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Following the decision in the UK Budget to implement lower business rates in England from April 2026 for retail, hospitality and leisure, the Scottish Government has received representations from retail representative organisations including through the Non-Domestic Rates Consultative Group which met with me on 27 November, the day after the UK Budget was announced.

Ministers regularly discuss matters of importance including budget priorities and the views of stakeholders in the run-up to the Scottish Budget. Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27 will be set out in the budget on 13 January 2026.

Draft rateable values for the 2026 revaluation were published on 30 November 2025 but may be subject to change. The final valuation roll will come into effect on 1 April 2026 and the Scottish Government will publish its report on changes in rateable values once final valuations are available.

Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27, including reliefs, are considered in the context of the Budget in line with other government priorities and will be set out in the Budget on 13 January 2026.

The Scottish Government will receive £189 million in consequential funding in 2026-27 from decisions taken by the UK Government on Business rates in England. This includes measures on Business rates income retention, rate-setting and reliefs in England. Decisions on rates and reliefs alone account for £188 million in consequential funding. Consequentials, both negative and positive, accrue as a whole at fiscal events to Scotland and it is for the Scottish Ministers to allocate the funding available at Budget in line with prevailing economic conditions and Government priorities.

Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27, including reliefs, are considered in the context of the Budget in line with other government priorities and will be set out on 13 January 2026.

The Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey (SCPES) is vital in proving information on improving our understanding of peoples experiences as they navigate their own cancer pathway. Findings published from the 2024 survey show that for those aged 16 and over, 95% of people are positive about their overall cancer care experience, illustrating that that we are progressing towards our aim to put people with cancer at the heart of all decision and actions involving them.

The timing and frequency of SCPES are not fixed. Surveys have been conducted in 2015, 2018, and most recently in 2024, from which we are still taking learning.

The number of children and young people diagnosed with cancer in Scotland is small compared to other cancers.

To protect confidentiality, cancer groups with fewer than 50 responses cannot be analysed, as this helps minimise the risk of individuals being identifiable within the dataset.

Understanding the unique support needs of children and young people with cancer is a priority for both the Scottish Government and the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC), who are responsible for the implementation of the Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026.

The MCN CYPC have a number of support programmes including the National Youth Advisory Forum and Buddy Support Network, which enable young people to share experiences, identify gaps, and help improve service quality through feedback.

Schools must arrange specialist anaphylaxis training for staff where a pupil within the school has been diagnosed as being at risk of anaphylaxis. Where this happens, schools should ensure there are a reasonable number of designated members of staff available to provide sufficient coverage, including times when staff are on leave. Furthermore, schools also have the authority to buy and hold spare Adrenaline Auto-injector (AAI) devices without the need for a prescription to use in emergency situations.

The Scottish Government believes there is currently sufficient legislation in place to require schools in Scotland to take appropriate action to safeguard children and young people with allergies. The Schools (Safety and Supervision of Pupils) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 provide that "without prejudice to any duties of education authorities arising under statute or any rule of law, every education authority shall take reasonable care for the safety of pupils when under their charge". This includes protecting pupils at risk of allergy from potential harm, therefore we have no plans to introduce further legislation relating to this matter.

Understanding the unique support needs of children and young people with cancer is a priority for both the Scottish Government and the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC), who are responsible for the implementation of the Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026.

The number of children and young people diagnosed with cancer in Scotland is small compared to other cancers. Due to small patient numbers it is challenging to produce detailed, anonymised data.

To protect confidentiality, cancer groups with fewer than 50 responses cannot be analysed, as this helps minimise the risk of individuals being identifiable within the dataset.

The MCN CYPC have a number of support programmes including the National Youth Advisory Forum and Buddy Support Network, which enable young people to share experiences, identify gaps, and help improve service quality through feedback.

Decisions on non-domestic rates policy for 2026-27, including reliefs, are considered in the context of the Budget in line with other government priorities and will be set out in the Budget on 13 January 2026.