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Regulation 4 of the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 makes provision for the Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a register of relevant bodies and provides a power to publish the register or any information contained in the register.

The Funeral Sector Register opened on 1 April 2025, and to date 92 organisations including funeral directors, cremation and burial authorities have registered. These organisations relate to 333 different premises across Scotland. The Scottish Government has and continues to encourage all organisations working in the funeral sector to register. In addition, the Scottish Ministers have the ability to add organisations to the register if they become aware of them.

We continue to promote the digital register and build on current number of organisations registered whilst highlighting the positive benefits of registration for both the sector and the public.

The Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 (the Inspection Regulations) make provision for the Scottish Ministers to establish and maintain a register of relevant bodies and provide a power to publish the register or any information contained in the register.

At present there is no universal list of burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors operating in Scotland. The system of inspections will therefore be aided by the inspection register as provided for in regulation 4 of the Inspection Regulations. The Scottish Ministers may publish the inspection register or information from the register and this will, as information is collected over time, provide a platform for the public to access information about the location of relevant bodies, and whether they have been found to be non-compliant with relevant regulations or Codes of Practice. (Such regulations and Codes of Practice are the Funeral Director Code of Practice, the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019, the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024, and the Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025.) The inspection register will also help Inspectors to plan their inspections.

The Scottish Government launched the inspection register (titled the Funeral Sector Register) on 1 April 2025 via a digital portal and continues to encourage all organisations working within the funeral sector including funeral directors to register. The register is also publicly available and details the names and locations of those organisations who are registered.

The Scottish Government is aware that supplies of some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines continue to be intermittent. The supply of medicines, including those for the treatment of ADHD, and the associated legislation are a reserved matter for the UK Government, and we continue to engage with them on these supply issues.

The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer (CPO) for Scotland is a member of the UK-wide Medicines Shortage Response Group (MSRG). The MSRG has been set up to identify and co-ordinate responses to medicines shortages across the UK and provides advice to clinicians on alternative therapeutic options as appropriate. Prescribers and pharmacists have access to a medicines supply tracking tool which provides advice on each shortage, including alternative treatment options.

The NHS in Scotland has robust processes in place to manage supply issues when they do arise and normally there are alternative products which can be prescribed and dispensed. Scottish Government officials are working closely with all Health Boards and other stakeholders to help manage the supply disruptions with ADHD medicines and provide support when needed.

The CPO held a roundtable meeting with key stakeholders in Scotland in November 2024 to better understand the impact of ADHD medicine shortages locally and to determine if there is any further action that can be taken to strengthen our response. Following the meeting the CPO wrote to Health Boards to provide further background on medicines shortages more generally, how they are managed, and to clarify the current position on ADHD prescribing.

Non-domestic rates are a property-based tax charged on the private, public or third sectors, with the tax liability based on the rateable value of a property. The Higher Property Rate applies to all properties with a rateable value above £100,000.

The Scottish Budget maintains a competitive rates regime, ensuring that over 95% of properties are liable for a lower property tax than anywhere else in the UK, and supporting business and communities with a competitive non-domestic rates relief package worth an estimated £733 million in 2025-26.

We are committed to ensuring the non-domestic rates system supports business growth, investment and competitiveness, whilst acknowledging the important role non-domestic rates income plays in funding public services.

Decisions on non-domestic rates are taken annually as part of the Budget in line with prevailing economic conditions and Government priorities.

The Scottish Government committed, in the Framework for Tax 2021, to reducing the combined poundage rate for the largest properties to match the equivalent rate in England over the course of the Parliament.

Since the independent Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates made this recommendation, we have made demonstrable progress on that recommendation through the introduction of the Intermediate Property Rate since 1 April 2020; and on 1 April 2023, we increased the rateable value threshold at which the Higher Property Rate applies from £95,000 to £100,000. In combination this ensures that over 95% of properties are liable for a lower property rate than anywhere else in the UK.

Tax policy decisions are made annually at budget in line with prevailing economic decisions and Government priorities.

Today I have published the Cladding Remediation Programme: Next Phase Plan of Action which can be found here: www.gov.scot/isbn/9781836919636.

There has been significant and measurable progress in expansion and pace since the publication of Plan of Action for Cladding Remediation in March 2025. Notable progress has been seen with the Single Open Call, priority Single Building Assessments, and continuing information-gathering.

• 600 Expressions of Interest have been submitted via the Single Open Call as of 30 June 2025, reflecting significant demand. All submitted Expressions of Interest are being processed at pace, with 258 initial grant funding offers already issued by the Scottish Government as of 24 July 2025.
• All priority Single Building Assessments via the Scottish Government-led assessment process remain on track to be returned by end of August.
• The ongoing information-gathering exercise to verify the status of buildings over 18 metres in height has now commenced a second phase, to capture buildings between 11 – 18 metres. I expect to be able to confirm the status of all high- rise buildings with known cladding by end of October 2025.

Notwithstanding this considerable increase in pace and progress, there remains an urgent need to speed up the process of assessment, mitigation and remediation. This next phase, August 2025 - March 2026, is defined by key deliverables and supported by a clear model for delivery. The plan I am publishing today aims to ensure this phase moves decisively from identification to resolution and will lay the foundation towards long-term targets. To ensure the success of this phase:

• I am providing equal access to Government funding for mitigation and remediation works for both private residential properties and social housing, ensuring access to support for mitigation and remediation of cladding-related risks.
• I am allocating a further £10 million funding to accelerate mitigation efforts, prioritising buildings flagged by Single Building Assessments as posing immediate risks. This includes the proactive use of mitigation measures, and the installation of interlinked fire alarm systems where appropriate, because protecting people’s lives cannot wait.
• I am increasing funding for the Stage One of the Single Open Call to £20 million, meaning every eligible application received before the end of 2025 will be able to move forward without hesitation.
• I am launching Stage Two of the Single Open Call, providing owners with a pathway to be considered for further government support for any required mitigation and/or essential cladding remediation works identified through a Single Building Assessment funded through Stage One. Funding will be made available, with applications prioritised against risk.
• I will ensure the comprehensive data-gathering and assurance exercises include working directly with owners to ensure that buildings are not overlooked and that all data is accurate. Data collection and assurance will continue throughout the lifespan of the programme.
• I have set a deadline of 31 October 2025 for developers to sign the Developer Remediation Contract, which will hold developers formally accountable to fully fund and deliver remediation on the buildings they are responsible for.

Finally, I have committed the Scottish Government to a long-term strategic goal:

• By 2029 every high-risk residential building over 18 metres in Scotland will have been resolved - whether made safe, decommissioned or replaced - and every building between 11 and 18 metres will be on a defined pathway to resolution — supported by robust assessment, planning and funding for essential cladding remediation.

There remains a multiplicity of issues and challenges in Scotland, and it is our role to ensure that despite the challenges we provide clear and supported pathways for those responsible to take swift action. I want to assure residents and owners that we are committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver a built environment where unsafe cladding no longer poses a risk to life.

The number of fishers working on Scottish registered vessels on 31 December 2024, whose main gear in 2024 was a towed gear (trawl or dredge), was 1,761. This includes 1,708 regular fishers and 53 irregular fishers. This information is provisional and may be revised when the final Sea Fisheries Statistics publication is released in October 2025.

The Scottish Government has committed to refresh the Additional Support for Learning Statutory Code of Practice Guidance as part of the delivery of the Additional Support for Learning Action Plan. We have been working collaboratively with a range of education partners and policy areas, including those with a focus on transitions, to ensure it continues to fully support schools and local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004.

A public consultation will be undertaken in the Autumn of 2025, providing an opportunity for wider stakeholders with an interest in the Code of Practice to share their views.

The NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework is one of the key elements of the evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS in Scotland.

In 2025-26 NHS Boards received increased investment in their baseline funding, bringing total investment to over £16.2 billion, with NHS Dumfries and Galloway receiving over £425 million. This represents increased investment of £60.7 million from 2024-25, including additional funding to provide for prior year pay deals, as well as a range of funding to support vital frontline services.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s resource budget has increased by 22.3% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2025-26, and in cash terms has increased by £218 million, 105.1%, from 2006-07 to 2025-26.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway are currently at Stage Two of the Framework for finance and all NHS Boards are continuously reviewed against the framework based on their financial position.

Following this review the decision was made for NHS Dumfries and Galloway to be escalated to Stage Three of the Framework for finance. This is based upon an assessment of the financial sustainability of the Board, and the level of support required to deliver a return to financial stability.

Stage Three escalation comes into effect from 7th August 2025 and involves enhanced monitoring and support from Scottish Government. This includes increased oversight and coordinated engagement to ensure the Board is provided the appropriate support and return to financial sustainability. This will include increased oversight from the Chief Finance Officer of Health and Social Care.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS Dumfries and Galloway to monitor their financial position and assist with longer term financial planning and improvement. Regular updates will be provided to Ministers on the financial position of NHS Dumfries and Galloway following this escalation.

No. It is the Scottish Government’s view that both parents should be fully involved in their child’s life, as long as this is practical and in the child’s best interests.

There is no legal presumption in favour of shared parenting in section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, which is the key legislation in relation to contact, residence and parental responsibilities and rights. When deciding whether to make an order under section 11 (e.g. a contact or residence order) the welfare of the child must be the court’s paramount consideration.

The Scottish Government has no plans to change the law to introduce a presumption of shared parenting, as this could cut across the driving principle of the legislation that the welfare of the child is paramount.

However, section 16 of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020, once in force, will require the court to consider the effect of any order under section 11 of the 1995 Act on the involvement of the child's parents in bringing the child up. We plan to make further commencement regulations later this year to bring provisions, including section 16, into force in October 2026.