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The Scottish Government does intend to bring forward new legislation to regulate canine fertility businesses. Draft regulations will be laid before the Scottish Parliament for its consideration in due course.

In November last year we published a plan setting out a suite of 20 actions being taken to improve GP recruitment and retention.

We have also reactivated the GP Sustainability loans scheme for GP premises and invested an additional £73.2 million in General Practice this financial year to provide a pay uplift for GPs and to support GP practices to retain and recruit key staff. The uplift includes £7.6 million to cover population growth.

Statistics covering the period up to 31 Mar 2026 are expected to be published by Public Health Scotland on 26 May 2026 as per the usual release schedule.

The Scottish Government had previously intended to progress legislative consent in the Scottish Parliament for measures to restrict the importation and non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets into the United Kingdom, before the previous Bill fell due to the dissolution of the UK Parliament.

It is our intention to progress legislative consent in the Scottish Parliament for this Bill, subject to the final provisions of the Bill and agreement of the Scottish Government Cabinet Sub-Committee on Legislation.

By working to address this issue in the Bill, important safeguards for animal welfare can be extended to Scotland to ensure we continue to strive for the best possible welfare outcomes for all animals.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in a wide number of policy areas and for a diverse range of purposes. It is generally regarded as a tool which all staff will be using to a greater or lesser extent, so although we do not have many staff regarded as AI leads, we do have many staff who will be making use of it and benefiting from its impacts.

Recently published FOI release (Scottish Government staffing and salary statistics: FOI release - gov.scot) shares that in 2024 we had 6 data scientists, and a wide range of functions involved in the preparation of data, design of digital services, and support functions which could be related to the use or deployment of AI.

More specifically we have an AI Policy team in the digital directorate whose primary function is to support the introduction and development of AI across the public sector, ensuring all staff have the knowledge and skill to make use of AI most productively.

As set out in the answer to question S6W-35253 on 11 March 2025, to confirm, there is no delay in the implementation of the reduction of the working week to 36 hours for Agenda for Change staff. It was always the intention to use the initial 30 minute reduction in April 2024 as an opportunity to learn and assess how best to move forward with any further reduction in the working week.

The Scottish Government is therefore committed to fully implementing the remaining 60 minute reduction in the working week for all Agenda for Change staff on 1 April 2026. This will facilitate patient and staff safety, support the continued recovery of services and avoid any extra burden for our workforce.

As there is no delay in the implementation of the final hour reduction of the working week for Agenda for Change staff, there is no requirement for any financial compensation.

This implementation date of 1 April 2026 remains fully in line with the commitment made as part of the 2023-24 Agenda for Change pay settlement and the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government.

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 Mental Welfare Commission have visited and reported on Skye House seven times since 2016 as part of its local visit programme, the most recent of which was in March 2024.

Some of the issues raised in these reports were also identified in the Disclosure documentary. These included staffing difficulties, support for young people with eating disorders in terms of standard of food, impact of isolation, and concerns regarding certain medical treatment under the Mental Health Act being properly authorised and monitored. The MWC does not comment on specifics such as self-harm, aggression or restraint in its visit reports, as there could be a risk to individuals being identified.

The MWC base their findings and recommendations on observations from the day of the visit and these local visit reports represent a snapshot of each facility at that moment in time, with recommendations made accordingly. MWC reports are an important part of ensuring standards of care and upholding rights, but they should not be seen as a comprehensive investigation or audit.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is an independent organisation established to safeguard the rights and welfare of patients under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003. Reports of visits along with any recommendations are published by the Commission to ensure standards of care are maintained and enhanced and that human rights are respected.

The MWC has a duty to visit people who are receiving care under mental health and incapacity legislation. The purpose of these visits is to hear directly from the person receiving care and treatment whether they feel their rights are being respected.

There are limits to the MWC’s scope and powers. While they visit individuals and provide recommendations to boards, they do not carry out inspections or audits of services and they do not have powers to enforce their recommendations.

Scottish Ministers have commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland and MWC to undertake a programme of joint visits to all three mental health adolescent inpatient units and the National Child Inpatient Unit, with a focus on care quality, patient safety, and patient experience. We will work with scrutiny bodies to determine the best way to implement wider recommendations following the Independent Mental Health Scrutiny and Assurance Evidence Review.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key area, where technical opportunities need to be balanced with public interests. To this end the Scottish AI Alliance, a partnership between the Scottish Government and the Data Lab, have launched a series of People’s Panel events. These events are intended to capture public thoughts on how and where they would like to see AI used, and what they expect from their public servants as they use it.

Within the Scottish public sector we are already making significant use of AI through our Centre for Excellence in Automation, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity across government. More widely, the Scottish AI Register reflects AI use cases as diverse as protecting children at risk of harm, or transcribing public consultation interviews.

We continue to work closely with UK Government AI Policy teams to develop a culture of curiosity and openness to the opportunities which AI can provide us. The Scottish AI Taskforce has been set up to encourage and develop a shared knowledge and appreciation for AI, this helps avoid duplication of effort and ensure good governance awareness.

In relation to digitisation, In March 2021 the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA, launched an updated Digital Strategy, with a renewed focus on delivering high quality digital public services, and a commitment to the use of digital technology as a tool to better serve the Scottish people.

Our digital service design tool supports staff in ensuring that the services we develop have people at their heart, with extensive consideration of service users and the level of service they expect from government.

This process has helped us, for example, to deliver ScotAccount, an online service allowing users to access public services and verify identity in one place, it has also allowed us to offer increased usability and accessibility across the nation.

The use of digital technologies offer us significant opportunity to improve and enhance the lives of our citizens, and please rest assured these opportunities remain at the heart of the Scottish Government’s priorities.