Chamber and committees

The NHS Scotland Volunteering program promotes the use of the Volunteer Scotland Volunteer Charter principles within its Best Practice Guide . The principles are also endorsed within the NHS Scotland’s Volunteering Programme’s Strategic Vision for 2023-28.

As set out in The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (Scotland) Order 2024 , from 1 August 2024 it is illegal to own an XL Bully dog in Scotland without a certificate of exemption, or without having applied for a certificate of exemption where a decision has not yet been made.

XL Bully dog owners had from 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024 to apply to the Scottish Government for a certificate of exemption for their dog, to allow them to continue to legally own the dog.

3,308 certificates of exemption for XL Bully dogs have been issued to dog owners by the Scottish Government during the period 1 April 2024 to 31 July 2024.

454 were issued in April 2024

243 were issued in May 2024

479 were issued in June 2024

2,132 were issued in July 2024

The Scottish Civil Justice Council's review of access to justice in environmental cases has resulted in new rules being made. The new rules are contained within the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session 1994 Amendment) (Protective Expenses Orders) 2024.

The Council continues to assess what more can be done via rules in support of environmental actions in the sheriff court and will consult again when appropriate to do so. Work also continues on the plan of action to address the remaining Aarhus concerns raised, where they would result in an amendment to court rules.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the UK Government to provide a further update to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee in advance of the 1 October.

The key measures to identify and mitigate the risk of corruption in the management of public resources are found in the SG’s Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), and within the SG’s polices and Civil Service Code.

Requirements within the SPFM cover the appropriate standards for the handling of all elements of public finances in terms of payments made, received, and in how they are documented and authorised. All SG organisations are required to demonstrate their adherence to the SPFM standards on an annual basis.

SG employees are required to adhere to employment policies, including adherence to the Civil Service Code, which requires all civil servants to always act with due regard to core principles relating to honesty, integrity, and fairness, and to uphold its standards whilst carrying out any function of government business.

The Integrity Group brings together expertise from across SG from areas such as Propriety & Ethics, Cyber Security, Counter Fraud, Legal and People Services. The group is focussed on providing advice and leadership to the SG on cross-cutting issues related to managing the risk of corruption and breaches of the Civil Service Code.

I have asked Janet Egdell, Chief Executive of National Records of Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

National Records of Scotland have today published: ' Scotland’s Census 2022: Demography and Migration' .

Scotland’s Census results are designated as Accredited Official Statistics and form an integral part of the statistical system in the UK. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR), the independent regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority , awards Accredited Official Statistics designation based on the quality, good practice and comprehensiveness of official statistics.

More detail about the schedule for future reports can be found here .

On 21 June 2024, I represented the Scottish Government at the Summit meeting of the British-Irish Council hosted by the Government of Isle of Man and chaired by the Chief Minister – Alfred Cannan. The meeting was attended by Ministers from all eight of the BIC Member Administrations.

The theme of the Summit focussed on “Unlocking the Economic and Social Opportunities of Renewables Across These Islands ” which offered the opportunity to share and learn from the range of initiatives being taken across these islands to enable the benefits of renewable energy to be realised across jurisdictions, with Ministers noting the importance of a just transition to net zero.

On the Latest Political Developments item, the Council welcomed the return of the Northern Ireland Ministers to the table following the restoration of the Executive. Ministers also reflected on international issues including the ongoing situations in Ukraine and Israel/Gaza as well as issues closer to home such as the continuing cost crisis. I took the opportunity to set out Scotland’s missions of eradicating child poverty, building the economy and supporting jobs, improving the health service and addressing the climate crisis.

I noted that the Scottish Government will host the next Summit in December.

During the Summit, I held bilateral meetings with the Taoiseach, the Northern Ireland deputy First Minister who was joined by Junior Minister of the Executive, Aisling Reilly in the absence of the First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man.

The Communiqué that was issued by the British-Irish Council after the meeting can be found on its website at: britishirishcouncil.org

41st British-Irish Council Summit

Isle of Man, 21 June 2024

Communiqué

The British-Irish Council (BIC) held its 41 st Summit today hosted by the Isle of Man Government and discussed a range of political and economic developments across their administrations. The Summit meeting was chaired by Isle of Man Government Chief Minister Alfred Cannan MHK, who welcomed several Heads of Administration attending a BIC Summit for the first time.

Unlocking the Economic and Social Opportunities of Renewables Across These Islands

The Council discussed various ways administrations are developing initiatives to realise the opportunities of renewable energy to stimulate economic growth and support decarbonisation efforts.

Latest Political Developments

The Council warmly welcomed the return of the Northern Ireland Executive to the British-Irish Council table, as well as the restoration of the devolved institutions and the North South Ministerial Council. The Council also noted that 2024 marks the 25 th anniversary of the British-Irish Council following its establishment under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and commended its work on promoting positive relations across these islands.

The Council also reflected on a range of developments across their administrations and internationally, and on topics of mutual interest.

Next Summit Meeting

The Council noted that the next BIC Summit will be hosted by the Scottish Government.

BIC Secretariat

21 June 2024

Plenary Participants

Supported Businesses make an important contribution to the Scottish economy. Not only through the goods and services they deliver, but also by providing meaningful employment, training, and social support for those who may otherwise be excluded from the workplace.

The following information is derived from the supported business suppliers included in Scottish national framework agreement for goods and services that was reserved for supported businesses. This framework was open to the whole of the public sector in Scotland, charities and third sector. The contract ran from 2018 to 2023.

A total of 277 contracts have been awarded to the supported businesses on this framework by public bodies over the last five calendar years.

Supported Businesses make an important contribution to the Scottish economy. Not only through the goods and services they deliver, but also by providing meaningful employment, training, and social support for those who may otherwise be excluded from the workplace.

The following information is derived from the supported business suppliers included in Scottish national framework agreement for goods and services that was reserved for supported businesses. This framework was open to the whole of the public sector in Scotland, charities and third sector. The contract ran from 2018 to 2023.

A total of seventy-six contracts have been awarded to the supported businesses on this framework by the Scottish Government (including its agency organisations) over the last five calendar years.

The Public Health Scotland’s Interim monitoring report on statutory-funded residential rehabilitation placements published on 18 July 2024, shows that during the period between October 2023 and March 2024 estimated costs for 33 placements to Ward 5 was £495,396 – averaging at £15,012 per placement.

The Scottish Government have allocated a £5 million uplift in funding to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) based on the National Resource Allocation Formula, for funding of residential rehabilitation placements and distribution of this fund at ADP and Health Board level is a local decision.

Public Health Scotland’s baseline report on the residential rehabilitation programme, published in February, outlines the complexities in evaluating shorter programmes within the context of wider residential rehabilitation.

As noted on Page 12 of the report, discussion as to whether two-week or four-week placements are best included or excluded from the total number of publicly funded residential rehab placements remains ongoing. The argument for including them is that they are publicly funded placements. The argument for excluding them is that there has been some evidence in previous reports such as the 2020 Residential Rehabilitation Working Group report which suggests that positive outcomes are more likely with longer placements.

However, all placements for residential rehab are assessed on an individual needs basis, and so we cannot assume that longer programmes necessarily constitute a comprehensive rehabilitation experience in general. It is ultimately for professionals and clinicians to make the decision locally as to whether a shorter programme is as effective for the individuals involved.