Chamber and committees

Since the publication of the consultation analysis, the Scottish Government has announced its intention to regulate canine fertility businesses, with the work to draft the required legislation underway. We continue to explore with the local authorities the feasibility of introducing licensing schemes for dog groomers, commercial dog walkers and livery providers. We will be commencing work to revoke existing animal boarding and riding establishments legislation at the earliest opportunity, with a view to regulating instead under the animal licensing framework introduced in September 2021.

The Peak Fares Final Evaluation report considered, using survey data, the impact on different income groups. There was some moderate evidence that the Pilot, to extend off peak fares all day, encouraged rail use amongst low to middle income households whilst primarily benefiting existing users who tended to be above average income.

Scottish Government remain in discussions with NHS Grampian to finalise brokerage to support a financial deficit in 2024-25. We have asked NHS Grampian for more information on what has driven the financial deficit together with assurance that financial sustainability will improve in future years. We await a response from NHS Grampian but expect the matter to be resolved in early course.

A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) was published to accompany the introduction of the then Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill 2023. The BRIA can be found on the Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/visitor-levy-bill-business-regulatory-impact-assessment/

The BRIA was written using the best available information at the time, based on evidence gathered from engagement with relevant stakeholders. Local authorities are encouraged to actively consider the varying capacities of businesses in the local area. It is important that the administrative requirements on smaller businesses are minimised. If a council introduces a visitor levy it is required to establish a visitor levy forum, with members from businesses, communities, and tourism organisations, to provide the council with views on a visitor levy scheme.

An online reporting and payment platform is being developed by some Councils with the Improvement Service. This platform will be for use by businesses across Scotland to remit the visitor levy to the Council if their accommodation is liable and will help. This standardised system will help streamline the returns process and support businesses operating across multiple authorities.

The Scottish Government's procurement activities are conducted in compliance with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Regulated procurements are transparently advertised on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) website, ensuring open access to potential suppliers. A link to PCS is provided below for information.

Selection and Award Criteria are outlined in the published Contract Notice and are detailed within the associated tender documentation depending on the specific nature of the procurement. This approach supports the public procurement principles of fairness, transparency and equal treatment.

https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/

Currently children and young people learn about a variety of substances including alcohol, medicines, drugs, tobacco and solvents in the school curriculum. They explore the impact risk taking behaviour has on life choices and health.

Paid for marketing channels are not used within the school setting. There is no recorded spend for Scottish Government marketing for anti-smoking campaigns within schools during this time frame.

ASSIST was a licensed, peer-led, school-based smoking prevention programme that encouraged the dissemination of non-smoking norms. The ASSIST pilot ran between 2014-2015 and 2016-2017.

No One Left Behind, has a key role to play in meeting our commitment to halving the Disability Employment Gap by 2038. Through a concerted focus on delivering person centred, place-based employability support, there has been significant progress in reaching and supporting disabled people towards and into work since the local delivery model was implemented in 2022. In the most recent quarter July to September 2024 32% of participants accessing the service reported a disability, which is the largest proportion in a single quarter to date, this is an increase of 6 percentage points from April to June 2024. We know there is more to be done to ensure our support remains accessible and meets the needs of disabled people who experience structural barriers to entering and sustaining employment. As set out in the Programme for Government 2024-25, we are introducing Specialist Employability Support for disabled people across Scotland by Summer 2025 underpinned by an uplift in funding of £5 million to Local Employability Partnerships to support delivery. We are building on past investment and engagement with employers across Scotland through an Apt Public Social Partnership to share learning and tools developed to support recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment.

We remain committed to continuously improving our services to ensure disabled people are effectively supported towards and into work, which includes working closely with disabled people and representative organisations to ensure that their voices and experiences help shape and guide policy.

As noted in response to S6W-26881, NatureScot maintains a detailed FAQ section on the Nature Investment Partnership on their website, which has been recently updated https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-investment-partnership-faqs. The information requested in parliamentary question S6W-35357 is available on this page.

We are committed to promoting apprenticeship opportunities in island and rural communities to encourage inclusive growth.

As part of this effort we provide a rural uplift for Modern Apprenticeship delivery, offering increased payments to training providers to support the expansion of apprenticeship programmes in these areas.

In addition, funding for travel and subsistence (including accommodation) is available for apprentices who are required to attend structured, formal off-the-job training beyond normal travel limits.

The recently announced £102 million apprenticeship funding for 2025-26 represents a projection of the funding Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will spend to support 25,500 new Modern Apprenticeship (MA) starts and 2,500 Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) starts, as well as MAs and FAs already in training.

The following tables include this projected spend for 2025-26, as well as projected outturn for 2024-25, and the actual value that SDS has spent in prior years on MA and FA provision, both in cash and real terms.