Chamber and committees

I am pleased to see Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and its hard-working staff, leading on marking this significant milestone both internally and through a series of communications. HIE’s Chief Executive Stuart Black, highlighted the approaching anniversary in his recent blog: Celebrating 60 years – shaping the future of the Highlands and Islands | HIE in August.

Ministers have been invited to join an evening reception to celebrate the joint 60 anniversary of HIE and Prosper, in Inverness on 27 November. And the First Minister is delighted to have the opportunity to address HIE staff in early November as the Anniversary arrives, to reflect on the past 60 years and to thank HIE colleagues for their hard work and contribution to economic development across the Highlands and Islands.

During 2024 to 2025, HIE have supported over 600 projects and secured £81 million in external investment in the region. That, alongside £28 million flowing into community projects, and social enterprises, as HIE continues to prove its worth as a key part of our economic development landscape.

The economic potential of the region is massive, as evidenced by the publication of the Regional Transformational Opportunities research | HIE commissioned by HIE. The First Minister and I have both put on record our support for the work that HIE do, and we will continue to advocate strongly for the key contribution HIE, makes to the economy of the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government’s National Shipbuilding Office to ensure that the Scottish Shipbuilding industry benefits from the national and international opportunities of its Shipbuilding Strategy. There are no current plans to develop a Scottish shipbuilding strategy.

The Scottish Government's most recent fuel poverty scenario modelling was published Friday October 3rd covering the October to December 2025 period under an Ofgem price cap of £1,755 for the typical dual fuel household paying by direct debit and is available online. This analysis estimated a national fuel poverty rate of 33% (830,000 households) and an extreme fuel poverty rate of 17% (420,000 households).

In an energy rich country like Scotland, nobody should be struggling to pay their energy bills. We need urgent action from the UK Government to fulfil their promise to cut bills by £300.

I can announce that the refresh of this common core resource for everyone in Scotland working with Scotland’s children and young people has been completed and the updated resource is now available online Supporting Scotland's Children: Core Knowledge and Values

The relaunched resource is now called Supporting Scotland’s Children – Core Knowledge and Values and replaces the previous common core. It provides a clear framework and sets out the essential knowledge and values that everyone working with babies, children, young people and families should share, including children’s rights, wellbeing, safeguarding and partnership working. It reflects current policy priorities including GIRFEC, The Promise, and UNCRC incorporation, and is intended as a practical tool for induction, training, and ongoing learning across all sectors.

A refresh of the Common Core was highlighted as key to Keeping the Promise by 2030 and is set out as a priority in The Promise Scotland’s Change Programme.

If a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, the Scottish Government wants them to be treated as close to home as clinically appropriate. As treatments for cancer become more complex and expensive however, it is not possible to deliver them in every location. We know that the best outcomes are often associated with specialist centres and patients should be fully supported in accessing these.

Where travel is necessary, the Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to work collaboratively with each other and transport providers to make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) was established to support families visiting children receiving inpatient care in hospital, for any health condition, to meet some of the costs of hospital visits. This includes providing a contribution to costs relating to travel, subsistence and accommodation. The YPFF was not designed to provide financial support to patients themselves.

Further to this, the Scottish Government provides the overall guidance to NHS Boards for patient travel expenses reimbursement. Several schemes are in place offering financial reimbursement for travel costs for treatment.

The Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) is Scotland-wide and provides support to those in receipt of certain benefits.

The Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS) reimburses the travel costs of everyone in the Highlands and Islands area required to travel more than 30 miles to a hospital by road or 5 miles by air or land, less the first £10 (unless in receipt of certain benefits).

Under the discretionary scheme, NHS Boards may also choose to reimburse patient travel expenses to those not eligible under PTES or HITS where it is viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and deemed to be clinically necessary.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of visible policing for public confidence. However, perceptions of community safety are shaped by a range of factors, including falling levels of crime, local police engagement, and broader community support.

Crime in Scotland has fallen significantly under this administration.

Scotland is a safer place since this government took office. Recorded crime remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic (2019-20), and is down 39% since 2006-07.

The proportion of adults who were a victim of violent and property crime has also fallen from one-in-five (20.4%) in 2008-09 to one-in-eight (12.1%) in 2023-24 and the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey (2023-24) showed more people feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark increasing from 66% in 2008-09 to 75% in 2023-24. Over the same time period the proportion of adults who thought violence between groups of individuals or gangs was common in their area fell from 26% to 13%.

The Scottish Government have increased police funding year on year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6bn since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. In 2025-26, we will increase the police funding to £1.64 billion , an increase of £90 million on 2024-25, to support police capacity and capability.

Our investment in policing enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. The latest official statistics show there were 16,427 full time equivalent police officers at 30 June 2025.

Police Scotland also has a healthy recruitment pipeline having welcomed around 1,500 new officers since the beginning of 2024 including a further 136 new recruits on 1 September 2025.

Specific Police Scotland officer number statistics by division, can be found by following the link.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of visible policing for public confidence. However, perceptions of community safety are shaped by a range of factors, including falling levels of crime, local police engagement, and broader community support.

Crime in Scotland has fallen significantly under this administration.

Scotland is a safer place since this government took office. Recorded crime remains below the position immediately prior to the pandemic (2019-20), and is down 39% since 2006-07.

The proportion of adults who were a victim of violent and property crime has also fallen from one-in-five (20.4%) in 2008-09 to one-in-eight (12.1%) in 2023-24 and the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey (2023-24) showed more people feel safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark increasing from 66% in 2008-09 to 75% in 2023-24. Over the same time period the proportion of adults who thought violence between groups of individuals or gangs was common in their area fell from 26% to 13%.

The Scottish Government have increased police funding year on year since 2016-17, investing more than £14.6bn since the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. In 2025-26, we will increase the police funding to £1.64 billion , an increase of £90 million on 2024-25, to support police capacity and capability.

Our investment in policing enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits last financial year than at any time since 2013, with further intakes planned throughout 2025. The latest official statistics show there were 16,427 full time equivalent police officers at 30 June 2025.

Police Scotland also has a healthy recruitment pipeline having welcomed around 1,500 new officers since the beginning of 2024 including a further 136 new recruits on 1 September 2025.

Specific Police Scotland officer number statistics by division, can be found by following the link.

The Scottish Government welcome’s Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including contingency plans in the event that any of Police Scotland’s buildings are deemed unsafe, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40762 on 9 October 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

I, with officials, recently met with victims who have an interest in the regulations and changes that will be made to exclusions zones in licence conditions. The Government will also, and shortly, engage further with Victim Support Scotland, and other stakeholders to promote and encourage views on how best to develop these changes into operational practice.