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No specific analysis has been conducted by the Scottish Government on the number of undergraduate courses that are not available at Scottish universities, but are available at universities in other UK nations.

Universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own course provision

The Scottish Government were approached by Glasgow Life for £4.5m funding towards the refurbishment. The request was flexible and could be split across multiple financial years with the majority of funding coming in 2027-28. The culture capital allocation is primarily focused on supporting the culture bodies which refers to Scottish Government directly funded culture and historic environment public bodies, including the care and maintenance of their historic estates. Officials will continue dialogue with Glasgow Life about the project.

The requested information is not held centrally as the data received from Police Scotland for production of the recorded crime statistics is a simple count of the number and type of crimes and offences recorded. We do not in general hold further details as to whether any of these crimes included a knife.

There are two exceptions to this. The first are crimes of homicide, where information is held on method of killing (including by sharp instrument and more specifically since 2013-14, a knife). Table One below presents the number of knife-related homicide victims in North Ayrshire from 2013-14 to 2024-25.

The second are those types of crime that specifically reference the presence of a knife or bladed/pointed article. The only crime category of this type where data is available prior to 2017-18 is Weapons possession involving a bladed or pointed article that was not used in other criminal activity. Table Two presents the number of these crimes in North Ayrshire from 1999-00 to 2024-25.

Due to changes in recording practices for 2017-18 onwards, data is also available on the number of recorded crimes of Weapons possession involving a bladed or pointed article that was used in other criminal activity (see Table Three).

Finally, data is available on the number of recorded crimes of Possession of certain dangerous knives in a private place since 2022-23, following the implementation of Part 4 of the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 on 27th March 2023. There were no recorded crimes of this type in North Ayrshire up to 2024-25.

Table One: Number of knife-related homicide victims, North Ayrshire, 2013-14 to 2024-25

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) to ensure we have a robust independent oversight body to secure public confidence in policing.

The 2026-27 Scottish Budget provides funding of £8.5m for PIRC, an additional £1m (a 13.5% increase) compared to the 2025-26 ABR budget, in recognition of the additional demands being placed on the organisation.

The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with PIRC to understand the demands on the organisation and any requirement for additional resources, to ensure that it can continue to deliver a high level of service and fulfil its statutory responsibilities.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-44120 on 10 March 2026.

A copy of the report can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806439737

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43964 on 9 March 2026. 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.

As this is a live application which will come before Scottish Ministers for determination, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific merits of the proposal.

Where appropriate, the Scottish Government engages with developers, statutory consultees and other stakeholders on procedural or policy matters.

Potential impacts on communities, nature, landscape and other valued natural assets are important considerations in the decision-making process. The merits of each proposal are considered on a case-by-case basis, and a careful balance must be struck between the potential impacts of the development and the associated environmental, economic, renewable energy and climate change benefits.

A final decision will only be taken after careful and thorough consideration of all material issues including the representations received, consultee advice, relevant environmental information, as well as all planning information in accordance with the relevant legislative obligations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44254 on 19 March 2026 .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.

As clearly set out in the Lord Advocate’s letter to the Presiding Officer of 24 February 2026, the Lord Advocate was advised on two occasions that it was appropriate to provide limited factual information to the government in relation to the case against Peter Murrell. First, on his appearance in court on March 2025 and then again on the service of the indictment in January 2026.

On each occasion, given the extremely high level of publicity which the investigation had attracted, it was appropriate to provide the government with appropriate and limited confirmation of decisions taken by the independent prosecutor and the nature of the charges. This also served to protect proceedings where there is a strong likelihood that ministers will be asked about prosecution decisions. Each minute also provided reassurance that the Law Officers had no operational involvement in prosecutorial decision making in this case.

It would not have been appropriate for the First Minister to give details of any briefings without understanding the impact on proceedings should information be released. The Lord Advocate has now provided members with a wide range of examples to demonstrate the long-standing practice of prosecutors properly advising the Government of the day, of significant prosecutorial decisions taken by an independent prosecutor.