Chamber and committees

I will be holding discussions with my Officials in the coming months to determine how best to organise and supply additional funding for local roads maintenance. As with all areas of Local Government funding, substantive details around funding allocations and accountability will be considered through the joint COSLA and Scottish Government Settlement and Distribution Group (SDG) prior to recommendations being provided to COSLA Leaders and Scottish Ministers.

The date for this legislation going live has yet to be decided. Our consultation on the approach to implementation closed on 22 May and we aim to publish a report on responses within 12 weeks.

Preparation for implementation is being supported by the Right to Breaks Implementation Steering Group, involving unpaid carer representatives as well as statutory and third sector organisations.

In the meantime, local authorities already have responsibilities to promote a variety of short breaks in their areas and carers who meet local eligibility criteria can continue to access short break support in accordance with their rights under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. Additionally, we are providing £13m in 2026-27 for the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund which enables unpaid carers to benefit from a wide variety of easy-access short breaks.

The Scottish Government has considered the risks associated with reliance on the Vision 3 service. Following the administration of In Practice Systems Limited (INPS) in December 2024, migrations were paused while contractual novation to OneAdvanced was secured, involving extensive due diligence over nine months.

Robust governance, including framework procurement rules, clinical safety assessments, and contractual safeguards, remains in place. Risk mitigation measures include ongoing oversight by the GP IT Service Management Board, a phased rollout of migrations to the Vision system, and supplier performance management. The system continues to be supported, secure, and subject to continuous review, with contingency planning reflected in the extended EMIS PCS GP IT system contract to June 2027 while the programme of migrations to the Vision system is ongoing.

The Scottish Government is working with Motability Operations to understand how any changes stemming from UK Government tax changes in its November 2025 Budget might affect its customers in Scotland who use the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme.

We are aware of the upcoming changes announced by Motability to new and renewing lease customers elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Motability will separately set out in due course how any changes will apply to its future provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right vehicle to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport, and I, met with the Scottish Retail Consortium on 3 May. At that meeting, a commitment was made to engage meaningfully at the appropriate stage of the process.

In February we announced our intention to introduce a Rural and Islands Housing Grant Scheme to complement existing funds within the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, including the Rural and Islands Housing Fund and the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund, both of which are open to application to March 2028.

The development of this new grant scheme will be taken forward with rural and housing partners. The scheme will be open to individuals to help meet the cost of securing a permanent home. It is expected it will provide support to first time buyers, families, rural returners and others to help them access affordable owner occupation in the rural and island communities of their choice.

Our intention is that the fund will be operational in 2026-2027 but will want to take time to develop the finer details in collaboration with rural and island housing partners to ensure that this scheme meets the needs of rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government works collaboratively with a broad range of rural and island stakeholders on a number of housing-related issues. This includes engagement on the development of the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan, published in October 2023, and on affordable housing delivery more generally.

In February 2026 we announced our intention to develop a Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme. The development of the scheme will be taken forward with close engagement with rural and island housing partners.

As set out in the manifesto, we will work in partnership with others to progress funding models that safeguard fiduciary duties, provide secure inflation linked returns and can accelerate the delivery of homes.

The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT) which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.

Police Scotland has stated that it investigated reports of suspicious behaviour and found no evidence of criminality. The safety and wellbeing of pupils in school and in the community is of the utmost importance. Responsibility for the safe operation of schools rest with local authorities, who work closely with Police Scotland to assess and respond to any risks, provide reassurance to pupils and communities, and ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are in place.