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We are grateful to the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls and their Empowering Women Panel for their dedication and invaluable insights as we have worked in partnership to develop an Equality Strategy for Women and Girls. Subject to the outcome of the Scottish Parliament election, we are committed to publishing this strategy early in the next administration.

Whilst universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decision making, the Scottish Government expects staff and trade unions to be consulted meaningfully on the potential impact of any cost-saving measures - in line with Fair Work principles. In line with its statutory responsibilities, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will continue to offer appropriate support as universities develop their own cost-saving measures, and advise the Scottish Government regarding any financial or governance concerns.

The Scottish Government cannot compel universities to commit to no compulsory redundancies, however our clear expectation is that they are only considered as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

Implementation of Fair Work First must be the guiding criteria to promote fairer work practices for staff within the university sector. Universities in receipt of government funding through the SFC are currently expected to meet two mandatory Fair Work First criteria (payment of at least the real Living Wage; and provision of appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition), while being encouraged to meet all other non-mandatory Fair Work First criteria. From April 2027, universities will be expected to adopt all Fair Work First criteria, and the SFC will look to include these as a condition of grant. Further details are set out in my answer to question S6W-42976 on 13 January 2026.

I also expect universities to take appropriate steps to support and promote staff wellbeing, and comply with relevant legal requirements, including the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing health and safety requirements at UK workplaces, including universities.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that universities play in Scotland’s economy and wider society, which is why we are investing over £1.4 billion in the university sector in 2026-27. This includes a combined increase of over £55m in resource and capital funding via the SFC, equivalent to a 5% uplift on last year’s budget.

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 confirmed to the higher education sector in November 2025 that tuition fee loans available to Scottish domiciled student studying in the rest of the UK would increase to match the maximum rate of tuition fees announced by the UK Government. This will take effect from the start of the 2026-27 academic year to align with the increase in tuition fees for students in England that are set by the UK Government. A further increase to the tuition fee loans for Scottish domiciled students will also be introduced for the start of the 2027-28 academic year for the same reason.

Scottish domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK are entitled to the same package of living cost support available to students studying at Scottish higher education institutions. This provides a maximum support of £11,400 through a combination of bursaries and student loans for the most vulnerable students. This includes a £2,400 uplift in the form of a Special Support Loan that was introduced for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Full details of the funding available can be found on the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website - Undergrad Funding - SAAS - Higher Education - Student Loan - Bursary.

The Scottish Government provides the vast majority of local government funding – including funding for delivery of the 1140 entitlement – by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The needs-based formula used to distribute the total funding available for local government is kept under constant review and is agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities each year. While the Scottish Government is always open to suggestions to improve the funding formula, any fundamental changes must properly come through COSLA in the first instance.

The Scottish Government continues to seek solutions to address immediate risks and to progress with long-term remediation at the Tarbolton Moss former landfill site, engaging with partners including South Ayrshire Council and SEPA.

SEPA continues to monitor the site regularly. The most recent site assessments indicate that site conditions are stable. However, there continues to be an impact on local surface waters.

I explained to Parliament on 18 and 25 February and in my letter to the Presiding Officer on 24 February 2026, in respect of the case known as Operation Branchform, that I did not provide briefings on the case to the First Minister. I provided limited factual information to the government on two occasions, first, on his appearance in court on petition in March 2025 and then again on the service of the indictment in January 2026.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Data on ELC placements may be held by local Councils. It is the responsibility of each Local Authority to plan for, and manage, ELC placements in line with their statutory duties in relation to funded ELC delivery, including having regard to the statutory guidance on cross-boundary placements.

Local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic.

The Scottish Government does not hold any information on third-party liability claims for vehicle damage caused by potholes that were submitted to local authorities.

Total Energies Gas and Power Limited has confirmed that it does not have direct links to Russia. Their parent company TotalEnergies (TE) had project investments within Russia and has confirmed that it would not be investing new capital in Russia and remained aligned with current EU policies towards Moscow.

TotalEnergies has previously condemned Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. On March 22, 2022, TotalEnergies established principles of action to manage its activities related to Russia. TotalEnergies has informed the Scottish Government that it operates legally within the framework of the energy policy and sanctions policy defined by the authorities of the European Union and its member states. TotalEnergies has said that it operates in accordance with EU decisions in relation to the security of supply, and it does not supply Russian LNG to the UK.

In 2024, Scottish Government awarded the National Framework for Supply of Natural Gas to Total Energies Gas and Power Limited, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies. The framework was put in place following a full tender exercise following procurement rules.

I am pleased that we will invest £4 million in 2026-27 to support Local Transport Authorities to build business cases for local bus improvements through franchising, using powers created in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

Work to develop appropriate governance arrangements and the detail of administering the fund is at an early stage. This will be considered with key stakeholders, including COSLA and Local Transport Authorities.