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The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

To address local needs and challenges, the Scottish Government also supports Crimestoppers Scotland through £182, 500 of funding for 2025–26. Crimestoppers aims to reach and support communities experiencing higher levels of crime, those who are at risk of harm, and the most vulnerable in our communities.

Neighbourhood Watch Scotland seeks to target its events and activities in areas of deprivation. NWS recently attended the Crime Prevention and Scam Awareness Day in Dundee.

At a national level, the Scottish Government has invested over £6 million since 2023 in our Violence Prevention Framework, supporting early intervention and diversion from violence. A number of programmes including No Knives, Better Lives, Medics Against Violence, and Mentors in Violence Prevention are reaching thousands of young people to support and empower them to make safer choices.

Through Curriculum for Excellence, children and young people learn about a variety of substances, including nicotine pouches.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Young Scot and other third sector organisations to ensure that young people, their teachers, parents and carers have access to accurate, evidence based, information on nicotine products.

In addition, the UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill), if passed, will introduce new restrictions on age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and nicotine products across the 4 nations.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products and it will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

An update on implementation timescales for the Bill will be provided following Royal Assent.

As per my reply to you in the chamber on 01 October, once a definitive direction as to what could replace traditional farrowing crates is determined, we will then consider the possible options which may be made available for producers transitioning away from traditional farrowing crates.

With regards to the Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Programme for Government commitment to consult on phasing out the use of farrowing crates. I would refer you to the answer to question S6W-36181 on. 22 April 2025. 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 remains committed to this work and the recent roundtable table discussion with industry, animal welfare organisations and academic representatives was the first steps in finding ways to ensure producer’s viability and improving sow welfare.

We will continue to listen and work with the industry and stakeholders to find ways for producers to transition towards implementing improved animal welfare methods and practices.

The Scottish Government believes everyone should be safe, and feel safe, in their home and community. Our communities are safer than they were a generation ago.

Community safety is not the responsibility of one organisation – it is a shared endeavour. Local authorities and Police Scotland have statutory duties to share intelligence and plans for antisocial behaviour strategies and local policing plans. The Scottish Government has increased the funding that local authorities receive in real terms by 5.5% for 2025–26, and Police Scotland receive a record £1.64 billion for 2025–26.

Data from the Safer Communities and Justice Statistics shows that three in four adults said that they felt very safe or fairly safe walking alone in their neighbourhood after dark in 2023–24, a number which has been stable since 2016–17. This is an 11% increase from 2008–09.

There are no current plans to introduce private verification in Scotland. Local authorities are appointed by Scottish Ministers as verifiers to administer the building standards system for their own geographical area. The appointments are conditional on verifiers meeting the requirements set out in Operating and Performance Frameworks.

The Grenfell Inquiry’s Phase 2 report recommended that an independent panel consider whether or not it is in the public interest for building control functions to continue to be performed by those who have a commercial interest in the process, as is the case in England.

During the development of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill (the Bill) the Scottish Government has had constructive discussions on new restrictions for all nicotine products. The Bill, if passed, will introduce restrictions on the age of sale for all nicotine products and the advertising, sponsorship, free distribution and nominal pricing of vapes and all nicotine products across the 4 nations. Some of these new restrictions will be similar to current restrictions on tobacco products. The Bill will also extend the Tobacco and Vapes retailer register in Scotland to cover all nicotine products.

New powers in the Bill will also empower the Secretary of State to regulate (amongst other things) product features, packaging, ingredients and flavourings in relation to vapes and nicotine products across the UK, with the consent of Scottish Ministers. The Bill will give the Scottish Ministers the power to impose restrictions in relation to the display of nicotine products in shops.

The UK wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, empowers the Secretary of State to limit the amount of nicotine in a nicotine pouch, as well as ban any other ingredient that might be harmful in a pouch.

The powers within the Bill, subject to consultation, can be used to ensure that nicotine pouches are limited to an appropriate strength. The Secretary of State will be required to obtain the consent of the Scottish Ministers where regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Government does not regulate or assess the cost of pet cremation services.

The Scottish Government acknowledges that the loss of a pet is a difficult time. However, financial provision for the care and end of life needs form an important part of responsible pet ownership.

Nicotine products, including pouches, should not be used by children and young people. The Scottish Government supports age restrictions for all commercially available nicotine products. The UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will introduce new restrictions on age of sale for all nicotine products, including nicotine pouches.

The Scottish Government does not hold data for diagnostic waiting times and outcomes for younger people presenting with potential cancer symptoms.

Cancer waiting times data is collected by Public Health Scotland (PHS). The most up-to-date data was published in September 2025, and can be found on the PHS website: Cancer waiting times - 1 April to 30 June 2025 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Data is collected for two cancer waiting times standards for individuals (aged 16 or older at the date of diagnosis) who have a newly diagnosed primary cancer. These are:

• a 31-day standard from decision to treat until first treatment, regardless of the route of referral.
• a 62-day standard from urgent referral with suspicion of cancer, including referrals from national cancer screening programmes, until first treatment.