I am disappointed that, based on latest estimates, we have not met our target to reduce food waste by 33% by 2025. The reasons behind this are complex, and partly reflect changed consumer behaviour since the pandemic. Scotland is not alone in facing this challenge and higher food waste levels have been observed across the UK.

However, I am taking action to reset the Government’s approach and the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map sets out how we will deliver more targeted action to support householders and businesses.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-02777 on 23 November 2023 on advising that in 2023 the Scottish Government discussed school provision in the Dargavel and Bishopton areas with Renfrewshire Council. While the Scottish Government has since sought updates, it has had no role in developing the Park Mains High School expansion planning application (25/0510/PP), submitted to Renfrewshire Council on 30th June 2025. It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to manage their school estates. Answer to oral questions can be found: Meeting of the Parliament: 23/11/2023 | Scottish Parliament Website

Primary responsibility for determining planning applications and local planning matters lies with the local planning authority in the first instance. All planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. As this is a live planning case it would be not be appropriate to comment on the merits or handling of the case.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41180 on 28 October 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’s Fair Work Action Plan includes a commitment to working with employers, workers and trade unions to strengthen effective voice, through a range of appropriate channels. Worker representation on company boards could be a potential channel for effective voice, noting that the forms of worker representation will vary across sectors and organisations.

While employment and industrial relations legislation continue to be reserved, the Scottish Government cannot mandate employers to provide effective voice channels for workers however recipients of public sector grants awarded on or after 1 July 2023 are now subject to Fair Work First conditionality. This requires them to pay at least the real Living Wage to their workers and provide appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice.

Local authorities receive money through the general revenue grant, and it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available, including on support for bus services, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled its statutory obligations. In 2025-26 the Scottish Government provided record funding of over £15.1 billion to local authorities, a real terms increase of 5.5%.

The Scottish Government continues to provide financial support for bus services, including subsidised bus services, with £49.5m allocated in 2025-26 for the Network Support Grant.

The Scottish Government delivered all the powers within the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, which enables each local transport authority to determine the options that are available to them to improve bus provision in their area.

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

I have asked Gerard Hart, Chief Executive of Disclosure Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

There has never been a provision in law for supervised working while organisations were waiting to obtain a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme record. Until 1 April 2025, the PVG scheme was not a legal requirement therefore organisations could choose to have people in regulated work without seeing PVG scheme membership.

In forecasting volumes resultant from the legal requirement to be in the PVG scheme if carrying out a regulated role, Disclosure Scotland expected 50,000 additional applications against normal levels and diverted 10 full-time equivalent staff from other areas of the business to help manage delivering disclosure processing and support services. Planning included that, from 1 April onwards, application volumes and resources were monitored daily through checkpoint meetings to enable timely decision-making.

Within normal resource, Disclosure Scotland has historically exceeded its Service Level Agreement (SLA) of 90% of applications processed within 14 days. In 2023-24, 95.3% of applications were completed within 14 days and in 2024-25, 97.7% within 14 days.

Disclosure Scotland is currently performing within its SLA to process 90% of applications within 14 days.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving perinatal and infant mental health services across Scotland. Anyone with more complex grief where engagement with specialist mental health services would be particularly beneficial should be able to access support through Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention (MNPI) services, as part of their maternity and neonatal care.

Since 2019, our continued investment has resulted in a substantial increase in MNPI services across Scotland. All NHS Boards now provide these services either from a dedicated local team or, for very small Board areas, via pathways to MNPI care in larger Boards that host the maternity hospitals where the patient is receiving inpatient care.

To support greater funding stability, since 2025-26, funding is now included in the recurring baselined funds made available to NHS Boards to use flexibly to deliver the outcomes in the Enhanced Mental Health Outcomes Framework, which includes outcomes related to improving Perinatal and Infant Mental Health services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40861 on 28 October 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40670 on 30 September 2025.

Ministers would be pleased to meet with the Scottish Traditional Building Forum (STBF).

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.