Chamber and committees

At time of the transition to public ownership and control of ScotRail, in order to maintain service levels while minimising disruption to staff, it was decided that the contracts for the contact centre, finance and payroll which were delivered to ScotRail by a third party provider, would remain external.

The contract for the contact centre, which is coming to an end, has been awarded to Teleperformance Ltd, who will maintain the continuity of providing the service.

ScotRail will bring the abovementioned functions in-house, as soon as it is practicable to do so.

We continue to provide Scotland’s farmers, crofters and land managers with the most generous package of direct support in the UK, investing over £660 million in support to agriculture. Support schemes such as the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme, the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme and the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme all help to support our sheep producers.

The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 provides the powers to create a new future payment framework and this approach provides future flexibility to respond to geopolitical, economic, climate and nature challenges which will enable rural communities to thrive. The purposes for which support can be provided are specified within Schedule 1 of the Act, which includes wool, and is aimed at providing the flexibility to support all our producers.

The Scottish Government remains committed to The Art Works project in Granton. Discussions are ongoing between the Scottish Government, NGS and the wider collections sector to ensure the project delivers the best value for money from any further Scottish Government investment.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has confirmed that the next multi-year Scottish Spending Review and infrastructure pipeline will be published alongside the 2026-27 Budget. The Scottish Government remains committed to infrastructure investment as a key lever in securing economic growth, tackling the climate crisis, and delivering high-quality public infrastructure across Scotland.

Spreading benefits across Scotland is a key objective for the Scottish Government of hosting the 2028 UEFA European football championships. This includes economic benefits and a well-designed social impact programme to enhance the wellbeing of people living in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is working with a range of stakeholders to develop a social impact programme for Scotland aligned to the tournament which it is expected will see activity across the country in the lead up to, during and after the tournament. The Scottish Government is also working with partners to ensure that economic benefits of hosting are realised. Information will be provided to Parliament once this work has developed further.

A post tournament evaluation will be conducted to assess the benefits of hosting.

Further to my answer to question S6W-38874 on 11 July 2025, in which I recognised the recent Court judgement reflecting the potential for animal welfare to be a material consideration, in determining any application or appeal, it is for the planning authority, or as the case may be the Scottish Ministers (or reporters on their behalf), who are considering the proposed development to decide what matters are material to their consideration on a case by case basis. Furthermore, the weight to be attached to any specific matter raised in any individual case rests with the decision-maker.

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.

Seafood Scotland plays a pivotal part in the portrait of Scottish success. It offers invaluable support to businesses across the entire seafood supply chain - from wild caught fisheries to aquaculture producers, processors to retailers. It is also vital in supporting and promoting Scotland's world-class seafood industry. Of course, sustainability is key, and a healthy marine environment is the foundation upon which this prosperity is built.

Seafood Scotland is at the forefront of Sustainability in Scotland, through various schemes, projects and attending major industry trade shows. Just last year Seafood Scotland partnered with the Global Seafood Alliance to host the Responsible Seafood Summit, and this year launched the Scottish Ocean Cluster, representing a bold new approach to maximising the value and sustainability of our seafood industry. They also provide crucial outreach, such as the education and training for chefs globally to foster a deeper appreciation for the quality and sustainability of Scotland's seafood, and in Scotland they have revived their impactful Seafood in Schools program.

Scottish Government funding investment through Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) is a signal of the importance we place in their role delivering for industry, supporting a wide range of initiatives that drive innovation, enhance sustainability, and build greater prosperity in our marine industries. The MFS application contains Key Performance Indicators and Seafood Scotland are required to submit reports commenting on progress towards & achievement of these.

The Scottish Government has committed to launching the AI Scotland programme, announced in the Programme for Government in May, to lead the development of a refreshed national AI plan. This builds on the current AI Strategy, which concludes in 2026.

AI Scotland will be a national transformation programme aimed at accelerating AI adoption and innovation across sectors. It is being delivered through close collaboration between business, academia, government, and public agencies.

The refresh process is currently underway. Further updates will be shared publicly as new commitments and deliverables are finalised under the AI Scotland programme.

Air Weapons licensing statistics are published by Police Scotland annually. Available data only reaches as far back as 2018, Police Scotland have received the following amounts of applications for each year from 2018, including renewal applications:

2018-19 - 7,436

2019-20 - 3,376

2020-21 - 5,349

2021-22 - 7,673

2022-23 - 9,955

2023-24 - 6,643

2024-25 - 4,155

Last year we invested £3.6m into H@H for Older People, this funding was awarded through an application process in partnership with Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Aberdeen City requested and received £7,529.48 for 2024-25 to support the expansion of their Hospital at Home service for older people and acute adults.

This funding enabled the team to focus on improving and standardising processes, and efficiency of their service. This included additional GP input to enable further engagement with primary care and increase direct referrals into their service which now operates 7 days a week. Ensuring those experiencing frailty can be managed at home is the core focus of the service, however further pathways have been developed in respiratory, acute medicine and Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT).