Chamber and committees

We know that flooding in Scotland will become more frequent and more severe in the decades ahead. As our biggest climate adaptation challenge, we need to do all we can to be prepared for this. That is why today we will publish Scotland’s first Flood Resilience Strategy. Part of our Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029, this strategy will help us meet this challenge and support the changes we need to make over the long-term to make our communities more flood resilient.

I am pleased to announce that the NHS Recovery Plan annual progress report for 2024 has been published today.

We remain committed to delivering on the actions set out in the NHS Recovery Plan, and this annual report sets out the significant progress we have made over the course of this year.

However, it is vital that we recognise, now more than ever, how much has changed since the Plan was first published. Many of the actions set out in the Plan have now been delivered, and where appropriate, as we continue to focus on supporting the ongoing recovery and reform of our health and social care services, alternative approaches to action delivery are underway.

With refreshed commitments as set out in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2024-25, we will continue to align the NHS Recovery Plan progress with ongoing reform work and will continue to work closely with our partners across the health and social care system, Local Government and wider stakeholder partnerships to achieve this. https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836911579

I am pleased to confirm the final Circular Economy and Waste Route Map has been published today. Link: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836017974

The Route Map sets out an ambitious plan to deliver the priority actions to 2030 that will help us progress towards a circular economy and ensure we maximise the positive impact of the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024 for communities across Scotland.

It is the product of extensive collaboration and engagement with the public, private and third sectors through two consultations since 2022, with consistently high levels of support for the proposals.

I want to thank all who have contributed to the Route Map’s development, including our delivery partners in businesses, local government, SEPA and Zero Waste Scotland. I look forward to working with them all to deliver the actions set out. The Route Map demonstrates the strength of support for Scotland’s transition to a circular economy and the importance of working together to reach our net zero and economic growth goals.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) are currently reviewing its operational delivery model for SORT. The findings of the review will be discussed with the Scottish Government to ensure any changes in operational delivery meet with the expectations set out in the service level agreement, and that SAS is able to provide a safe and sustainable response to potentially hazardous and significant incidents.

The National Mission annual report finance sections aim to provide greater transparency of National Mission funding, including rehabilitation services. The reports for financial years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 are available at:

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member should contact Children’s Hearings Scotland for this information.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The member should contact Children’s Hearings Scotland for this information.

The Scottish Government has worked with the Scottish Futures Trust and local authorities to develop robust costings for the expansion of the Free School Meals Programme. This work estimates the cost of rolling out universal free school meals to pupils in Primary 6 and Primary 7 is £256 million.

Scottish Ministers appreciate the particular challenges faced by island communities as a result of delayed and cancelled ferries.

Recognising the distinct challenges of hospitality business on Islands, the Scottish Budget announced we will continue to offer 100% relief in 2025-26 for hospitality businesses located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas, capped at £110,000 per business.

The Scottish Budget also announced a freeze to the Basic Property Rate in 2025-26, delivering the lowest such rate in the UK for the seventh year in a row, and supporting a package of reliefs in 2025-26 worth an estimated £731 million. This includes maintaining the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous relief of its kind in the UK.

Table 1 shows the number of properties liable for the Intermediate Property Rate by property class as at 1 October 2024. Table 2 shows the number of properties liable for the Intermediate Property Rate by council area as at 1 October 2024.

The Scottish Government does not hold property-level data on industry sectors. “Property class” is a classification used by Scottish Assessors to describe the type of property, but may not necessarily accurately reflect the actual use of a property.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, and may not sum due to rounding.

Table 1: Number of properties liable for the Intermediate Property Rate, by property class

Source: Scottish Assessors’ Valuation Roll, as at 1 October 2024