Chamber and committees

I undertook Scotland’s Offshore Wind and Clean Energy Technologies programme at Expo Osaka, Kansai 2025. She also undertook a programme of business engagements to support a Scottish trade mission. I travelled to Tokyo on 14 September and departed on 19 September having undertaken a full programme of engagements.

I followed the steps for seeking approval for international travel and the slip request was confirmed by the Minister for Parliamentary Business on 3 September, confirming the visit could go ahead.

I was supported in Japan by three Scottish Government officials and three SDI officials based in Northeast Asia.

The following companies made up the trade delegation:

• Energy Transition Zone (ETZ)
• Enerfloat
• Eodex
• OEG Renewables
• James Fisher Renewables
• Orkney Islands Council
• Eyemouth Harbour
• Fraserburgh Harbour
• Highland Deephaven Ltd

The Scottish Government is determined to improve care and support for people with chronic pain. Progress continues with our Implementation Plan which sets out the actions we will take to address the things people with chronic pain have told us matter most to them.

It is our intention that people can access safe, effective, evidence-based care and support. Decisions about the appropriateness of referral to pain specialist services, or medications for pain management, will be made by the clinician in discussion with the patient, with reference to their medical history and line with clinical best practice. Calmare therapy is not currently recommended for use in the UK.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

To address local needs, the Scottish Government is providing £150,000 for Neighbourhood Watch Scotland in 2025 – 26 to promote safety, resilience and community cohesion through their growing network of connected local community groups. NWS plays an important role in offering reassurance to local communities by sharing messages on potential criminal activities in the area, offering advice on keeping safe, and encouraging communities to look out for one another – especially the elderly and vulnerable. NWS has recently run events specifically targeted at older people such as a session with the West Lothian 50+ Network in Bathgate.

The Scottish Government also supports Crimestoppers Scotland through £182, 500 of funding for 2025 – 26. Crimestoppers aims to reach and support communities experiencing higher levels of crime, those who are at risk of harm, and the most vulnerable in our communities.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

To address local needs and challenges, the Scottish Government also supports Crimestoppers Scotland through £182, 500 of funding for 2025–26. Crimestoppers aims to reach and support communities experiencing higher levels of crime, those who are at risk of harm, and the most vulnerable in our communities.

Neighbourhood Watch Scotland seeks to target its events and activities in areas of deprivation. NWS recently attended the Crime Prevention and Scam Awareness Day in Dundee.

At a national level, the Scottish Government has invested over £6 million since 2023 in our Violence Prevention Framework, supporting early intervention and diversion from violence. A number of programmes including No Knives, Better Lives, Medics Against Violence, and Mentors in Violence Prevention are reaching thousands of young people to support and empower them to make safer choices.

Through Curriculum for Excellence, children and young people learn about a variety of substances, including nicotine pouches.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Young Scot and other third sector organisations to ensure that young people, their teachers, parents and carers have access to accurate, evidence based, information on nicotine products.

In addition, the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill), if passed, will introduce new restrictions on age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and nicotine products across the 4 nations.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products and it will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

An update on implementation timescales for the Bill will be provided following Royal Assent.

As per my reply to you in the chamber on 01 October, once a definitive direction as to what could replace traditional farrowing crates is determined, we will then consider the possible options which may be made available for producers transitioning away from traditional farrowing crates.

With regards to the Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to consult on phasing out the use of farrowing crates. I would refer you to the answer to question S6W-36181 on. 22 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.

The Scottish Government remains committed to this work and the recent roundtable table discussion with industry, animal welfare organisations and academic representatives was the first steps in finding ways to ensure producer’s viability and improving sow welfare.

We will continue to listen and work with the industry and stakeholders to find ways for producers to transition towards implementing improved animal welfare methods and practices.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

Data from the Safer Communities and Justice Statistics shows that three in four adults said that they felt very safe or fairly safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark in 2023–24, a number which has been stable since 2016–17. This is an 11% increase from 2008–09.

There are no current plans to introduce private verification in Scotland. Local authorities are appointed by Scottish Ministers as verifiers to administer the building standards system for their own geographical area. The appointments are conditional on verifiers meeting the requirements set out in Operating and Performance Frameworks.

The Grenfell Inquiry’s Phase 2 report recommended that an independent panel consider whether or not it is in the public interest for building control functions to continue to be performed by those who have a commercial interest in the process, as is the case in England.

During the development of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill) the Scottish Government has had constructive discussions on new restrictions for all nicotine products. The Bill, if passed, will introduce restrictions on the age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and all nicotine products across the 4 nations. Some of these new restrictions will be similar to current restrictions on tobacco products. The Bill will also extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

The UK wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, empowers the Secretary of State to limit the amount of nicotine in a nicotine pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch.

The powers within the Bill, subject to consultation, can be used to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength. The Secretary of State will be required to obtain the consent of the Scottish Ministers where regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.