Chamber and committees

As at 15 September 2026, NatureScot employed 777 permanent staff and 74 staff on fixed-term contracts. SEPA employed 1,173 permanent staff and 57 staff on fixed-term contracts. Zero Waste Scotland employed 163 permanent staff and 7 staff on fixed-term contracts.

As organisations record and report workforce data differently, figures reported for "contractors" are based on staff employed on fixed-term contracts where applicable.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Budget from 2013-14

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of protecting vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems from the impacts of fishing activities. Existing legislation already includes a range of measures to manage fishing activity in deep waters, including restrictions applying to certain bottom-contacting fishing gears in deep-water areas and a prohibition on bottom fishing below 800 metres.

The Scottish Government is also progressing work to identify and protect areas in offshore waters between 400 and 800 metres where Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) are known or likely to occur. This includes considering the potential impacts of bottom-contact fishing gears, including bottom-set gillnets. We are considering advice from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and will engage with stakeholders before bringing forward any proposals.

Any proposal to further restrict the deployment of gill nets to depths of less than 200 metres would require careful consideration of the available scientific evidence, including the likely environmental benefits for deep-sea habitats and species, alongside the potential socio-economic impacts on fishing businesses and coastal communities.

The Scottish Government keeps fisheries and marine conservation measures under review and will continue to work with scientists, stakeholders and the fishing industry to ensure decisions are informed by the best available evidence and support the sustainable management of Scotland's seas.

The Scottish Government opposes the construction of new nuclear power stations under current technologies, and this position applies to any variation of conventional nuclear fission technology.

Fishing gear has been reported to the Scottish Government as missing in Scottish waters through the e-log system by fishers. The volume of gear is neither reported nor recorded. The following information is recorded and held by the Marine Directorate.

Local Government pay is a matter for local authorities. Officials are engaging with Delivering Equally Safe fund managers to understand the implications of the proposed changes to pay and grading within Glasgow City Council on the delivery of agreed service outcomes under grant funding conditions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting specialist services that provide vital support to victims and survivors of gender based violence and is aware of the pressures front line support services are under. That is why the Delivering Equally Safe fund benefited from a 5% increase in 2026-27, taking total investment in the Delivering Equally Safe Fund to almost £46 million over 2026-2028 (almost £23 million per year). The Delivering Equally Safe fund managers, Inspiring Scotland, work with funded organisations to review their outcomes. This enables services to consider necessary changes where circumstances have changed.

Our Programme for Government 2026 to 2031, sets out that we will act quickly to provide emergency funding to organisations under significant pressure, enhance arrangements for the Delivering Equally Safe Fund and develop a new multi-year fund to ensure vital services are sustainable and can respond flexibly to need.

The national minimum amounts for School Clothing Grant are £120 for eligible primary pupils and £150 for eligible secondary pupils. These amounts were agreed with local government in 2021. Local authorities are responsible for administering the School Clothing Grant, including setting eligibility criteria, and have the flexibility to pay families more than the national minimum.

The Scottish Government is providing increased funding of £14.6m in 2026-27 financial year to support local authorities to maintain the School Clothing Grant. This includes a £400k inflationary increase on the previous year’s funding and represents an increase of £2.8m since 2021-22. We have committed to uprating funding in line with inflation during this Parliament.

The Scottish Government's fuel poverty and energy efficiency schemes continue to deliver the same range of retrofit measures as the ECO4 scheme. However Scottish Government schemes already include some measures, such as battery storage, that are not available from ECO4 installers.

In most cases, households that were eligible for ECO4 finance will continue to be eligible for retrofit measures delivered through Area Based Schemes (ABS), Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) or the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan scheme. We encourage households interested in making their homes warmer and less expensive to heat to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland for further advice about the assistance available from the Scottish Government.

Licence conditions applying to dog breeding licences granted under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 already make clear that no dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its, or it’s offspring’s, health or welfare.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government guidance produced for both local authorities and holders of a dog breeding licence provides clear advice on this specific issue and lists the category 3 breeds of dogs highlighted by the Kennel Club as being of particular concern and that are more susceptible to developing specific health conditions associated with exaggerated conformation, in particular problems that involve the eyes, skin, dentition, movement and respiratory function.

Anyone seeking to breed a category 3 breed must demonstrate that they have robust selection and health screening procedures in place and local authorities should only licence such a breeder if completely satisfied that all relevant safeguards are in place and that the breeder demonstrates a clear understanding of the issues inherent to the breed in question.

Documentation supporting the ongoing assurance process for both facilities continues to be developed, reviewed and updated as the programme progresses. Assurance work relating to the open-plan treatment area within the ANCHOR Centre remains ongoing and includes consideration of operational procedures, ventilation arrangements, risk assessments and analysis of patient and infection data.

Decisions regarding the publication of operational records and project documents relating to the Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre are a matter for NHS Grampian, which is responsible for delivery of the programme. Requests for information are considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and other relevant legislation.