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The Chief Scientist Office Excess Treatment Cost (ETC) budget for each of the last 5 Financial Years is as follows:

Financial YearETC Budget

2020-2021 £450,000

2021-2022 £450,000

2022-2023 £450,000

2023-2024 £450,000

2024-2025 £900,000

We thank the independent Expert Group for their dedication and expertise in drawing together a proposal for a Minimum Income Guarantee in Scotland. We will take time to consider their recommendations and the research that was published alongside, in light of current fiscal context, and respond in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone takes up the support to which they are entitled and has worked closely with stakeholders in designing Pension Age Disability Payment and promoting take-up.

This includes ensuring that people can apply in the way that suits them best, including online, by phone, through paper form or in person through our Local Delivery service, and an extensive marketing campaign, including through social media, paid advertising and engaging directly with people in their communities. This summer Social Security Scotland will carry out a further marketing campaign to reach older people who may be eligible for support.

The Scottish Government, both Ministers and officials, are in regular contact with Alexander Dennis. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister spoke with Alexander Dennis Ltd (ADL) and NFI Group on 25 May and met with them on 5 June. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government spoke with ADL on 3 July.

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) is a significant employer in Scotland and its operations at Falkirk and Larbert support a highly valuable supply chain. That is why the Scottish Government is working with the company to explore every possible option to retain bus manufacturing and safeguard employment.

Economic analysis undertaken by the Scottish Government in June 2025 suggests that the economic impact of closure of ADL’s sites in Larbert and Falkirk, including direct and indirect jobs, would be in the region of £30 to £50 million annually to the Scottish economy. Other analysis produced by Scottish Enterprise in May 2025 estimates the total annual economic impact as being £63 million before considering any reemployment impacts. This includes an estimate of the impact of employee spending (£8 million) which is not included within the Scottish Government estimates.

The Scottish Government has not issued any direct grants to Alexander Dennis since 2010. Grants issued to Alexander Dennis Ltd by Scottish Enterprise are an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, who will be able to provide further information upon request.

We have no plans to change tax policy in Scotland to finance a Minimum Income Guarantee. As part of Scotland's Tax Strategy, the Scottish Government has committed to exploring the reforms needed to continue to deliver sustainable and growing tax revenues in the future.

Social Security Scotland is committed to supporting the Armed Forces Community, including veterans and their families.

We welcomed the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report on pre-pandemic preparedness and resilience on 18 July 2024. On 16 January this year, in line with the timeframes set out by the Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, we published our response to her report and recommendations. Our response set out the actions and steps we are taking to address the Inquiry’s recommendations.

As requested by the Chair, we are today publishing our first six monthly progress report, setting out details of the action taken to date against each of the accepted recommendations. Since the Chair issued her report last year, we have been working together with our stakeholders, at all levels, to continue our efforts to make effective, practical and measurable improvements in pandemic planning preparedness.

Over the past six months the Scottish Government has been working, in partnership with local and national stakeholders and working as a four nations group, where appropriate, to implement the accepted recommendations within the timeframes set out in our response. During autumn 2025, the Scottish Government will be participating in the UK-wide pandemic exercise, Exercise Pegasus, to test our national and local preparedness for future pandemics. This is the first exercise of its kind in almost a decade.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Public Health Scotland to support the establishment of the National Scottish Pandemic Sciences Partnership, a key recommendation of the Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness. The National Scottish Pandemic Sciences Partnership will augment our existing approach to pandemic preparedness and establish itself as a collaboration that leverages our strengths in pandemic science.

The Scottish Government recognises, however, that there is still further work to be done to ensure that Scotland is as resilient as possible to future risks and we are committed to taking the necessary steps. The Scottish Government looks forward to continuing to work closely with our partners and stakeholders to deliver these recommendations and we will provide our next progress update by the end of January 2026.

A copy of the progress report is available online at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836919100

Our next progress report will be provided in early 2026.

During my visit, I raised concerns about China’s human rights record.

Any foreign country that operates within Scotland, must abide by Scottish law. The Scottish Government fully supports individuals’ rights to freedom of expression, which is an extremely important principle.

Investigations into infringements of law and civil rights are a matter for law enforcement agencies. As a matter of long-standing policy we will not comment on the detail of security.