The Scottish Government welcome’s Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessments of the condition of its buildings, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

The management of the Police Scotland estate, including the allocation of resources to the police estate, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

We are investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26. This includes £70 million of capital funding for investment in police assets, including the police estate.

Planning for the Scottish Spending Review has begun, and the review will identify opportunities to optimise the use of Scottish Government funding over the longer term. As part of this process, we are working closely with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to understand their 2026-27 budget requirements.

Our national action plan on relationships and behaviour in schools includes a commitment to refresh our national guidance on attendance – Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1.

Consideration of guidance on part-time timetables has been identified as a key priority for this work. We will also seek to strengthen recording and monitoring processes in the refreshed guidance.

We have established a working group to support this work and we anticipate refreshed guidance will be published in early 2026 to support local authorities, who are responsible for school attendance.

I meet regularly with the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), where we discuss a range of issues which affect their members.

At our meeting on 19 December 2024, the SPF raised concerns about the condition of buildings in the Police Scotland estate, and we discussed the Police Scotland Estates Masterplan.

The Scottish Government welcome’s Police Scotland’s commitment to providing a safe environment for officers, staff and the public.

Management of the Police Scotland estate, including assessing the impact of the condition of police buildings on staff morale, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

It is for the SPA and the Chief Constable to allocate resources to meet their priorities and I expect they will be reflecting fully on any health and safety issues, and of course on the wellbeing of officers and staff.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40057 on 16 September 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 management of the Police Scotland’s estate, including assessments of the condition of its buildings, is an operational matter for the Chief Constable under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority.

I can announce that the refresh of this common core resource for everyone in Scotland working with Scotland’s children and young people has been completed and the updated resource is now available online Supporting Scotland's Children: Core Knowledge and Values

The relaunched resource is now called Supporting Scotland’s Children – Core Knowledge and Values and replaces the previous common core. It provides a clear framework and sets out the essential knowledge and values that everyone working with babies, children, young people and families should share, including children’s rights, wellbeing, safeguarding and partnership working. It reflects current policy priorities including GIRFEC, The Promise, and UNCRC incorporation, and is intended as a practical tool for induction, training, and ongoing learning across all sectors.

A refresh of the Common Core was highlighted as key to Keeping the Promise by 2030 and is set out as a priority in The Promise Scotland’s Change Programme.

The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) was established 20 years ago as an independent regulator and registrar of charities, ensuring that charity regulation remains free from political influence.

Decisions and inquiries undertaken by OSCR, such as those relating to the Clan Donald Lands Trust and the sale of its landholdings, fall entirely within its remit and are not matters for the Scottish Government.

Given the independence of both OSCR and the charities it regulates, it would be inappropriate for Scottish Ministers to comment on individual cases.

If a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, the Scottish Government wants them to be treated as close to home as clinically appropriate. As treatments for cancer become more complex and expensive however, it is not possible to deliver them in every location. We know that the best outcomes are often associated with specialist centres and patients should be fully supported in accessing these.

Where travel is necessary, the Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to work collaboratively with each other and transport providers to make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way.

The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) was established to support families visiting children receiving inpatient care in hospital, for any health condition, to meet some of the costs of hospital visits. This includes providing a contribution to costs relating to travel, subsistence and accommodation. The YPFF was not designed to provide financial support to patients themselves.

Further to this, the Scottish Government provides the overall guidance to NHS Boards for patient travel expenses reimbursement. Several schemes are in place offering financial reimbursement for travel costs for treatment.

The Patient Travel Expenses Scheme (PTES) is Scotland-wide and provides support to those in receipt of certain benefits.

The Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS) reimburses the travel costs of everyone in the Highlands and Islands area required to travel more than 30 miles to a hospital by road or 5 miles by air or land, less the first £10 (unless in receipt of certain benefits).

Under the discretionary scheme, NHS Boards may also choose to reimburse patient travel expenses to those not eligible under PTES or HITS where it is viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and deemed to be clinically necessary.