Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the economic and environmental benefits of precision farming technology and has provided capital support to allow farmers and crofters to invest in precision farming equipment.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to record and report incidents through their local reporting systems and investigate as required including escalation to Police Scotland, if necessary.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland are working with all NHS boards and partner organisations to standardise the reporting of adverse events and have developed a National Framework for Reviewing and Learning From Adverse Events which was published in February 2025.

We strongly encourage patients and staff to report all instances of violent and aggressive behaviour, including sexual violence. Police Scotland will record crimes through their Crime Management System.

Health Boards are responsible for effective safeguarding and risk management procedures, assessing patient safety and staff risks within their facilities, and for taking appropriate local action.

We expect that local governance arrangements should include clear oversight, regular reporting, and continuous improvement in line with national guidance and patient safety standards. We have published Core Mental Health Standards which set out what is expected from services they deliver.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland have recently extended their Safe Delivery of Care inspection programmes from acute hospitals to include NHS mental health in-patient services

We have commissioned NHS Assure to develop and implement a standardised App based tool to assess factors that impact the quality and safety of care in the built environment of our in-patient wards in mental health services across Scotland. Every Heath Board with adult in-patient services will be expected to complete these assessments and to act upon the findings where a need for improvement is identified.

Extended producer responsibility for packaging funding will be paid directly to local authorities by PackUK (the scheme administrator) and it will be for each local authority to decide how it manages this funding. Under the Verity House Agreement, local government funding in Scotland will not be ring-fenced or directed, unless there is a clear joint understanding to do so. However, the purpose of packaging EPR funding - to pay for the cost of managing household packaging waste - is clearly set out in legislation. There will be no reduction in the local government finance settlement as a result of extended producer responsibility for packaging payments in the first year of the scheme (2025-26).

The Scottish Government are in regular contact with The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) to discuss a range of environmental legislation, including the Deposit Return Scheme, and will continue to engage with relevant public bodies as we work towards the launch of DRS in October 2027.

As part of the Circular Economy and Waste Route Map, we are reviewing the Household Recycling Charter's supporting Code of Practice using a co-design process with Local Government and CoSLA representatives. The Code of Practice will be put on a statutory basis to deliver better and more consistent recycling services across Scotland. The impact of the deposit return scheme on future waste collection services is an important factor in developing the methodology for co-design.

Work is ongoing to determine how the additional £4.5 million announced in the 2025-26 budget to deliver new specialist support will be allocated to NHS boards, what conditions it will cover and the services it will prioritise. It is expected that NHS boards will develop support based on their understanding of local population need and synergies with existing local service provision.

The First Minister announced on 7 February that around £14 million will be allocated to delivering the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS). The proposals for the scheme are currently being finalised and the full details about the scheme and application process are expected to be announced shortly.

This information is not held centrally. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, education is the responsibility of local authorities.

Safety for the babies, families and staff is our utmost priority, which is why we have taken a phased approach to transition, allowing time to build the right levels of capacity in all areas with NHS Boards working towards full implementation by 2026.

Implementation is already underway in the East region with Fife babies transferring to Edinburgh, and in the West Region with Ayrshire babies being transferred to Glasgow.

Each of the three Regions have developed plans for implementation. The plans include a phased approach to implementation and Regions have chosen to take different approaches to phasing.

The number of birds registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register has increased since the numbers provided in the answer to question S6W-37429 on 12 May 2025. The number of birds registered on the Scottish Kept Bird Register has increased to 15,621,470 as at 28 May 2025. It is not possible to provide the requested breakdown of categories exactly into (a) canaries, (b) budgerigars, (c) other finches, (d) pigeons and (e) parrots. The categories of birds available for a more detailed breakdown from the register are: avian zoo collections (BIAZA Registered); aviary birds; birds of prey; ducks; emus; geese; guinea fowl; other birds; ostriches; partridges; pheasants; pigeons; psittacines; quails; rheas; and turkeys.

Excluding species classified as poultry or birds of prey the register currently holds records of 61,046 aviary birds, 3,570 other birds, 1,289 psittacines and 77,140 pigeons.

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