Chamber and committees

I welcome the report on HMP Kilmarnock from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS), in particular their acknowledgement of good practice and that the transfer from private into public ownership was done in a safe and controlled manner.

I recognise that, faced with the context of the current prison population, HMP Kilmarnock has experienced challenges as seen across the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) estate. All SPS establishments have been required to make operational decisions that maximise available space in order to accommodate a rising and complex prison population.

The wellbeing of those in SPS’ care remains paramount, and in all instances, consideration is given to factors such as social care needs, risk presentation and the classification of prisoners.

The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK.

Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is an automatic annual payment that helps people of State Pension age with winter heating costs.

Official statistics published on 19 May 2026 shows that as of 31 March 2026 over 1.055 million Pension Age Winter Heating Payments were made to eligible clients, with the vast majority paid automatically in December 2025.The information requested for April 2026 is not yet published.

People could apply for Pension Age Winter Heating Payment if they believed they were eligible but had not received a payment by 31 March 2026. Social Security Scotland may therefore make payments after that date where applications are received, awarded or accepted late in certain circumstances.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Heating Benefit Statistics.

Alongside our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement as set out in the social security principles, further enhancements are being made to the review process. These enhancements will include improvements to the scheduled review form, which will strengthen the gathering of relevant information at award review.

We will design these enhancements with disabled people and stakeholders to facilitate fair and robust decision-making and ensure that the values of dignity, fairness and respect are embedded throughout.

The Scottish Government is clear that people should be able to receive the support they need, at the earliest opportunity based on need, and this should not be dependent on formal diagnosis.

Although colleges operate independently of government and universities are autonomous, they are responsible for ensuring students are supported in their learning. Students are encouraged to engage with student support, wellbeing and learning support services, through which needs can be identified and reasonable adjustments put in place. Institutions are supported by Scottish Government funding: the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) delivered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland; the Access and Inclusion Fund in colleges; and the Disabled Students’ Premium which supports inclusive learning and reasonable adjustments for students with additional needs, including those not eligible for DSA.

For school pupils, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, places duties on education authorities and other agencies to identify, meet and review additional support needs, including those arising from neurodevelopmental differences. To support parents/carers, young people and children, the Scottish Government also funds Enquire, the national advice and information service on additional support for learning and My Rights My Say, which supports children aged 12 and over, enabling them to understand and exercise their rights and participate fully in decisions about their education.

At this early stage of the new Parliament, it is not possible to provide a specific date for full implementation beyond the existing commitment. Progress is, however, well underway: twenty partnerships are in development and seven Bairns’ Hooses are already delivering services across Scotland.

Local Authorities are legally required to set a balanced budget for each upcoming financial year and all 32 councils agreed balanced budgets for 2026-27, ahead of the statutory deadline of 11 March 2026.

The Scottish Government appreciate the pressures facing Local Government and that’s why the Local Government Settlement provided record funding of £15.7 billion for 2026-27, including a quarter of a billion pounds of unrestricted General Revenue Grant and full flexibility on council tax. The vast majority of funding allocated by the Scottish Government is provided by means of a block grant and it is then for individual Local Authorities to allocate the total resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, including for Social Care Support for people at home.

The Scottish Government has a long history of working with COSLA and Local Authorities to make sure council finances are sustainable and that available resources can meet long-term commitments. Decisions on future Local Government Settlements will be the subject of negotiations with COSLA on behalf of all 32 Local Authorities and announced as part of the outcome of future Scottish Budgets.

The Democracy Matters Route Map (Published jointly with COSLA in May 2026) outlined the direction of travel to further empower communities and enhance local communities.

Options for how the components of the Route Map are delivered are currently being considered, including how community led plans might be supported to ensure public services better meet local needs and priorities.

We will continue to engage with partners across the public sector and civil society to understand potential implications for community bodies including Community Councils and how resources can best support communities.

Single Authority Models are a key component within the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy, and the joint statement with COSLA on the Local Governance Review published in March 2026, confirmed our ongoing commitment to this foundational reform. We will continue to work with local partners across the three participating geographies to develop and refine proposals which best meet the needs of their communities. This will involve developing plans for implementation and supporting a process of widespread engagement, in particular with local communities and relevant workforces over 2026-2027.

As set out by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic in her statement on 2 June 2026, we will launch a public health campaign promoting safe and healthy use of social media and screen time, recognising that this work must form part of a wider, whole-systems public health approach to tackling online harm. We will provide a further update in due course.