.
• There is a break in the time series in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID19 pandemic so there is no data available for these years.
• The source for domestic overnight figures is the Great Britain Tourism Survey.
• The source for international figures is the International Passenger Survey.

We recognise the challenges in maintaining Scotland’s road network and the vital importance of ensuring roads are safe and well-maintained.

Under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, local authorities are responsible for the improvement, maintenance, and repair of local roads. The Scottish Government is providing over £15 billion in the 2025-26 Local Government Settlement, increasing the resources available to Local Government by £1 billion, a real terms increase of 4.7%. It is the responsibility of each local authority to manage their own budget and to allocate the financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Transport Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Ministers, is responsible for the management and maintenance of the trunk road network through the Operating Company contracts. Our Operating Companies conduct inspections every 7 days, and will address any defects which present immediate safety risks, by carrying out temporary repairs by 6 am the following day and permanent repairs within 28 days.

The 2025-26 draft Budget allocates a record £714 million for trunk road maintenance, supporting the continued safety and operation of the trunk road network.

The following table captures current roles and locations and indicates whether the role has been in place since 2018:

(a) It was never envisaged that the Verity House Agreement principles themselves would be introduced in legislation. However, much of the language used in the Verity House Agreement was heavily drawn upon from the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The Scottish Government remains fully committed to supporting Mark Ruskell MSP to progress his Member’s Bill to incorporate the Charter into domestic law as soon as practical.

(b) A commitment was made within the Verity House Agreement to jointly considered the first year of implementation, not to complete annual reviews. This was fulfilled through the stocktake report published on the 21 November 2024. We are in the process of creating Accountability and Assurance arrangements and a monitoring framework and have committed to regular engagement with COSLA. These will ensure the delivery of our joint priorities and that VHA principles are being adhered to.

The cost of maintaining the Scottish Government in each of the last five years is provided in the following table.

There were no prosecutions under the Conservation of Salmon (Prohibition of Sale) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, where main crime, between 2021-22 and 2022-23.

The following table captures current roles and locations and indicates whether the role has been in place since 2018: