Chamber and committees

Scottish Government has been informed of a memorandum of understanding and initial business case between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) to carry out technical work to evaluate the potential transfer of the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment, near to Caithness, from the MOD to the NDA when the site reaches the end of its operational life. As this relates to initial work to consider the viability of a potential transfer, Scottish Ministers are not required to endorse or approve this.

Under the terms of the Energy Act 2004 any proposal to give the NDA additional responsibilities, including any defence liabilities, in Scotland requires agreement from Scottish Ministers and a Designation Direction under the Energy Act 2004 would require to be laid at the Scottish Parliament so Scottish Ministers agreement would be required for any transfer. We expect that Vulcan will continue operations until at least April 2027.

Since the report from the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour was published on 25 February 2025, the Scottish Government has been engaging with partners including COSLA and Police Scotland regarding a comprehensive response. The Scottish Government’s response to the report will be made available to both Members of the Scottish Parliament and the wider public as soon as practicable.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with partners, including antisocial behaviour teams in local authorities, regarding best practice in this area. The Government also engages with colleagues in Police Scotland and other agencies to ensure they have the capacity and capability for tackling antisocial behaviour.

A) Under the terms of the Energy Act 2004 any proposal to give the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) additional responsibilities in Scotland, including defence liabilities, requires agreement from Scottish Ministers and a Designation Direction under the Energy Act 2004 would require to be laid at the Scottish Parliament.

B) Scottish Ministers have not agreed any transfer of defence liabilities in Scotland from the Ministry of Defence to the NDA as no formal proposal to transfer any such liabilities has been presented to us.

The overall budget for hosting the Tour de France Grand Départ 2027 is still being finalised. The event is being funded through a combination of public and private investment, with contributions from the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, UK Government, and commercial partnerships. The Scottish Government contribution will be announced to parliament in due course.

We intend to report annually on the progress of the Service Renewal Framework (SRF). Implementation is well under way to deliver the stated actions in the SRF, with a particular focus on the Year One actions published.

With regard to resourcing, the SRF is designed to make better use of the resources we already have — not to rely on new funding. It is about doing things differently, not doing more with less. It is a ten-year plan to make health and care services more sustainable, effective, and person-centred.

By aligning efforts and promoting collaboration, the SRF will support partners to get the most value from the totality of public investment. As financial sustainability is key to the SRF, financial implications will be considered in parallel with the refinement of actions, including understanding the investment required and development of cost/benefits calculations.

There are no plans to define rural crime in legislation. The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the work of the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime which has collectively defined rural crime as “Any crime that occurs in a rural location, or affects any person living, working or visiting a rural location.”

The First Minister met the President of the United States in the Oval Office of the White House on 9 September 2025. They discussed a variety of issues including the Scotch Whisky industry. The conversation included the President sharing his views on the Open Championship golf tournament.

Section 7 of the Act was brought into force on 26 June 2024 but only insofar as for the purpose of section 8 (removal of certain trustees by court: unfitness). The Scottish Government’s preferred approach is to allow the remaining provisions of the Act to be brought into force at the same time as a Scotland Act Order extends relevant provisions to pensions trusts and officials are working closely with UK Government colleagues to progress this work.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling retail crime was reaffirmed in our Programme for Government, which makes clear our strong support for Police Scotland’s robust approach in addressing this issue.

The Scottish Government has commenced work on developing a multi-year Scottish Spending Review, which will deliver on its priorities in a fiscally sustainable way. The Government’s core priorities will sit at the heart of the spending review process, and guide how and where we will allocate funding.

Decisions on the future of the funding for retail crime, will be taken in the context of developing the 2026-27 budget and the Scottish Spending Review.