Seòmar agus comataidhean

Scottish Government is committed to support active farming and food production that is why we continue to deliver direct payments – to provide certainty to the industry, in stark contrast to the policy approaches taken by the current and previous UKG.

We note the results of the Scottish Farm Business Income report which demonstrates the volatility of the sector and reinforces the importance of support to provide much needed stability.

Our £40 million per annum support to suckler beef farmers is committed until at least 2028. This together with key support such as the Basic Payment Scheme, Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme and Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme show our unstinting commitment in ensuring a prosperous future for the sector.

Support for Animal Health and Welfare (AHW) interventions, offering up to £1,250 per farm over two years to assist farmers in reviewing and improving the health and welfare of their cattle and sheep has been provided in recent years. This funding supports interventions that enhance livestock performance and reduce emissions.

The Scottish Government has also been supporting the provision of MyHerdStats to cattle keepers. MyHerdStats is a free online tool to help cattle farmers access key herd performance data, such as calving intervals. Using existing traceability information, it supports better herd management, improves productivity, and contributes to animal welfare and emission reduction goals.

The Scottish Government is supporting the financial sustainability of cereal and milk producers through payments via the Basic Payment Scheme and related support schemes, including nearly £34 million for dairy farmers in 2023–24. We have funded the Scottish Dairy Growth Board and the Dairy Hub, helping boost Scottish cheese exports. Looking ahead, our £4 million investment in the Dairy Nexus project will create a new research centre at SRUC in Dumfries and Galloway to drive innovation, decarbonise the sector, and support a more sustainable dairy economy.

This year we will introduce the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) providing at least £14m in the first year to our farmers and crofter to investment for efficient food production in ways that benefit nature and climate.

The results in the report re-emphasise the importance of continuing to provide support to our key sectors – to provide much needed stability which is poles apart from the bad trade deals being made in a Brexit we did not vote for. This is why we will continue to provide Scotland’s farmers, crofters and land managers with the most generous package of direct support in the UK, investing around £660 million in support to agriculture.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37115 on 6 May 2025. 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-37115 on 6 May 2025. 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.

The Scottish Government are progressing a range of actions to support a sustainable reduction in the prison population, including:

• The passage of the Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act 2025, which changes the point of release for most prisoners serving short-term sentences of under four years from following 50% of their sentence, to following 40% of their sentence.
• Increasing community justice funding by £14m this year to a total of £148m to further strengthen alternatives to custody.
• Introducing regulations that enable GPS technology to be used to monitor individuals being released on Home Detention Curfew (HDC).
• SPS continue to optimise the appropriate use of HDC which allows certain prisoners who have met the requirements of a risk assessment to spend up to 180 days in the community.
• We intend to bring forward secondary legislation to amend the use of HDC with the intention of increasing the period of time individuals can spend on release under licence conditions.
• We have increased the use of electronically monitored bail which is now available in every local authority and its use is at record levels.
• The establishment of an independent review of sentencing and penal policy which will focus on reducing reoffending and ensuring custody is used at the right time, for the right individuals.
• The safety and wellbeing of those who work in prisons and those in their care must also remain at the forefront of our actions to ensure prisons continue to function effectively.
• We must ensure that we have a prison system that focuses on those who pose the greatest risk to the public and provide a range of support to help reduce reoffending and aid integration back into the community.

The Scottish Government recognises the serious impact that untreated hearing loss can have on individuals, including potential links to cognitive decline and dementia risk in older people.

The Independent Review of Audiology Services, published in August 2023, set out 55 recommendations which the Scottish Government accepted in principle to support improvements to audiology services across Scotland. A significant amount of work has been undertaken to date, to move forward the implementation of recommendations made as part of the Independent Review, involving a wide range of stakeholders across the public and third sector. In December 2024 we concluded this phase of work and will soon publish a report outlining how each of the recommendations set out in the Independent Review has been closed or transitioned, and the rationale for that.

We know that audiology services are facing sustained pressure, and this challenge is not unique to Scotland, with similar issues being felt across the UK. However, it is not acceptable that some people have had to wait longer than they should for appointments and referrals. The Scottish Government is taking action, and the 2025-26 Budget is providing a record £21.7 billion for Health and Social Care.

Audiology is considered a clinical priority area within the NHS in Scotland and improvement work is being progressed through the National Planning and Delivery Board under leadership from the Chief Operating Officer, NHS Scotland.

Local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of teaching staff. We are providing £186.5 million to local authorities this year as part of an agreement with COSLA to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels and will continue to support them to maximise the number of jobs available in certain subjects, including Computing Science / STEM.

Our Teaching Bursary Scheme provides a £20,000 bursary to career changers wishing to undertake a one year Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in the hardest to fill teaching subjects, including Computing Science / STEM.

We are working with Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science (STACS) to consider wider initiatives to promote teaching as a valued career choice for computing students, and support a pilot programme with Aberdeen University to enable students with relevant HND qualifications, including in computing fields, to convert to teaching.

We have also asked Strategic Board for Teacher Education to develop advice on how to encourage more people into teaching, particularly in subjects that are challenging to fill.

Public bodies are reviewed quarterly as part of the Scottish Government’s Assurance cycle to ensure they are operating efficiently and effectively. We also set frameworks and provide guidance documents. One of the key aims of our Public Service Reform (PSR) programme is to drive efficiency and effectiveness across government and public bodies, making sure we have the public body landscape to deliver the services the people of Scotland need.

Scottish Government also ensures public bodies within our remit are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and accountability through a combination of legislative instruments, oversight bodies, and ongoing engagement with the Scottish Parliament. These include:

• Ministerial Accountability: Where appropriate, Ministers will update the Scottish Parliament on the actions and performance of relevant public bodies during debates, written and oral parliamentary questions and committee appearances. However, Ministers are not the Accountable Officers for Public Bodies, and, although Ministers may appoint the Chair and members of some boards, they do not influence how boards function.
• Parliamentary Committees: Scottish Government and its public bodies are scrutinised through the current 16 parliamentary committees, such as the Public Audit Committee and the Finance and Public Administration Committee which regularly hold inquiries into the activities of public bodies.
• Annual Reports and Audits: Public bodies and agencies are required to submit annual reports and accounts to the Scottish Parliament. These reports and accounts are also subject to audit by the Auditor General for Scotland, who reports to Parliament on the financial health and governance of these bodies. This independent scrutiny ensures transparency and accountability.
• Legislative Oversight: The Scottish Parliament has the power to introduce and pass legislation that sets the framework for the governance and scrutiny of public bodies. This includes legislation such as the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. The Scottish Government’s annual budget process provides further structures for scrutiny and accountability.

Additionally, members of the public can contact their MSP to raise concerns and have the following mechanisms to scrutinise public bodies:

• The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: The SPSO provides an independent process for investigating complaints about public bodies. This ensures individuals have a mechanism to question public bodies on their decisions and actions.
• Freedom of Information: All public bodies and agencies are required to be transparent about their activities. This allows the public to access information about their operations, further increasing accountability.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37115 on 6 May 2025. 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-37056 on 6 May 2025. 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

The Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) was published in 2021 and was intended to cover the period 2021-22 - 2025-26. However, as announced in the Scottish Government’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, the current IIP has been extended by a period of one year. This means the IIP will run to 2026-27 and the next IIP will cover the period from 2027-28. We intend to publish a draft for consultation well in advance of commencement.