Seòmar agus comataidhean

In April 2025, the First Minister, Ministers, and Law Officers received ministerial waiver mandate letters. As the mandates contain data which is personal to the individuals concerned the Scottish Parliament, as a data controller, will not publish them. It is a matter for individuals to decide if they wish to publish information contained within their own mandate letters.

The SPCB publishes up to date information about salaries for MSP, Ministers, Law Officers and Office Holders on its website.

The Scottish Government expects employers to meet their legal obligations regarding employment costs arising from statutory duties to workers, including in relation to parental leave, sick leave and redundancy. As part of our Fair Work approach, we also encourage employers to adopt practices which foster inclusive, equitable, and sustainable workplaces. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38593 on 24 June 2025 regarding employment costs in grant agreements.

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.

We speak to the SPFL regularly on a range of issues, and they have kept us updated on matters relating to Hamilton Academical FC and their proposed move.

I have recently written to the owners of the club offering to meet with them.

The Scottish Government is committed to an infrastructure solution to address the A83 Rest and Be Thankful landslip risks. Delivery of a permanent and resilient solution is a priority and we continue to seek ways to achieve that as quickly as possible.

Funding is included in the 2025-26 Budget to continue to progress both the medium and long term solutions. Funding to progress the construction stage of the medium and long term solutions will be determined as part of the annual Scottish Budget setting exercises. However, this scheme is a priority for Scottish Government, noting it is a key recommendation in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) and is included in our published Programme for Government 2025-26.

A traffic and economics assessment was carried in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, however, its purpose is not to assess impacts to each and every business in Argyll and Bute. This is why at the most recent A83 Taskforce meeting I have arranged for roundtable meetings to be taken forward for each of the various business sectors for focussed discussions on the possible impacts and potential mitigation measures which may be implemented to further reduce any impact on businesses during construction of the long term solution. The link to the website can be found here: https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/design-manual-for-roads-and-bridges-dmrb-stage-two-route-options-assessment-report-a83-access-to-argyll-and-bute/.

The Scottish Government undertook a range of consultation to develop the proposals in the Bill. Engagement with landowners and wider stakeholders is set out in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill - Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment and the results of our public consultation is set out in our 5. Regulating the market in large-scale land transfers: a new Public Interest Test, and a requirement to notify an intention to sell - Land reform in a Net Zero nation: consultation analysis - gov.scot

As part of further development during Stage 1, consultation was undertaken with a range of stakeholders including the following bodies:

• UK Infrastructure Bank (now National Wealth Fund)
• Scottish National Investment Bank
• Scottish Futures Trust

This engagement highlighted the importance of clarity for both landowners and lenders on the timescales and decision process for the transfer test provisions in the Bill. Amendments have now been agreed by the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee at Stage 2 which will introduce timescales for Ministerial transfer test decisions and place a duty on Ministers to publish guidance on the process.

The Scottish Government set out proposals in the paper A Stronger Economy with Independence for the two main trunk routes between Scotland and England in a scenario in which an independent Scotland was in the EU and the rest of the UK was not. It should be noted that the Common Travel Area means there would be no new passport or immigration checks at any of an independent Scotland’s land, sea or air border points with the UK and Ireland for those travelling within it.

The UK Government is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. Precise border arrangements between the EU and the UK will not be known until the conclusion of those negotiations. The Scottish Government supports an ambitious agreement to minimise checks and delays. We also continue to press the UK Government to drop its red line on UK membership of the Customs Union and Single Market to mitigate some of the damage of Brexit and smooth trade between the UK and EU.

The following table provides a breakdown of homes delivered through the demand-led Rural and Islands Housing Fund, by financial year, between 1 April 2016 and end March 2025.

To understand the impact of Land Reform Bill proposals on businesses, the Scottish Government conducted a Scottish firms impact test, involving engagement with landowners, land agents and representative organisations of land-based businesses.

Assessment of potential impacts relating to delays in the disposal of land (which would include any additional borrowing costs relating to the delay) related to pre-notification and the transfer test can be found in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill - Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The SPS Policy for the Management of Transgender People in Custody makes it clear that if a transgender woman presents a risk of harm against women and girls, that they will be accommodated in a male establishment.

Any suspected breaches of discipline such as inappropriate behaviours, will be managed in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Prison and Young Offenders Rules (Scotland) 2011. Breaches of discipline include, but are not limited to:

4 – uses threatening words or behaviour

5 – commits any indecent or obscene act

13 – disobeys or fails to comply with any rule, direction or regulation applying to a prisoner

31 – attempts to commit, incites another prisoner to commit, or assists another prisoner to commit or attempt to commit, any of the foregoing breaches.

Restrictions may then be applied to individuals such as removal from association or activities in order to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone living in prisons.

Scottish Government Officials and Ministers engage with a wide range of stakeholders to inform policy. This engagement has informed the production of the Building a new Scotland series (BANS). We are not aware of any representations from foreign investors expressing concerns about access to the UK Market in an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with like-minded investors to increase investment in Scotland. EY's latest Annual Attractiveness Survey showed that Scotland has maintained its position as the top performing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) region or nation of the UK outside of London for the past 10 years and is ranked sixth among the top ten FDI locations in Europe.

With the full powers of independence, it would be possible to further strengthen our approach to attracting investment. The full range of fiscal and regulatory powers and incentive mechanisms could be aligned to match our policy ambitions and values.