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Following the appointment of Lord Scott to chair the Emma Caldwell Public Inquiry, I have consulted with the Chair, and met with the Caldwell family and a range of key parties to discuss the Terms of Reference of the Inquiry.

In these discussions I outlined my intention to keep the Terms of Reference focused on the original investigation of Emma’s death but sufficiently broad to allow Lord Scott to look at wider issues he considers to be pertinent to the Inquiry. This approach was broadly supported.

The Solicitor General, on behalf of the Law Officers, is content that the prosecutorial decision-making is examined by the Inquiry in connection with the investigation into the murder of Emma Caldwell.

I am pleased to confirm that the Inquiry will formally begin its work on 9 December 2025. The Inquiry’s setting up date marks the point at which I hand over full responsibility of the Inquiry to Lord Scott and the work of the Inquiry will commence.

The Terms of Reference agreed with Lord Scott are provided below:

PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO THE INVESTIGATION OF THE MURDER OF EMMA CALDWELL – TERMS OF REFERENCE

On 28 February 2024 Iain Packer was convicted of the murder of Emma Caldwell, 19 years after her death. I announced on 7 March 2024 that there would be an independent judge-led inquiry given the gravity of the case, the length of time that it took for justice to be served and the extent of the sexual violence suffered by the victims and survivors.

The Inquiry’s Terms of Reference are set out below. The Terms of Reference do not attempt to present a definitive list of every issue the Inquiry will consider. They specify areas of investigation which the inquiry will interpret flexibly.

Terms of Reference

• To examine the investigation carried out by Strathclyde Police, under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, into the murder of Emma Caldwell, including (i) the investigative strategy and decision making; (ii) the giving of direction by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (iii) any steps which could reasonably have been taken and, had they been taken, might have resulted in the offender being apprehended and prosecuted at an earlier stage; (iv) the roles and responsibilities of those involved; and (v) any other factors relevant to the circumstances of the investigation and related prosecution and to make recommendations to address any finding in that regard.
  

• To examine whether any failures in training, procedures, operating models or systems of working contributed to failures (if any) by Strathclyde Police or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to the investigation and to make recommendations to address any finding in that regard.
  

• To report to the Scottish Ministers on the above matters and to make recommendations as soon as reasonably practicable.

Following years of pressure from stakeholders and the Scottish Government, the UK Government has finally scrapped the two child limit. I can therefore confirm that we will not proceed with our regulations that would have, subject to Parliamentary approval, seen us launch our payment in March 2026. As the First Minister made clear back in January, we will be reinvesting funding freed up to contribute to our mission to eradicate child poverty.

This will include continuing to mitigate the benefit cap which the UK Government is keeping in place, with the result that Policy in Practice estimates one in ten children impacted by the 2 child limit won't benefit from its abolition, and a further one in ten will only benefit partially. Officials continue to engage with the Scottish Fiscal Commission to help inform its forecasts including on the benefit cap and increased caseload on the Scottish Child Payment following the end of the Two Child Limit. Our spending decisions will be set out in the Scottish Government Budget on 13 January.

Today the Scottish Ministers have laid a draft of a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) in Parliament which adds the characteristic of sex to the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 ("the 2021 Act") and published a consultation paper seeking views on the draft instrument. The consultation can be viewed at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806430857.

The effect of the SSI is to add the characteristic of sex to the list of characteristics covered by the offence of stirring up hatred and the statutory aggravation concerning offences aggravated by prejudice. This will ensure that women and girls have the same protections as victims of hate crime targeted because of their religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity, age, disability or variations in sex characteristics. The provision will also provide protection to men and boys.

There is a requirement in the 2021 Act for the draft SSI to be laid in Parliament for at least 40 days, excluding any period where the Parliament is in recess for more than 2 days. The consultation will run until 10 October 2025. The responses to the consultation will help inform consideration of the SSI to be laid in Parliament after the end of the consultation.

Today I have published the Cladding Remediation Programme: Next Phase Plan of Action which can be found here: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836919636.

There has been significant and measurable progress in expansion and pace since the publication of Plan of Action for Cladding Remediation in March 2025. Notable progress has been seen with the Single Open Call, priority Single Building Assessments, and continuing information-gathering.

• 600 Expressions of Interest have been submitted via the Single Open Call as of 30 June 2025, reflecting significant demand. All submitted Expressions of Interest are being processed at pace, with 258 initial grant funding offers already issued by the Scottish Government as of 24 July 2025.
• All priority Single Building Assessments via the Scottish Government-led assessment process remain on track to be returned by end of August.
• The ongoing information-gathering exercise to verify the status of buildings over 18 metres in height has now commenced a second phase, to capture buildings between 11 – 18 metres. I expect to be able to confirm the status of all high- rise buildings with known cladding by end of October 2025.

Notwithstanding this considerable increase in pace and progress, there remains an urgent need to speed up the process of assessment, mitigation and remediation. This next phase, August 2025 - March 2026, is defined by key deliverables and supported by a clear model for delivery. The plan I am publishing today aims to ensure this phase moves decisively from identification to resolution and will lay the foundation towards long-term targets. To ensure the success of this phase:

• I am providing equal access to Government funding for mitigation and remediation works for both private residential properties and social housing, ensuring access to support for mitigation and remediation of cladding-related risks.
• I am allocating a further £10 million funding to accelerate mitigation efforts, prioritising buildings flagged by Single Building Assessments as posing immediate risks. This includes the proactive use of mitigation measures, and the installation of interlinked fire alarm systems where appropriate, because protecting people’s lives cannot wait.
• I am increasing funding for the Stage One of the Single Open Call to £20 million, meaning every eligible application received before the end of 2025 will be able to move forward without hesitation.
• I am launching Stage Two of the Single Open Call, providing owners with a pathway to be considered for further government support for any required mitigation and/or essential cladding remediation works identified through a Single Building Assessment funded through Stage One. Funding will be made available, with applications prioritised against risk.
• I will ensure the comprehensive data-gathering and assurance exercises include working directly with owners to ensure that buildings are not overlooked and that all data is accurate. Data collection and assurance will continue throughout the lifespan of the programme.
• I have set a deadline of 31 October 2025 for developers to sign the Developer Remediation Contract, which will hold developers formally accountable to fully fund and deliver remediation on the buildings they are responsible for.

Finally, I have committed the Scottish Government to a long-term strategic goal:

• By 2029 every high-risk residential building over 18 metres in Scotland will have been resolved - whether made safe, decommissioned or replaced - and every building between 11 and 18 metres will be on a defined pathway to resolution — supported by robust assessment, planning and funding for essential cladding remediation.

There remains a multiplicity of issues and challenges in Scotland, and it is our role to ensure that despite the challenges we provide clear and supported pathways for those responsible to take swift action. I want to assure residents and owners that we are committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver a built environment where unsafe cladding no longer poses a risk to life.

The community transport sector provides many of our most vulnerable groups with access to essential goods and services and to social or leisure activities.

These services assist those who can’t or don’t use conventional public transport, providing ways to help them connect better with their local areas and wider communities. I recognise that these organisations may not be able to access finance afforded to commercial entities so I am pleased to announce that we will be launching a further round of our successful Plugged-in-Communities fund with a current budget of £4 million in 2025-26 which will be administered again by Energy Saving Trust.

The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill was passed unanimously on 17 December 2024 by the Scottish Parliament. It places a duty on Scottish Ministers to bring forward regulations which:

• must have the effect of prohibiting Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) from holding dual mandates in the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
• may make provision prohibiting MSPs from holding dual mandates as Councillors.

The Scottish Government conducted a public consultation between 20 January 2025 and 23 March 2025, seeking views on the principles and practical issues of ending dual mandates. The consultation received 77 responses, including 68 from individuals and nine from organisations.

I am pleased to confirm that the consultation analysis report and consultation responses have today been published and are available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836918127 and https://consult.gov.scot/communications-and-ministerial-support/dual-mandates-in-the-scottish-parliament.

The responses are now being used to inform Regulations. My intention is to lay regulations in autumn 2025 to ensure the practice of dual mandates for MSPs who are also MPs or Peers can be ended in time for the next scheduled Scottish Parliament election in May 2026, should Parliament agree to approve the regulations.