Chamber and committees

Under the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977, a registrar cannot issue a Marriage Schedule to permit a marriage to proceed within 28 days of the receipt of a couple’s marriage notices unless the registrar has been authorised to do so by the Registrar General for Scotland after a request by one or both of the parties.

The minimum period following submission of a couple’s marriage notices allows the registrar to carry out the necessary checks on whether there is any legal impediment to the marriage.

The minimum period was increased from 14 days to 28 days by the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014.

In exceptional circumstances, for example where a party is terminally ill, or is being immediately deployed overseas with the armed forces, the Registrar General will exercise their discretion and permit a marriage to take place if less notice is given.

The Scottish Government has no plans to review these arrangements.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role of retailers in our society and want to ensure that they are protected. We also recognise the distress caused by retail crime, particularly to staff. The investigation of criminal activity and deployment of resources is a matter for Police Scotland and they remain focused on keeping communities safe from harm, and investigating criminal activity. However, Policing itself also remains a priority for this Government. We are aware that some of the perpetrators of shoplifting offences have links to organised crime.

In our 2025-26 draft budget, the Scottish Government has proposed up to £3 million in funding to be used for the purpose of exploring the implementation of a partnership between the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and Scotland’s retail sector in an effort to combat organised retail crime. This is in line with our Programme for Government (PfG) commitment to address organised crime, which is an area of significant and growing concern to retailers.

The Scottish Government and its partners on the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce are fully committed to tackling serious organised crime in all its guises and reducing the harm it causes to our communities.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 make it an offence for a person who, in the course of a business, supplies, offers to supply, or has in their possession for supply any of the products listed below:

• single-use expanded polystyrene beverage containers
• single-use expanded polystyrene beverage cups
• single-use expanded polystyrene food containers
• single-use plastic beverage stirrers
• single-use plastic cutlery
• single-use plastic plates
• single-use plastic balloon stick (unless supplied for attaching to balloons for industrial or other professional uses and applications that are only distributed to persons acting in the course of a business),
• single-use plastic straw (if supplying to an end-user, subject to exemptions)

Estimated figures for the amount of these products placed on the market in Scotland before the Regulations came into force were included in the Environmental Report for the Single-use Plastic Products Regulations, published on the Scottish Government’s website here. And were included in the answer to S6W-04456 on 29 November 2021.

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 ability to undertake ear wax removal depends on an individual’s role, scope of practice and competence and this is dependent on workforce and requirements of services within their respective Health Boards and HSCPs. Whilst the Scottish Government set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is the responsibility of Health Boards is to ensure that they plan and deliver services which best meet the needs of their local population.

In addition to making it possible for same sex couples to marry, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014 made some changes to marriage procedures. These changes included putting belief celebrants on an equal footing with religious celebrants and making provision so that civil marriage ceremonies can take place anywhere, other than in religious premises, agreed by the couple and the registrar.

We have no plans to review the procedures for getting married but we plan to consult in the next few months on whether the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership should be raised to 18 from 16.

The member is welcome to raise any specific concerns regarding the legal process of getting married with me in writing.

The Scottish Government has directed NHS Boards to move forward with detailed implementation planning led at a regional level, with a designated lead Chief Executive Officer to deliver this programme from planning to full implementation.

Accommodation is a key part of the model of neonatal care described in Best Start and we expect all Boards to provide emergency overnight accommodation on the unit for parents who need it, with other accommodation for neonatal parents nearby.

Initial plans were submitted to the Scottish Government in September 2024 for consideration. Feedback has been provided to the Regional Chief Executives and NHS Boards will continue to refine and develop plans as implementation proceeds.

The Scottish Government is aware of the business and policing partnership Project Pegasus, currently operating in England and Wales. We are committed to exploring any possible options to tackle organised retail crime in Scotland and are open to exploring the prospect of implementing a similar joint initiative between Police Scotland, the Scottish Government and our valued retail stakeholders in an effort to do all we can to combat the unacceptable rise in organised crime affecting retailers.

To demonstrate this commitment, the Scottish Government’s draft budget for 2025-26 includes up to £3 million in funding to be used for the purpose of exploring the implementation of a similar partnership between the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and Scotland’s retail sector in an effort to combat organised retail crime.

Registration services fees are set by the Registrar General for Scotland with the approval of the Scottish Ministers. The fee for a civil marriage ceremony conducted by a registrar is £55. This fixed fee applies in all parts of Scotland and has been in place since 2010.

Local authorities may charge additional fees to cover extra costs for accommodating additional guests and the use of marriage rooms or the attendance of an authorised registrar at places other than their registration offices. These fees are set by each local authority.

The Scottish Government has not held any specific discussions with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and its respective HSCPs on home ear wax removal. The Scottish Government has regular engagement with all HSCPs areas on GP contract implementation progress.

Registration service fees are set by the Registrar General for Scotland with the approval of the Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government has not considered waiving or reducing the statutory fees associated with marriage. The Scottish Government’s policy as set out in guidance in the Scottish Public Finance Manual is that charges for public services should generally allow for full cost recovery: Fees and charges - Scottish Public Finance Manual - gov.scot Consequently, the aim is for local authority registration services to recover the true cost of their statutory services via the fees set by the Registrar General.

With effect from 1 May 2022, the fee for submitting each marriage notice was increased to £45 from £30: The Registration Services (Fees, etc.) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022. This was the first increase in the marriage notice fee since April 2010.

The current fee for a civil marriage ceremony is £55 and the fee for the marriage certificate is £10 if purchasing within a month of the registration of the marriage.

The Scottish Government gathered information in advance of the 2022 Regulations about the overall costs of weddings for many couples: see under the heading of “Consumer Assessment” in the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment for the 2022 Regulations.