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The Scottish Government has received no requests to alter the terms and conditions of the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025, and has no plans to withdraw the scheme.

Self-referral pathways will feature in the National Eating Disorders Network’s webinar Early Intervention for Eating Disorders in Scotland: Real-World Examples of Service-Based Changes in Scottish Health Boards. This will take place on 12 March 2026.

Further webinar dates are still to be confirmed.

The Scottish Government has not received claims for the furlough support scheme awarded to Alexander Dennis on 15 September 2025. Compliance with the terms and conditions of the grant offer letter will be assessed once claims are made.

The non-domestic rates liability that applies to a property depends on its rateable value, the rate that applies and any reliefs that it is in receipt of. Shops are expected to see an increase in rateable value of 6% at the 2026 revaluation in Scotland while in England the expected increase for shops is 10%.

The draft Scottish Budget 2026-27, announced on 13 January, ensures the estimated revenues raised from non-domestic rates in 2026-27 will be 6% lower in real terms measured by the Consumer Price Index than pre-COVID despite the number of properties on the valuation roll increasing in that time. It continues to support businesses and communities, with a strong non-domestic rates package, which decreases the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in 2026-27, delivering the lowest Basic Property Rate since 2018.

The Budget offers more than £320 million of support through transitional relief schemes and retail hospitality and leisure relief over the next three years.

Businesses and communities will be supported with a generous non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £864 million in 2026-27, including the Small Business Bonus Scheme which remains the most generous scheme of its kind in the UK and is confirmed for the next three years, as well as transitional relief schemes.

Recognising the challenges faced by the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, for the next three years we will offer 15% relief for eligible properties in these sectors liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates, capped at £110,000 per business per year; and extend and expand 100% relief for the next three years to retail, hospitality and leisure premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, and in prescribed remote areas (Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig) capped at £110,000 per business per year.

We estimate that 96% of retail, hospitality and leisure properties could benefit from some form of relief in 2026-27.

Taken together around 89,000 properties (or 96%) across the three sectors could benefit from zero or reduced rates and the budget guarantees that support for the full three years of the revaluation.

Internal Scottish Government estimates are that up to 37,000 properties could benefit from the proposed retail, hospitality and leisure sectors reliefs set out in the draft Budget 2026-27, subject to take-up and the business level cap of £110,000. Table 1 provides a further breakdown by sector and by liability for the Basic Property Rate (BPR) and Intermediate Property Rate (IPR) respectively.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission forecasts this relief to be worth £44m in 2026-27[1]. This figure accounts for both the business level cap and the overall assumed take-up.

The cap of £110,000 per business on the annual value of non-domestic rates reduction that a business can benefit from thanks to retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) on its properties in Scotland is set across all properties that a business is liable for and that qualify for the relief. The cap is, therefore, dependent on the combined value of RHL relief awarded to properties in these sectors. As some businesses have properties in multiple sectors or that are liable for different rates, it is not possible to accurately estimate a breakdown of the value of the proposed relief between sectors and rate liable.

Table 1: Number of properties that could benefit from the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief in 2026-27 by sector and rate[2]

Internal Scottish Government estimates are that up to around 19,100 retail properties could benefit from the proposed retail, hospitality and leisure sectors reliefs set out in the draft Budget 2026-27, subject to take-up and the business level cap of £110,000. Based on draft valuations by Scottish Assessors, of these, around 17,500 will be liable for the Basic Property Rate (BPR) and 1,600 will be liable for the Intermediate Property Rate (IPR)[1] in 2026-27.

The identification of retail properties is based on property classifications, as industry sector classifications are not available.

Property classifications used by the Scottish Assessors to describe the type of a property may not accurately reflect its use. For example, a property classified as a ‘shop’ may in fact be used to offer financial services.

[1] These figures have been estimated using data from the Scottish Assessor’s Association’s draft roll for 2026-27 as at 11 December 2025.

Waste collection and recycling services are a matter for individual local authorities and which strategy they adopt is entirely up to them. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision making processes including on how to collect and process waste.

The Scottish Government liaises regularly with SEPA and local government representatives regarding waste contingency challenges. As part of ongoing liaison, Scottish Government was informed about the reported shutdown and reopening of the NESS incinerator in Aberdeen and actions taken by councils to mitigate any disruption of waste management services. Based on available information, Scottish Government’s understanding is that waste collections remained unaffected.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the regulator for municipal waste incineration. SEPA already publishes summary data on pollutant releases via the Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI), site-specific monitoring data on its public register and also requires operators to make up to date emissions information available to the public via their own websites.

SEPA sets and enforces stringent permit conditions, including continuous emissions monitoring, periodic stack testing, and ambient air quality assessments. SEPA tightened emissions limits for Scottish plants in line with the 2019 EU Waste Incineration Best Available Technique (BAT) Conclusions, which cover air, water and other environmental considerations, with compliance required by 3 December 2023.

Any tests or follow up required as a result of the annual health check will be actioned or arranged by the practitioner carrying out the health check. Families are not required to request tests individually as part of the Health Check. Out with the annual health check, any concerns regarding the health of a person with Down’s Syndrome should be highlighted with their GP in the usual way.

We have worked closely with partners to develop information and support in relation to annual health checks. Down’s Syndrome Scotland has created a number of resources to support the delivery of annual health checks, including a resource for professionals about the specific health needs of people with Down’s Syndrome:

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/68763674/annual-health-checks-professionals-information

The National Directions, stipulate that:

• Annual health checks must be delivered by a registered nurse or medical practitioner;
• Health Boards must use the Scottish Health Check for Adults with Learning Disabilities paperwork as included in the Directions;
• Health Boards must provide an annual report on delivery to ministers (or when requested).

The National Implementation Group provides support to delivery teams ensuring there is regular communication with Boards around implementation. The Scottish Government also discusses annual health checks with NHS Boards as part of their wider engagement around delivery and performance.