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The Scottish Government partners with a relocation company to assist staff who are assigned to Scottish Government offices overseas.

The costs for the services provided, from financial year 2021-22 to date, are detailed in the following table:

The Scottish Government has already designated the Mental Welfare Commission to undertake national monitoring and reporting on the use of restrictive practices in inpatient mental health units. NHS Boards were notified of this on 30 October 2025.

The 2024 Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics show that the number of active Scottish fishing vessels was 1,998, a modest decrease of 8 vessels compared to 2023. The fleet remains dominated by vessels under 10 metres in length, which have increased by five per cent since 2015, while the number of larger vessels over 10 metres has declined by 16 per cent over the same period.

In terms of employment, 3,735 fishers were working on Scottish vessels in 2024, down 48 compared to 2023. This continues a longer-term trend, with changes reflecting a range of factors including access to labour, technological advances and market conditions.

Despite this consolidation, the sector’s overall performance remains strong. In 2024, Scottish vessels landed 561 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish worth £756 million — the highest value and tonnage recorded in the past ten years.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working with industry, coastal communities and stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and thriving future for Scotland’s fisheries.

I last met with representatives from the Royal College of Midwives on the 11 September 2025.

Concerns about staffing was not the focus of discussion. Staff skill mix was raised, however it is the responsibility of Health Boards to ensure the appropriate staff skill mix of services. No actions were noted pertaining to concerns about staffing.

The notional study leave allocation for each resident doctors in training is £600 annually but this is not a limit and, as requirements vary from year to year, where necessary doctors are provided additional study leave funding depending on curricular demands and availability. Resident doctors in training receive 30 days per year in study leave time, not including any study leave which is utilised to provide courses for all doctors including Leadership and Management training and simulation training. Foundation doctors have less access to study leave but are able to apply for taster experiences where they can shadow a resident doctor in a specific specialty. More information is available at https://www.scotlanddeanery.nhs.scot/resident-doctor-information/study-leave/.

Scotland is excited to co-host EURO 2028 as part of the biggest ever sporting event jointly hosted by the UK & Ireland. EURO 2028 will be an unforgettable summer of football that will create memories to last a lifetime.

The Scottish Government will invest up to £73 million, including contingency. This funding will help deliver a safe and successful event, and unlock the far-reaching social and economic benefits. Updated socio-economic figures show benefits of hosting EURO 2028 of £3.6 billion for the UK and Ireland. Scotland’s estimated share is £270 million.

Scottish Government investment sits alongside funding contributions from other government partners in the UK and Ireland. Our support for EURO 2028 includes a £3.2 million investment into social impact and community activity programmes which form part of a wider partner social impact fund of circa £45 million. This investment will generate significant benefits long after the tournament concludes. It will help to deliver on the Scottish Government’s priority of Growing the Economy by creating jobs, driving regional prosperity and encouraging visitors to our nation. It is also designed to reduce barriers to opportunity, bring communities together through shared national moments and showcase Scotland as a world class host of major events. A key objective for Scottish Government is to spread the socio-economic benefits of hosting EURO 2028 throughout Scotland.

Through the relevant budget review processes Scottish Government will continue to scrutinise the budget lines and engage with the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee as appropriate.

The total amount of carbon levy collected in each of the last three financial years is as follows. The levy is calculated and paid back annually by the Scottish Governments travel provider. It is not broken down by Ministerial portfolio.

2024-25 - £8,704

2023-24 - £9,658

2022-23 - 11,148

The regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is currently reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. As a result, the Scottish Government has no plans to assess the reasons for three states in the United States of America legalising psilocybin for the treatment of major treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance-use disorders and in end-of-life care.

The Scottish Government will revise the Code of Practice under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to add guidance on the use of restrictive practices in inpatient mental health wards against children, young people and adults. This will include minimum expectations for reporting, and will be aligned to the new role for the Mental Welfare Commission with regards to national monitoring and reporting on the use of restraint. The Code of Practice will be revised before the end of October 2026.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant - that serving personnel and their families should face no disadvantage in accessing support and services in comparison to the civilian population as a result of their service.

Government officials have engaged with representatives of service families to understand their experience of living and working in Scotland, including access to childcare. At a local authority level, there has been particular engagement with Moray Council, to understand availability of childcare in the rural area around RAF Lossiemouth, and the impact this has on the ability to attract and retain service personnel.

This year, SG and MOD have participated in a short life working group convened by the local authority, which focuses on the school age childcare needs of all communities across Moray, identifying priorities for growth and development, test of change projects and community engagement. This has provided opportunity for the specific needs of service families to be heard and addressed.

More broadly, local authorities have statutory duties to consult and plan childcare provision locally in order to help them ensure the provision within their area reflects local needs, which would include the particular needs of service families. Scottish Government will be contacting local authorities in due course to set out planned changes to the Armed Forces Covenant and policies which will be impacted, including childcare.