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Scottish Ministers are committed to a fair, open and transparent process for all aspects of its planning appeal casework. There is no statutory requirement for the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) to publish any information relating to a case. DPEA does however publish the information a reporter will take into account in their consideration of a case, including everything submitted by the appellant, the National Park Authority and numerous representations received from the local and wider community.

The Scottish Government closely monitors food inflation data published by the Office for National Statistics and inflation projections published by the Office for Budget Responsibility and Bank of England. The British Retail Consortium’s forecast is concerning, particularly for low-income households in Scotland who are already grappling with cost-of-living pressures and are disproportionately affected by rising food prices. That is why the Scottish Government continues to allocate over £3 billion a year to policies which tackle poverty and the cost of living, as well up to £1.3 million to tackle food insecurity. The Scottish Government remains committed to improving our food security, making Scotland a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture (with high quality food production one of the five objectives of the Agriculture and Rural Communities Act), and supporting Scotland in becoming a Good Food Nation.

There are a range of global and domestic factors driving food price inflation and whilst the Scottish Government is seeking to support households and local food suppliers in Scotland, there are a number of challenges that lie specifically with the Uk Government. Indeed, the Bank of England’s latest monetary report details factors such as regulatory changes and rising labour costs, which have been exacerbated by the UK Government’s increase to Employer National Insurance Contributions in autumn last year, in turn creating an additional financial burden on businesses, households, and the public sector. While many of the levers to address these challenges lie with the UK Government and could be managed more effectively in an independent Scotland, the Scottish Government remains committed in the meantime to using the powers available to us to support people across our nation with the cost of living pressures.

The Scottish Government proposes that Scotland would seek to join the EU as soon as possible after independence. The EU is a full member of the G20, and represents it’s member states at G20 summits, alongside the leaders of G20 member countries.

I refer the member to information recently submitted to the Finance & Public Administration Committee which is available on the parliament website at Costeffectiveness of Scottish public inquiries Letter from SCAI of 22 May 2025 | Scottish Parliament Website.

The Scottish Government does not support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

In the event of Scotland becoming an independent country, decisions about membership of intergovernmental agencies would be a matter for the government of the time, elected by the people of Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s position on share of UK debt following a vote for independence is set out in the publication Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence - gov.scot.

On 3 March 2022, when Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, I wrote an open letter to business in Scotland asking them to review their links to Russia, however indirect, and to sever them, with due regard for the safety of any employees or individuals they may work with.

It remains the position of the Scottish Government that it, and its economic agencies, will not support trade and investment activity with Russia. This policy is additional to the UK government’s regime of sanctions against Russia.

We cannot however, force businesses to sever links if what they plan is otherwise lawful, including not breaching the UK sanctions regime. There may also be legitimate reasons why links cannot be severed, for example: if staff safety might be jeopardised; contractual reasons; and/or being prohibited from selling assets due to Russian law.

The Scottish Government proposes that an independent Scotland would apply to join NATO. Further details can be found in the publication https://www.gov.scot/publications/building-new-scotland-independent-scotlands-place-world/

We are making positive progress towards a reformed National Performance Framework (NPF), and we intend to launch a reformed framework in the new parliamentary session following the 2026 Scottish Election.

We are currently engaging with a range of experts and stakeholders on the detail of a reformed NPF, and as such, no decisions have been made on future outcomes or indicators. We intend to provide a written update on our progress to relevant parliamentary committees after the summer recess. Additionally, officials are scheduled to meet with several MSPs from across the Chamber in September to discuss NPF reform.

While there are currently no dedicated programmes specifically for workers displaced by AI, the Scottish Government is taking steps to support individuals through broader digital and AI literacy initiatives.

Programmes such as Living with AI aim to help people understand and adapt to the changing technological landscape. In addition, we are working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners to address AI-related skills gaps and support workforce transition.

We also fund postgraduate programmes and industry placements through The Data Lab, helping to build a resilient and future-ready talent pipeline. Strengthening the AI skills base remains a key priority for Scottish Government.