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Public procurement legislation provides that bidders may be excluded from a tender exercise in some circumstances.

Any decision to exclude a bidder must be evidenced-based and proportionate. It must also consider any evidence which the bidder provides of “self-cleansing” measures it has taken, such as co-operation with investigating authorities, payment of compensation, or appropriate organisational and personnel changes intended to prevent further misconduct.

Decisions about whether to exclude a bidder from any given procurement process must be made on a case-by-case basis, and are for the contracting authority carrying out that process.

The Scottish Government does not hold a record of companies which have been excluded.

Any new schools or hospitals must comply with current building standards, which include a requirement for non-combustible cladding material at a storey height of over 11m. High risk MAC-PE cladding material is banned on buildings of all height. It is the statutory responsibility of local authorities and Health Boards to manage their estate, and we expect them to provide safe environments for all school and healthcare estate users.

With specific reference to Hospitals the NHS Scotland Firecode, Scottish Health Technical Memorandum (SHTM 81) Fire Safety in the design of healthcare premises stipulates that external wall systems, including cladding and insulation, on all hospitals with a total floor area of more than 200m2, should be constructed of products achieving European Classification A1 (non-combustible) or A2 (will not significantly contribute to fire load and fire growth).

There have been significant developments in the data collected on veterans in recent years, offering enhanced insight into the size, nature and circumstances of the veterans community in Scotland.

Scotland’s 2022 Census included for the first time a question on former Service in the Armed Forces. It was found that 176,100 people across Scotland had previously served in the UK Armed Forces, representing 3.9% of people aged 16 and over. The Scottish Government published a report in November 2024 outlining differences between Scotland’s veteran and non-veteran population and providing high-level statistics on veterans’ demographic characteristics. This can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-characteristics-of-uk-armed-forces-veterans-scotlands-census-2022/.

Alongside the November release, National Records Scotland published a Flexible Table Builder to support further analysis of the veteran population, including a wider range of variables such as ethnic group, religion and disability, as well as health, housing and employment. Scottish Government analysts have been examining this detailed data to better understand veterans’ demographic characteristics and explore key differences between the veteran and non-veteran population.

Another key development has been the inclusion of the veterans question from the Census in the three Scottish Government major household surveys (Scottish Household Survey, Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, and the Scottish Health Survey). Findings from these sources have started to emerge, including chapters outlining headline results for veterans compared to non-veterans, as can be found here: Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2023/24: Main findings - gov.scot

Scottish Government officials also worked with ONS, OVA and the other Devolved Governments to develop and facilitate the first UK-wide Veterans’ Survey, which aims to understand current access to and perception of services in addition to veterans’ experiences and circumstances. Findings on a range of topics from the survey include information on whether patterns seen in results at UK level were replicated amongst respondents in Scotland.

Scottish Government analysts will continue to work with the UK Government to robustly analyse, collate and make use of emerging data to better understand veterans’ demographic characteristics and explore key differences between the veteran and non-veteran population.

In June 2017, following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower in London, the Scottish Government requested information regarding the NHSScotland estate, owned or otherwise, in respect of external cladding systems. Health Facilities Scotland issued an email to all Boards that stated - Provide a list of all buildings within your Board area that have external cladding fitted to the original structure other than concrete, render, brick or blockwork

Two hospitals were identified as having combustible cladding:

• The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow
• The Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh

Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding was subsequently removed from areas of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital as a precautionary measure and replaced with non-combustible cladding and insulation.

The Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh was constructed with sandwich panels that contain insulation treated with fire retardancy. Health Facilities Scotland commissioned Glasgow Caledonian University to carry out an assessment of the cladding including fire engineering computer modelling. The report concluded that the cladding would be very difficult to ignite, the cladding would not continue to burn unless there was an external and sustained heat source, therefore it was considered that the cladding system does not present a hazard in terms of life safety.

In June 2017, following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower in London, the Scottish Government requested information regarding the NHSScotland estate, owned or otherwise, in respect of external cladding systems. Health Facilities Scotland issued an email to all Boards. There were two buildings identified as having combustible cladding. Of these two buildings one has had the cladding removed and the other has been confirmed that it does not present a hazard.

Any new hospitals must comply with current building standards, which include a requirement for non-combustible cladding material at a storey height of over 11m. High risk MAC-PE cladding material is banned on buildings of all height. It is the statutory responsibility of Health Boards to manage their estate, and we expect them to provide safe environments for all hospital users.

NHS Scotland Firecode, Scottish Health Technical Memorandum (SHTM 81) Fire Safety in the design of healthcare premises stipulates that external wall systems, including cladding and insulation, on all hospitals with a total floor area of more than 200m2, should be constructed of products achieving European Classification A1 (non-combustible) or A2 (will not significantly contribute to fire load and fire growth). Combustible façade material is not permissible on new hospital buildings.

The 2022 Census represents the most current comprehensive snapshot we have of the veterans population in Scotland. It estimated there were 2,700 unemployed veterans at that point in time. This equated to 3.6% of economically active veterans, which compared favourably to economically active non-veterans at 4.4%.

However, it should be noted that caution is needed when making comparisons between veterans and the rest of the population. For example, Scotland’s Census showed that the structure of the veteran population differed substantially to the non-veteran population in relation to age and sex, with the veteran population being older and predominantly male.

As the member will be aware, defence is a reserved matter. Scottish Government officials continue to engage closely with colleagues at the Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veterans to ensure that the needs of veterans living in Scotland are considered fully in all projects.

Work is ongoing by the Scottish Government to develop a Veterans Mental Health & Wellbeing Pathway across Scotland. Working with veterans, the third sector and statutory services, the core aim of the pathway is to ensure that all veterans living in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support, including safe, effective and person-centred healthcare.

The intention to launch the Pathway on a phased basis during financial year 2026-2027.

The Scottish Government’s published mental health programme budget for 2025-26 remains as originally published at £270.5 million.

The vast majority of spending on Mental Health continues to be delivered through NHS Board budgets. Between the Scottish Government and NHS Boards, we expect spending on Mental Health to be around £1.5 billion in 2025-26.

With regard to veterans mental health care, we have maintained funding levels for NHS health boards providing bespoke veterans mental health services. Work is ongoing to develop a Veterans Mental Health & Wellbeing Pathway across Scotland, with the intention to launch the Pathway on a phased basis during financial year 2026-2027.

Violence and abuse against public sector workers are completely unacceptable. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, especially when serving the public.

A range of criminal laws protect public sector staff. The Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 allows for up to 12 months’ imprisonment for assaulting emergency workers. More serious offences can be prosecuted under common law, with penalties up to life imprisonment. Courts have strong powers to address threats and abuse.

Employers play a key role in promoting staff safety. Public sector workers provide vital services, and we fully support law enforcement in using their powers to prosecute offenders. We encourage all incidents to be reported to employers and the police.

Violence in schools is also unacceptable. National guidance on managing behaviour, co-produced with teaching unions and headteachers and published in June 2025, supports staff in using their professional judgement. Additional guidance on risk assessments helps schools respond to violent or aggressive behaviour.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly urged Directors of Education to review and update local behaviour policies this academic year.

We’ve invested £1.64 billion in Police Scotland this year—£90 million more than in 2024–25—and increased local government funding by over £1.1 billion. Since 2023, over £6 million has supported the Violence Prevention Framework, including work by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence. Up to £26 million will also be available from March 2026 for the next phase of the Cashback for Communities Programme, supporting projects that help young people avoid crime.