Seòmar agus comataidhean

We recognise the importance of international connectivity and want to see it grow at all Scotland’s main airports.

The Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement commits to working with Scotland’s airports and airlines to help grow connectivity to the international markets that are important for inbound tourism, business connectivity and the economy as a whole.

We take a national, Scotland wide, approach to route development and our work with airlines is carried out strictly on an “airport-neutral” basis, leaving airlines to decide which Scottish airport to use.

In relation to aviation resilience, the Scottish Government has no role in day-to-day operations at airports in Scotland. These are regulated, where appropriate, by the UK Government and its associated agencies.

Supporting families through access to high quality, affordable and accessible childcare is critical to the First Minister’s mission of eradicating child poverty. That is why, since 2021, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment of £1 billion per year in funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) for all 3- and 4-year-olds, 5-year-olds whose entry to primary school has been deferred, and those 2-year-olds who need it most.

The Scottish Government looks at a range of evidence when it comes to assessing the impact of childcare costs on families. We are evaluating the contribution of the expansion of funded ELC to 1140 hours per year on outcomes for children, parents and families, which will include consideration of the impact of funded ELC on women’s employment. The data we are collecting will allow disaggregation by a range of parent, child and household characteristics. We have focused primarily on gathering data in relation to the Best Start Bright Futures priority families, as well as on gender, age, area deprivation and household income. Our Interim Evaluation Report, published in August 2024, found that uptake of the expanded hours is high, and there are promising signs that the expansion is delivering improvements in quality, flexibility, accessibility and affordability. Our full evaluation report will be published later this year. In the interim, the 2022 Parent Survey found that 74% of parents using funded ELC said it had enabled them to work or look for work, and 63% of families with a child aged two to five and not yet at school stated said that they had no childcare costs, an increase from 50% in 2018.

Turning to the second point on fertility rates, we know that Scotland is not alone in experiencing falling birth rates. This is a trend being experienced across many high-income countries and which has significant implications for the sustainability of our economies, communities and public services. While deciding to have a child or not is a personal decision, we are identifying and addressing barriers to people starting or expanding their families through the delivery of Scotland’s Population Strategy.

Our 2022 ‘Attitudes to Family Formation’ research highlighted that a range of key factors such as housing, childcare costs and wider economic pressures drive decisions around family formation in Scotland. In mid-2023, the Ministerial Population Taskforce requested that further research be undertaken to increase the Scottish Government’s awareness of family friendly policies which had been developed and implemented in different countries, including interventions implemented in Nordic countries. The next steps for this workstream will include further research into parental leave uptake and its impact on fertility decisions. Outputs from this work will be considered accordingly by Scottish Ministers.

Glasgow Airport is a commercial business owned and operated by AGS Airports. I welcome the announcement that, following AGS’ acquisition by AviAlliance, £350 million is to be invested in AGS Airports over the next five years. This investment shows confidence in Aberdeen and Glasgow airports, and in Scotland’s aviation sector and the wider Scottish economy.

The Scottish Government’s Aviation Statement sets out the strategic importance of aviation and how we will aim to support, rather than downgrade, airports in Scotland. The National Planning Framework 4, our national spatial strategy for Scotland, is also supportive of airports as a key part of Scotland’s national connectivity.

We have had no such discussions with airlines or industry stakeholders.

It is a commercial matter for airlines to determine which routes to operate.

I have asked Stephen Pathirana, Chief Executive of the Scottish Public Pensions Agency, to respond. His response is as follows:

2,725 officers, over 50% of the retired police officers eligible for the McCloud remedy, were sent their remediable service statement by 31 March 2025. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has published an extension to the deadlines and all officers will receive their statement by 31 July 2025. The information is available at: https://pensions.gov.scot/sites/default/files/2025-04/2025-04_Police_Circular_McCloud_Remedy_administration_%E2%80%93_Remediable_Service_Statements.pdf

Eradicating child poverty in Scotland is a national mission and Mr Swinney’s top priority as First Minister.

We fully appreciate how difficult a cancer diagnosis is for young people and their families. We are committed to making sure the necessary support is available to all who need it, when they need it.

Our Child Disability Payment is designed to mitigate some of the additional costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person. It is available to children and young people from the ages of 3 months to 18 years old, who have care and/or mobility needs as a result of a disability.

The Child Disability Payment has paid out over £1 billion to families with disabled children to date.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. More detailed information on the procedure(s) that is planned or undertaken for a patient will be held locally by NHS Boards.

The Scottish Wildfire Forum brings together a range of practitioners to tackle issues concerning wildfire preparedness. The Scottish Government is itself a member of the Forum, but membership includes NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and Highland Council.

When Scotland is at a high threat of wildfires, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) work in partnership with the Scottish Wildfire Forum, to alert the public and partners to the threat of wildfires by issuing “Wildfire Danger Assessments”.

SFRS issue alerts through their social media channels, their website and local media outlets, and request assistance from Local Authorities across Scotland to share safety messaging to seek engagement with as many members of the public as possible.

In responding, I must advise that licence applications to lethally control mountain hare before March 2021 were required for the previous closed season, however following passage of the Animals and Wildlife Penalties, Protections and Powers Scotland Act mountain hares are now a protected species and licence applications are required year round.

Licences to lethally control mountain hare have been issued for the following purposes since 2012; “Preventing serious damage to growing timber”, “Conserving any area of natural habitat” and “Science, research and education”.

Information determining if the land applied to the application is public or private is not held centrally.

This information is not held centrally.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to promote school meals and to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all children and young people entitled to receive free school meals are given full support to access them.

As I confirmed to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 2 April, we remain committed to the roll-out of universal free school meals in the longer term.