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Table 1 shows the change in rateable value between the current and draft valuation rolls by council area.

The published statistics, available at Non-domestic rates revaluation 2026: draft valuation roll statistics, have been updated to include this information in Table 2a. Updated information will be published once final valuations are available.

Table 1: Change at draft 2026 revaluation by council area

The Scottish Government has conducted extensive analysis of the draft valuation roll, including changes by council and assessor areas. Changes in rateable value by council area, as well as the total current and draft rateable value in each council area, have been added to Table 2a of the non-domestic rates revaluation 2026 draft valuation roll statistics which can be accessed at: Non-domestic rates revaluation 2026: draft valuation roll statistics.

The requested information can be found in Table 5 the Non-domestic rates revaluation 2026 draft valuation roll statistics which can be accessed at: Non-domestic rates revaluation 2026: draft valuation roll statistics. Updated information will be published once final valuations are available.

There are different types of licences which, where relevant, set specific conditions for individuals when they are released from custody into the community.

The type of licence depends on the type of sentence and includes parole licence, non-parole licence and Home Detention Curfew.

When an individual is released on licence, they may be recalled to custody because they have breached one or more conditions and/or recall is deemed necessary in the public interest e.g. due to an increased risk to public safety.

Parole and Non-Parole Licence

Individuals who are serving long term sentences, or extended sentences, of four years or more can be released on parole licence if the independent Parole Board for Scotland recommends their release. If they are not released on parole licence, they will be released on non-parole licence six months prior to their sentence end date, or for those on extended sentences at their sentence expiry date.

Individuals who are serving an Order for Lifelong Restriction or a life sentence can only be released on parole licence if the Parole Board for Scotland recommends release. They would be subject to lifelong supervision ton licence.

The latest data on the number of people recalled to custody from parole and
non-parole licence between January 2024 and December 2025 is outlined in the following tables.

In cases where recall was due to further offending it is not possible to provide a breakdown by offence type.

Table 1: Number of individuals recalled from parole and non-parole licence from Jan – Dec 2024

At this stage, it is not possible to confirm the precise level of cycle space provision on the new trains, as these details will be informed by manufacturers’ bids. The specification for new rolling stock will fully reflect the requirement for appropriate and accessible cycle storage.

In developing the specification, Transport Scotland and rail industry partners will balance provision for cycles alongside other essential passenger requirements, including seating capacity, toilets, wheelchair spaces, priority and family-friendly seating, door layouts and luggage storage. This balanced approach ensures that the overall configuration of new trains best meets the needs of passengers across the network.

ScotRail regularly engages representative groups, including those representing cyclists, to understand and balance customer needs.

Fair Work First is a key aspect of the Scottish Government’s Fair Work plan and it requires employers to meet a minimum standard of practice to access public sector grants.

The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with any operators of a proposed ferry service with regards to Fair Work First.

A robust analytical process is underway to evaluate the impact of removing ScotRail peak fares. It will take some time to be able to meaningfully analyse the impact of this £35m Scottish Government investment.

We anticipate that we will be able to share emerging findings after the policy has been in place for at least 6 months, with further reporting towards the end of the year due to how sensitive patronage and revenue are to external factors such as pricing and weather.

All recall decisions are made based on an individualised assessment of each case. There is no available evidence of the potential impact of justice social work force or housing availability on the rates of recall.

When considering whether to recall someone, the Parole Board for Scotland and Scottish Prison Service will carefully consider any breach of licence conditions and/or whether any identified risks can be managed safely in the community.

a) As part of the Programme for Government 2025–26, the Scottish Government supported the delivery of a £1 million SME AI Adoption Programme, co designed and delivered by Scotland’s Enterprise Agencies and The Data Lab. This programme, the first delivered under the AI Scotland banner, provided practical advice and support to businesses to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with AI adoption, through a programme of roadshows, training courses, and case studies.

b) The Scottish Government is currently undertaking work to advise and support the business community in relation to the opportunities and risks associated with AI through the development of its new AI Strategy, which is due to be published in March 2026. Building on the 2021 AI Strategy, the new strategy will set out the Scottish Government’s approach to harnessing the economic opportunities of AI. In addition, as set out in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government is in the process of launching AI Scotland, a national transformation programme bringing together business, academia, government, and public agencies to help ensure that Scotland maximises the potential economic and social benefits of AI.

A partnership including Highland, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray councils are working with private charge point operator, EZO, to jointly invest in EV charging across the north of Scotland. This project is supported through the Scottish Government’s £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund. As part of the application process, EV Infrastructure Fund projects are required to demonstrate how they expect to deliver a range of outcomes, including community wealth building, creating new economic opportunities and environmental sustainability.

With regard to point (a), assessment of the north of Scotland project identified environmental benefit delivered through supporting a transition to EVs and developing transport interchanges that promote the use of sustainable and active travel, improving air quality and reducing transport emissions across the region.

With regard to point (b), this regional approach is considered to create a scale of delivery and investment that will help to ensure additional opportunities for local employment and supply chains during project delivery and throughout the lifetime of the 20 year contract. The contract identifies £4.9 million of private investment related to the installation of 570 new public EV charge points over the next four years. In addition, through its term the contract is forecast to create an additional 140 jobs and enable significantly more private sector investment related to EV charging at additional sites and for fleets.

More generally in terms of local economic benefits, this contract was awarded through public procurement, and the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires local impact to be considered as a contractual requirement. This includes identifying opportunities for training and recruitment as well as the availability of sub-contracting.