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The Scottish Government encourages public sector organisations (including local authorities) to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience. The Scottish Government provides a range of resources and advice to help build public sector cyber resilience. It should be noted that local authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and each must plan for, mitigate, and manage their own cyber risks.

There is no requirement for proof of age to use the app. There will be the opportunity for citizens to use the app with the digital wallet to prove their age if they wish to.

Further functionality will be determined by user need coming from both the citizens and the services that use it.

The Scottish Government will consult on increasing the current threshold of 50MW for applications for onshore electricity generating stations to be considered by local authorities.

We therefore welcome the Eversheds Sutherland study as a contribution to the evidence base on energy consenting timescales and decision-making. Beyond just Sector Deal progress, the paper provides insight relating to consent rates, timescales and the comparative consistency of decision-making across different determination routes.

As noted in the answer to question S6W-42175 on 9 December 2025, the majority of applications determined in 2025 to date were submitted prior to this commitment taking effect. Many of these applications have legacy issues that must be resolved to ensure positive outcomes in the public interest for all relevant stakeholders. Accordingly, it is too early to assess whether the sector deal actions have achieved the intended impact on determination timescales. 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 Scottish Government is taking a range of actions to strengthen value-based standards in health and social care procurement, with a particular emphasis on whole-life costs across integration authorities, local authorities and NHS Scotland.

Central to this work is the NHS Scotland Value Based Health and Care Action Plan, which sets out the national approach to embedding value-based principles, including the use of realistic medicine to ensure treatments and services deliver the best outcomes relative to cost. The plan outlines the strategic aims, governance structures and improvement processes required to support the transition to value-based care as part of Scotland’s 2030 vision.

In parallel, the Delivering Value Based Health Care: A Vision for Scotland document highlights the contribution procurement can make in achieving these aims. It includes a case study on National Procurement’s role in the Care Home Continence Improvement Project, demonstrating how whole-life cost analysis and value-based decision-making can improve outcomes while delivering better long-term value.

To underpin this, the NHS Scotland Procurement Strategy requires all regulated procurements to consider total cost of ownership - covering acquisition, use, maintenance and end-of-life disposal - while aligning with national priorities such as net-zero, circular economy principles, ethical sourcing and community benefit requirements. The strategy promotes collaborative frameworks, digital tools for transparency, and strengthened governance to support consistent, value-driven procurement practice across the system.

Through these policies, guidance frameworks and practical programmes, the Scottish Government is ensuring that procurement decisions across health and social care increasingly focus on whole-life value, improved outcomes and long-term sustainability.

Following its introduction, use of the app by citizens will be optional.

Impact assessments for the digital public services app are currently in progress.

No, people who do not install or use the planned digital public services app will still be able to access all relevant public services through alternative channels.

The Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) undertaken for the continuation and uprating of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) found that the policy primarily affected low-cost, high-strength products and was not expected to significantly disadvantage Scottish businesses compared to those dispatching alcohol from outside Scotland.

As well as a BRIA, an Island Communities Impact Assessment was developed to assess the impacts of the continuation and uprating of MUP on those living in the Islands. No evidence was found during the five-year evaluation to show the implementation of MUP at 50ppu has had an effect on the island communities in a way that is significantly different from its effect on the mainland. The Scottish Government, therefore, concluded that the increased price of 65 pence per unit strikes the appropriate balance between achieving the public health aims of Ministers and minimising the potential effects on business, industry and consumers.

The Scottish Government shares your concern about the harmful impact of cigarette litter, which makes up a significant proportion of litter in Scotland, and we are committed to taking action to reduce the environmental impact of single-use plastics.

While we currently have no plans to ban cigarette filters, we will continue work to prevent littering, improve enforcement and drive behaviour change in line with the National Litter and Flytipping Strategy.

Additionally, one of the most effective ways to reduce the volume of littered cigarette filters is through reducing smoking rates. Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework, published in 2023, sets out the actions we are taking to reduce smoking levels in communities to 5% or less.