Chamber and committees

The Democracy Matters Route Map (Published jointly with COSLA in May 2026) outlined the direction of travel to further empower communities and enhance local communities.

Options for how the components of the Route Map are delivered are currently being considered, including how community led plans might be supported to ensure public services better meet local needs and priorities.

We will continue to engage with partners across the public sector and civil society to understand potential implications for community bodies including Community Councils and how resources can best support communities.

Single Authority Models are a key component within the Scottish Government’s Public Service Reform Strategy, and the joint statement with COSLA on the Local Governance Review published in March 2026, confirmed our ongoing commitment to this foundational reform. We will continue to work with local partners across the three participating geographies to develop and refine proposals which best meet the needs of their communities. This will involve developing plans for implementation and supporting a process of widespread engagement, in particular with local communities and relevant workforces over 2026-2027.

As set out by the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic in her statement on 2 June 2026, we will launch a public health campaign promoting safe and healthy use of social media and screen time, recognising that this work must form part of a wider, whole-systems public health approach to tackling online harm. We will provide a further update in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00581 on 8 June 2026. 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 National Treatment Centres are currently delivering one cataract every 30 minutes as per the Royal College of Ophthalmologists’ guidelines.

Residential Properties

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the homeowner. To confirm the presence of RAAC, any property suspected of having RAAC requires a survey by a qualified professional which homeowners would need to agree to.

Intelligence gathering, undertaken as part of the RAAC Cross Sector Working Group, has indicated that RAAC has not been used extensively as a building material in private sector house building in Scotland. However, some homes containing RAAC have passed into private ownership through Right to Buy transactions and other mechanisms.

The Scottish Housing Regulator wrote to all social landlords on 13 October 2023 to request a data return on the presence of RAAC in social sector housing. Additional information was sought from landlords in relation to homes where they have maintenance obligations, provide factoring services, or have previously sold properties.

In July 2025, the Scottish Housing Regulator published an update on the number of social landlords that have identified RAAC in their social rented homes. The data returns showed that 17 landlords identified RAAC in 2,205 homes. Regulator publishes update from RAAC data collection | Scottish Housing News

Public Buildings

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of public buildings affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as of 31 March 2026.

Information on public buildings identified as having RAAC is contained in a Scottish Government report published in September 2024 and available here: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland - gov.scot. Current information may be obtained from individual public authorities who retain responsibility for matters of building maintenance as building owners.

Justice partners including Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) and Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) will continue to build on the significant progress made in reducing officer time spent in court.

The introduction of the judicially led Summary Case Management (SCM) approach, supported by the implementation of Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) has led to quicker resolutions on a number of cases and it is estimated that over 100,000 fewer police officers were cited to give evidence during the period of the national rollout of SCM.

This was highlighted in the joint report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland (IPS) on court citations published in March of this year. The report also made a number of recommendations around how the system of court citations could be made more user friendly for all court users, including police officers. It is for Police Scotland and COPFS to consider and implement these recommendations.

These reforms will continue to improve efficiency across the system by reducing unnecessary trials, minimising witness citations, and helping to address court backlogs. We also expect to see further reductions in court time for officers with the rollout of Body Worn Video (BWV), as video evidence is processed.

We are currently working with all health boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan for Scotland. This supports continued safe and effective use of existing facilities, through ongoing business continuity planning, as well as informing future investment priorities based on assessment of need across the whole of Scotland.

The first phase, Business Continuity Planning, is focussed on priority investment in the existing estate to support service continuity. Boards have completed risk-based assessments and received confirmation of items which can be progressed with additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The second phase is focussed on the longer-term development of the estate to meet national, regional and local needs.

All Health Boards have been asked to undertake strategic needs assessments for three local investment priorities which align with the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework. If NHS GG&C believe that the development of the Stobhill campus is a priority, it is through this process that it would be escalated.

Further detail on NHS Whole System Infrastructure Planning is set out in DL 2025-15.

Work is underway to modernise the Adults with Incapacity system in Scotland, including Powers of Attorney, with a specific focus on enhancing the rights and protections of people affected by incapacity law. We are working collaboratively with an Expert Working Group, convened in September 2025, to develop evidence-based recommendations for legislative and procedural reform and to improve the experience of those affected by incapacity law.

Financial support is already in place to obtain a Power of Attorney in circumstances where an individual may not otherwise be able to afford it. Legal aid may be available to support the cost of a solicitor drawing up a Power of Attorney and individuals may be able to claim a fee in relation to registering their Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian.

The Scottish Government is considering plans to deliver the commitment to temporarily reduce the power of attorney registration fees within this parliamentary term and will engage with relevant stakeholders to do so.

Scotland’s police service will always be visible and at the heart of our communities. Police Scotland are keeping people safe every day as shown by recorded crime falling by half since 1991.

Using the GDP deflator, the 2026-27 Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Budget has increased in real terms compared to the opening 2025-26 budget.

In 2026-27, the Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £1.7 billion for policing, a total budget increase of £81.5 million, or 5% compared to the published 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget. This record investment continues to allow Police Scotland to recruit new officers and to maintain officer numbers at 16,500.

It is for the SPA, working with the Chief Constable, to determine how to allocate this budget to meet policing priorities, as outlined in the Police Scotland Three year Business Plan.