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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.

In Scotland, we provide a range of targeted support to Scottish businesses via our various agencies and partners as they progress through their internationalisation journey. This includes investment and resources to grow their exports, build resilience and compete on the global stage. This support is Scotland wide, and as such is accessible to all businesses regardless of their location.

The Scottish Government uses a variety of sources to measure Scotland’s inward investment performance, including data from Scottish Enterprise and independent analysis published annually in the EY UK Attractiveness Survey for Scotland. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) is not a classification that the Scottish Government or Scottish Enterprise use when measuring the performance of inward investment projects into Scotland. Scottish Enterprise classifies projects as new, expansion and safeguarding projects and as such, does not collect information on M&A activity. The UK Government’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) provides estimates for M&A activity in Scotland based on their own internal definitions, classifications and methodology.

Scotland continues to attract new high quality investment projects, according to the latest EY survey published in June 2025. Scotland has maintained its position as the top performing region or nation of the UK for foreign direct investment (FDI) projects outside of London, for a record tenth year and is the sixth best performing region in Europe.

Guidance on the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in the UK Government’s ETSU-R-97 guidance. The UK Government is currently consulting on an update which aims to bring the guidance in line with available evidence on turbine noise emissions, developments in turbine technology, and wind turbine noise assessment methodologies. The UK Government intends to issue a formal response to the consultation in Autumn 2025, and has advised that the current guidance remains suitable for assessing wind turbine noise in the meantime.

The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policy 11 (energy) requires that wind energy project design and mitigation will demonstrate how impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including from noise, are addressed. Having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and we have no current plans to amend NPF4.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 sets out the legislative criteria for becoming a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) and the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) sets regulatory criteria under section 25 of the 2010 Act. A prospective RSL must meet both sets of criteria to be eligible for registration. The SHR have set out their registration criteria and constitutional requirements for social landlords in their Regulatory Framework. They will assess each application to determine whether the applicant body will be a viable organisation that can meet the demands of managing a social landlord’s business and providing services to tenants.

This remains a live appeal, and it would not be appropriate to comment on any specific issues that may be involved in the consideration and decision-making process.

I can assure you that all submitted information and relevant issues will be thoroughly reviewed before a final decision is made. In reaching a decision, Ministers are required by law to have regard to the development plan and to all relevant material factors, including all submissions made by parties involved in the case and all representations made.

A reporter from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) was appointed to examine the proposed development in January 2025 and following our recent recall for ministerial decision on the appeal, will now produce a report to Ministers, with recommendations, instead of the reporter making the final decision.

Our proposed Heat in Buildings Bill will create a target for decarbonising heating systems by 2045. We recognise that reaching this target is likely to require a range of technologies, and so our intention is that the Bill will enable and support flexibility. The Bill when introduced will set out details on the heating methods that will be considered eligible in terms of our target.

The provisions of our proposed Heat in Buildings Bill will take a technology-neutral approach to decarbonising Scotland’s buildings, enabling building owners to choose the technology which is right for them. While not appropriate for most homes, bioenergy – as a low carbon, renewable energy source – can be the best solution to decarbonise heating heat homes in some communities. We intend to ensure that sustainable bioenergy and biofuels remain an option for these communities.

The recalled appeal is currently with Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) with further procedures being carried out, with a revised target date of 11 September 2025 to provide a report to Ministers.

Once Ministers receive a reporter’s report from DPEA, we normally aim to issue decisions within 3 months, although the timescale can sometimes increase where there are more complex issues involved.