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The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It has been delivered by the Rural Payments Agency on a UK-wide basis since its introduction. There have been a total of four producer organisations (POs), with headquarters in Scotland that have received funding through the scheme since it was introduced; one in Angus, two in Fife and one in the Scottish Borders.

Three of these POs have received funding via the scheme in every year since it was introduced. The remaining PO received funding for expenditure relating to one scheme year. Where possible, the Rural Payments Agency and the Scottish Government work with POs so that applications for operational programmes meet the necessary eligibility criteria as set out in legislation and the National Strategy.

The Scottish Government has committed to continuing the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme in Scotland. The Scheme is based on multi-annual funding and operational programmes submitted for approval can run for a maximum of three years. Applications for new operational programmes submitted this year are expected to run until the end of December 2028.

A public consultation, seeking views on proposed legislative changes and the longer term future of the scheme was launched on 23 June. We will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how the scheme can be improved to ensure it operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The Scottish Ministerial Code makes clear that it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Parliament. Ministers and their officials will consider the best way of ensuring that they have information necessary to provide an accurate answer on a case by case basis and, as such, the Scottish Government may occasionally opt to engage with non-government organisations in relation to written parliamentary questions when it is necessary to do so.

Every death is a tragedy and through our National Mission we are determined to continue our efforts to reduce harm and deaths. The total funding for alcohol and drugs, including health board baseline, exceeds £160 million in 2025-26.

We are taking a wide range of evidence-based measures including opening the UK’s first Safer Drug Consumption Facility pilot, working towards drug checking facilities and widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving naloxone.

Quarterly reporting on trends gives services useful information on what types of support are needed. This report provides an indication of current trends in suspected drug deaths in Scotland. It uses Police Scotland management information so is not subject to the same level of validation and quality assurance as Official Statistics.

While this publication records a quarter-on-quarter rise in suspected drug deaths, it also notes a year-on-year fall. Between January and March 2025 there were 308 suspected drug deaths, 33% (76) more than during the previous quarter though 4% (12) fewer than during the same period of 2024. It is important to note that numbers of suspected drug deaths fluctuate from quarter to quarter. Care should be taken not to interpret movements between individual calendar quarters as indicative of any long-term trend.

1. Supporting Pollinators and Biodiversity at Holyrood
   

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is committed to enhancing biodiversity and supporting pollinators across the parliamentary estate.

These are the key initiatives that are currently in place or planned:

1. Biodiversity Policy and Route Map
• We have a Biodiversity Policy and Route Map. Facilities Management works with the Sustainability Team to ensure best practices are followed.
2. Monitoring and Evidence
• From 2025, we will conduct biodiversity surveys twice a year to monitor progress and guide future actions. This will help us track our efforts and make informed decisions.
3. Landscaping and Maintenance
• Our landscaping avoids pesticides and includes regular checks for invasive species. These efforts are managed through our Facilities Management contract to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
4. Pollinator-Friendly Planting
• Each year, we plant a variety of wildflowers to support pollinators. This has increased the variety and number of pollinator-friendly plants across the estate, contributing to a healthier environment.
5. Partnership and Engagement
• We work with internal teams and external organizations, including community benefit clauses in our contracts, to support biodiversity. This collaborative approach ensures a broad impact.
6. Wildlife Support Measures
• Regular bat surveys are conducted, and bird and bat boxes have been installed in suitable locations to support local wildlife.
7. Public Engagement and Education
• Information boards are placed in landscaped areas, and we provide opportunities for public engagement and education on biodiversity. This helps raise awareness and encourages community involvement.

2. Encouraging Nature Across the Parliamentary Estate
   

To further support biodiversity, we have implemented several initiatives:

1. Landscaping
• We have incorporated native species of trees, shrubs, and meadow grass. This landscaping approach helps reduce carbon footprints, manage groundwater movements, and encourage biodiversity, including bees, butterflies, insects, and birds.
2. Management Practices
• We maintain a pesticide and peat-free regime to ensure a sustainable environment.
3. The Butterfly Project/Square Metre for Butterflies
• We are working on the recovery of the Northern Brown Argus butterfly at Holyrood, contributing to the conservation of this species.
4. Biodiversity Surveys
• We conduct regular biodiversity surveys and review bird and bat boxes to ensure they are effective.
5. Beehives
• The Scottish Parliament was the first legislature in the UK to have beehives, showing our commitment to supporting pollinators. Please refer to our response under ‘c’ below for the current position relating to beehives on the parliamentary estate
6. Waste and Recycling
• We aim to be a Zero Waste Parliament, reducing our environmental impact through effective waste management practices.
7. Sustainable Procurement
• We minimise ecological impacts through sustainable procurement practices, ensuring our operations are environmentally responsible.

We are committed to tackling climate change and reducing our environmental impact. Recently, we planted fifteen new trees around the Parliament perimeter. Soft landscaping, such as trees, grasses, and shrubs, supports biodiversity and reduces groundwater movement to minimise erosion.

No pesticides, fertilisers, or peat are used onsite by our contractors.

3. Review of On-Site Beekeeping following recent changes to guidance
   

As the current beekeeping contract neared its end in early 2025, Facilities Management and Procurement reviewed the role of managed beehives on the estate, following guidance from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. This review involved engaging with stakeholders to determine the best approach. The existing contract was extended by one year to allow time for this review. A project is now underway to explore sustainable pollinator support from 2026 onwards.

The Scottish Government remains committed to an all-age careers information advice and guidance offer that supports people to progress rewarding careers. Learners must choose their own paths; however, we need to ensure that in making their choices, they are aware of the range of potential pathways including self-employment as a legitimate route.

This was reflected in this year’s Programme for Government which included an action to “review and improve school-age and adult career support, including better information on career choices, job prospects and earnings” and is being taken forward as a priority in the improving careers support project as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills Reform Programme.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with partners across the entrepreneurial ecosystem and education sector, is fostering entrepreneurial mind-sets in schools through the Entrepreneurial Education Fund. In 2024-2025 the fund supported seven organisations with £829,319 to deliver innovative resources to teach entrepreneurial meta-skills from Primary 1 to S6 in alignment with the Curriculum for Excellence. The Scottish Government is committed to building a lasting legacy of entrepreneurial education across Scotland.

The Social Enterprise Academy schools programme is designed to accelerate social entrepreneurship education in schools. This transformational learning experience allows young people from primary 1 to S6 to develop key employability skills whilst aspiring to affect ongoing social change in their communities and beyond.

Developing the Young Workforce support the Scottish Government’s community engagement initiative by encouraging enterprise events in all regions. A recent example saw a school in Glasgow host a successful annual social enterprise event led by students. This event, designed to raise funds for Hint of Pink, served as a platform for young people to manage a project involving sales, entertainment, and event organisation.

The Venture Lab is a Scottish Government funded programme run by The Challenges Group. The programme supports impact driven entrepreneurs with early-stage business support and a dedicated pathway to market. Working in partnership with Scotland’s universities, they are supporting Scottish social enterprises and impact businesses with high growth potential to scale and establish in Scotland and in international markets.

The Scottish Government also fund ‘Business Gateway’ who specifically provide advice on starting a business and guidance on how to strengthen a new business. Further information regarding different employment routes for all ages and stages can be found on the Skills Development Scotland, My World of Work website.

Through our No One Left Behind approach, person-centred employability services are also available in every local authority area for people of all ages who experience structural barriers to participating in the labour market. These services support people towards and into sustainable fair work which includes self-employment.

The Scottish Government will give every consideration to the need for an independent public inquiry into the operation of “grooming gangs” in Scotland, should it be deemed necessary following the completion of evidence-gathering activities currently underway by Police Scotland and its partners.

Police Scotland has advised that there are no current investigations in Scotland involving offences against children which would mirror the investigations described in Baroness Casey’s Audit as being perpetrated by “grooming gangs”.

However, there is absolutely no place for complacency. That is why Police Scotland are carrying out a deep dive into previous investigations of the type referred to in the Baroness Casey Audit. This is expected to be completed in a matter of weeks, and we will review the findings as soon as they become available.

While Police Scotland’s deep dive is ongoing, the Scottish Government is considering the findings and recommendations of the Casey Audit to understand how they might apply to Scotland. The Casey Audit will also be considered by the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group, as it considers opportunities to improve our response to child sexual abuse and exploitation in Scotland.

As you will be aware, the current Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is ongoing and is one of the widest ranging ever undertaken in Scotland. While the primary aim of the inquiry is to investigate the extent and nature of abuse in care settings from 1930 to 2014 it is also conducting an extensive review of current child protection policy and practice in Scotland, to consider whether changes are required to better protect children from abuse in future.

The Chief Planner advised the Chief Reporter in a call on 10 June 2025 that Ministers intended to recall the appeal. On 12 June 2025, the Chief Planner, the Chief Reporter and I subsequently discussed the next steps for the appeal, following the debate in the Scottish Parliament. The merits of the appeal itself were not discussed.

Once Ministers receive a reporter’s report from the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA), we normally aim to issue decisions on called in applications and recalled appeals within 3 months. The timescale can sometimes increase where there are more complex issues involved.

In my role as Planning Minister, I will take the decision on the Lomond Banks planning appeal.