Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to improving our existing funded ELC offer and to delivering a childcare system that is both fair and affordable, giving children the best possible start in life and supporting parents and carers to work, train and take up education opportunities. I welcome any work that considers how we can further our goals of improving children’s outcomes, supporting family wellbeing and addressing the determinants of child poverty.

The Scottish Government continues to take a range of actions to ensure families have access to affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare, despite the challenging financial circumstances we are operating in. We have invested around £1 billion every year in funded early learning and childcare since 2021. This is fundamental to giving children the best start in life, and instrumental in working to eradicate child poverty, which is this Government’s national mission.

In 2016, Scottish Government legislation came into force that increased the maximum sentence for weapons possession from four years to five years. The average length of custodial sentence for weapons possession in 2022-23 was 332 days; this compares with 218 days in 2007-08 and represents an increase of 52%.

The prosecution of knife crime is an independent operational matter for COPFS.

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions with airport operators in relation to drop-off fees for blue badge holders.

Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, and Inverness Airports already offer free access to allow drop-off and pick-up for Blue Badge holders. Further information is available on the relevant operator websites.

Scotland's Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030 confirms the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop further measures to tackle consumption of problematic single-use items and promote uptake of reusable alternatives , prioritising action on single-use drinks cups, as part of wider work to promote responsible consumption, production and reuse.

The Scottish Government has consulted on proposals to introduce a minimum 25p charge on single-use drinks cups, to tackle their significant environmental impact. The findings from the independent analysis of the consultation, published in June 2025, indicated there was support amongst the public for a charge. We are now working closely with stakeholders to develop an approach that is deliverable, taking on board the views of businesses and consumers and giving them ample time to prepare. We are taking time to fully consider the issues raised in the consultation to ensure the charge is effective, proportionate, and fair.

The Scottish Government is also committed to matching or exceeding the standards set out by the EU Directive on single-use plastics where we are able to do so and in a manner that contributes towards maintaining and advancing standards, and is committed to building on the work done to ban on some of the most problematic single-use plastic products through the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

For example, on 1 June 2025, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging is also being implemented this year on a four nations basis across the UK. It will incentivise businesses to reduce excess packaging, to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable, and encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging.

The cost of repair work on the A90 between St Ann’s and Keithock junctions near Brechin is not available. This is because expenditure is not recorded for specific sections of the trunk road. Instead, costs are collated and reported as a total spend for the A90 as a whole. The following table shows the expenditure breakdown for the A90 as a whole for the years 2015-2025.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39149 on 22 July 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 recognises the huge pressure that escalating debt levels are putting on countries in the Global South, particularly when compounded with the climate crisis and with the recent cuts to aid budgets. We agree that there must be a fair, effective and long-term resolution to the global debt crisis, so that resources can be freed up for investment in health, education and climate action.

The Scottish Government provides its international development and climate justice funding as direct grants, not loans – allowing for sustainable development without adding financial strain. We have consistently advocated for other countries to follow our example and we will continue to champion the need for grant-based finance, including at COP30 in Brazil.

The Scottish Government has invested £33 million in specialist staff and £11.3 million on facilities to deliver thrombectomy treatment since the financial year 2020-21.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40140 on 24 September 2025. The assessment of condition is being prepared in line with our duties, and will include the impact of human activity and pressures on the marine area. 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.

We are aware of our duties under Section 5 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, and the National Marine Plan 2 is being constructed using a robust and transparent evidence base. The assessment of condition is being informed by existing evidence and date, including but not limited to Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 (SMA2020) and data which informed our 2024 review of the NMP.