Chamber and committees

I am pleased to confirm that 17 local authorities applied to partner with the Scottish Government on the Test of Change phase of the Free School Meal programme.

While considering these applications we have been able to maximise the spread of this phase across Scotland. The 8 proposed partner local authorities identified are: Aberdeen, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Fife, Glasgow, Moray, North Ayrshire, Shetland, and South Lanarkshire. We will be engaging with the local authorities on their plans in the coming weeks.

These local authorities will deliver meals to those in receipt of Scottish Child Payment in S1 to 3 for a full school year from August 2025 to July 2026. This work will be independently evaluated and we are currently undertaking an exercise to appoint the researchers.

As required under the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, the Charter must be reviewed at least once every 5 years. The Charter was last published in October 2022 and is scheduled to be reviewed in 2027.

The Scottish Government’s position on traditional fission nuclear energy is clear: we do not support the building of any new nuclear power stations under current technologies. Nuclear energy creates a legacy of radioactive waste, requiring complex and expensive long-term management to prevent environmental contamination and harm to the public.

New technologies such as the stable salt reactor are not yet proven. Should technologies emerge that can be proven to address the concerns with regard to safety, environment and value for money – then we will consider these further.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on application processing times for Carer Support Payment as part of official statistics releases.

Social Security Scotland routinely publishes information on application processing times for Carer Support Payment as part of official statistics releases.

The Scottish Government is considering the Soil Association’s review of their farmed salmon organic standards and is engaging with them in dialogue.

In response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee inquiry on salmon farming in Scotland, we set out a broad range of actions we are taking alongside industry and regulators to enhance the development and sustainability of the sector. The Scottish Government is disappointed there was very limited consultation on the outcome of Soil Association’s review and proposals, in light of our work programme.

The Scottish Government recognises the crucial role innovation plays in enabling the sustainable development of Scottish aquaculture. We continue to work with our enterprise agencies, regulators and stakeholders to encourage innovation addressing challenges and creating opportunities for Scottish businesses.

For example, our Marine Fund Scotland awarded over £4.5 million to aquaculture projects in the year 2024-25, facilitating over £17 million of investment across the sector. In May 2024 the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council invested £1.5 million for the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) to deliver applied innovation projects to March 2026. We are also working with stakeholders to develop long term arrangements for innovation support.

The Bank makes commercial investments in businesses or projects in line with the three strategic missions set for it by Scottish Ministers:

• Achieving a Just Transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2045
• Extending equality of opportunity through improving places by 2040
• Harnessing Innovation to enable our people to flourish by 2040

The Bank has operational and administrative independence over its investment decisions, and is represented on the Grangemouth Investment Taskforce.

Squid is a non-quota species and consequently there are no Scottish vessels specifically licenced to fish for this species as their primary catch. Details of the Scottish fishing fleet and primary gears employed can be found in the annual Marine Directorate statistical bulletin at: Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2023 - corrected March 2025 - gov.scot, tables 42 & 43 provide data on the number of active Scottish registered vessels and their main fishing method.

Ministerial pay is set and administered by the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government has no role in this. It is the Scottish Government's understanding that new mandate letters were issued to Ministers, including the Law Officers, by the Scottish Parliament on 8 April 2025. The Scottish Government was not copied into these mandate letters and does not hold them. Any request for the letters to be published should be put to the Scottish Parliament.

The Squid Co-management Group was established for the purpose of bringing industry and eNGOs together to work collaboratively with Scottish Government officials to support a longer-term policy decision on fishing for squid under the North Sea Cod Avoidance Plan (NCAP).

Stakeholder nominations for membership of the Squid Co-development Group were provided by the co-management stakeholder forum Fisheries Management and Conservation Group (FMAC). The first stakeholder Squid Co-management Group meeting took place 1 November 2024.