Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38001 on 25 June 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.

Tariffs for any new member of the World Trade Organization are a matter for negotiation with existing WTO member countries. The Scottish Government has held no discussions of this kind.

Under the Fiscal Framework with the UK Government, the Block Grant Adjustment for Social Security will be increased to reflect the costs related to the UK Government's changes to eligibility to the Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales. The Scottish Government recently announced it will mirror the approach taken by the UK Government. The exact increase will be confirmed by the OBR in due course and is therefore subject to change, however this is estimated to be around £120 million. The Scottish Government does not therefore receive Barnett Consequentials for this change.

Following the parliamentary debate on 26 February, and in line with Scottish Labour’s motion, Scottish Enterprise began a review of its human rights due diligence checks.

Scottish Enterprise wrote to update me on its review on 19 June.

That letter advised that the review included a thorough appraisal of Scottish Enterprise’s existing policy, and a retrospective assessment of checks and associated grant payments. As a result, it identified a number of opportunities for improvements to ensure Scottish Enterprise’s human rights due diligence procedures continue to align with good practice and respond consistently to the current dynamic risk environment.

Scottish Enterprise will therefore seek to enhance its approach and strengthen management assurance by taking the following steps, which will be rolled out incrementally over 2025-26:

• Establishing more explicit customer checks and assurance relating to the Export Control Act 2002, as informed by international law. These will include specific customer declarations on items, activities and end use that are controlled under the UK export control regime. Scottish Enterprise will have the right to clawback grants where false declarations have been made.
• Updating its policy to enhance the existing checks it undertakes on companies who might be in receipt of Scottish Enterprise funds or other assistance. This will include reduced exemptions from checks, increased frequency of checks, and more explicit requirements to ensure these checks address changes in risk.
• Establishing an internal Senior Review Group to provide greater strategic input and support risk-based decision-making.
• Developing a new digital platform for all due diligence checks which will improve reporting and oversight more generally.

Scottish Enterprise’s letter also confirms that its internal assessment of past practice found no evidence that grant money had gone towards funding the manufacture of munitions.

I have written to Scottish Enterprise to thank it for its work so far, and to ask for a further report after the summer recess, once it has developed detailed operational guidance. I have asked that Scottish Government officials are involved in that work, and will provide a further update to Parliament in due course. Finally, Scottish Government officials will discuss with its other Enterprise Agencies any potential implications Scottish Enterprise’s review might suggest for their processes.

The consultation on licensing and regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures ran from 20 December 2024 to 14 February 2025. We received over 2,200 responses from a variety of individuals and organisations, which along with further engagement with stakeholders, have helped to shape our proposals.

The analysis and Scottish Government’s response to the consultation was published today and is available on the Scottish Government’s website at Regulation and Licensing of non-surgical cosmetic procedures: Consultation analysis and response - gov.scot

The Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Bill was passed unanimously on 17 December 2024 by the Scottish Parliament. It places a duty on Scottish Ministers to bring forward regulations which:

• must have the effect of prohibiting Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) from holding dual mandates in the House of Commons or the House of Lords.
• may make provision prohibiting MSPs from holding dual mandates as Councillors.

The Scottish Government conducted a public consultation between 20 January 2025 and 23 March 2025, seeking views on the principles and practical issues of ending dual mandates. The consultation received 77 responses, including 68 from individuals and nine from organisations.

I am pleased to confirm that the consultation analysis report and consultation responses have today been published and are available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836918127 and https://consult.gov.scot/communications-and-ministerial-support/dual-mandates-in-the-scottish-parliament.

The responses are now being used to inform Regulations. My intention is to lay regulations in autumn 2025 to ensure the practice of dual mandates for MSPs who are also MPs or Peers can be ended in time for the next scheduled Scottish Parliament election in May 2026, should Parliament agree to approve the regulations.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a long-term solution to the landslip risks at the A83 Rest and Be Thankful and in December we made further progress by publishing draft Orders for the long-term solution and also for future phases of the medium-term solution to provide an improved diversionary route along the Old Military Road. Publication of draft Orders marks the start of the statutory authorisation process.

Transport Scotland carries out a rigorous assessment process to establish the preferred option for a trunk road improvement, like improvements to the A83. The three-stage assessment process, based on standards and good practice set by the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), covers environmental, engineering, traffic and economics.

Public engagement and meaningful dialogue with directly affected communities and other stakeholders is also at the heart of the development and delivery of our projects.

Following the detailed assessment of the options under consideration, including the Green Option, the preferred route option for the long-term solution to the landslide challenges at the Rest and Be Thankful, a 1.4km long debris flow shelter along the route of the existing A83, was announced in June 2023. This option will reduce the impact of disruption for travel to, from and between Argyll and Bute and the central belt of Scotland, had the greatest potential to be delivered quickly, was the most favourable across a broad range of environmental criteria and had the greatest opportunity to encourage active travel.

It should also be noted that the latest estimated cost for the preferred debris flow shelter option is £409 million to £510 million at 2024 prices; while the estimated cost of the Green Option as assessed during the route options assessment process was £821 million to £932 million at 2023 prices, significantly more than the debris flow shelter preferred option.

Further detail on the assessment work undertaken during the route options assessment process is set out in the DMRB Stage 2 Route Options Assessment Report, a copy of which is available on the Transport Scotland website (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) stage two route options assessment report - A83 Access to Argyll and Bute | Transport Scotland).

Transport Scotland continues to progress the preferred option through the statutory authorisation process. Revisiting the route options assessment process would introduce significant delay to delivering a long-term solution to the landslip risks at the Rest and Be Thankful.

With Independence, Scotland, like all independent countries, would control its borders. Details of how this would impact on movement of people and trade were published in Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence (October 2022).

There is a long-standing Common Travel Area (CTA) in these islands. This allows for free movement between the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for citizens of those territories. The Scottish Government is committed to the protection of the CTA and the associated reciprocal rights for British, Irish and Scottish citizens after independence. Maintenance of the CTA would mean that there would be no new passport or immigration checks at any of an independent Scotland’s land, sea or air border points with the UK and Ireland and British, Irish and Scottish citizens would have the right to move freely within the CTA.

It should also be noted that the nature of the border between an independent Scotland as an EU member state and the UK will depend on negotiations between the UK Government and the EU. For example, the UK and EU are currently negotiating an SPS Agreement which would reduce border checks.

Building a new Scotland: Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, happier, fairer: why not Scotland (June 22) looks at the potential impact of Independence on GDP. The paper sets out that comparable European independent countries to Scotland have higher national income per head than the UK. Across the ten comparator countries GDP per person in 2021 was on average £14,000 higher than in Scotland. The case of Ireland is used as an illustration which shows greater trade diversity coincided with substantial growth in the Irish economy.

It should further be noted that the Office For Budget Responsibility estimates Brexit will reduce UK GDP by 4 per cent in the long-run compared with continuing EU membership.

Scottish public procurement contracts are already delivered by Scottish and international businesses.

There is a long-standing Common Travel Area (CTA) in these islands. This allows for free movement between the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for citizens of those territories. The Scottish Government is committed to the protection of the CTA and the associated reciprocal rights for British, Irish and Scottish citizens after independence. Maintenance of the CTA would mean that there would be no new passport or immigration checks at any of an independent Scotland’s land, sea of air border points with the UK and Ireland and British, Irish and Scottish citizens would have the right to move freely within the CTA.

Further information can be found in Building a New Scotland: citizenship in an independent Scotland - gov.scot.