Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38980 on 23 July 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 UK Government is responsible for national security, the regulation of international trade, elements of critical national infrastructure including energy, and the application of the National Security and Investment Act.

It is a priority for us to secure inward investment where it is possible to do so. We are engaging closely with the UK Government to understand the progress it is making in considering the security implications of Chinese and other potential foreign investment in energy-related infrastructure.

Regarding the use of Hikvision cameras by public sector bodies, councils and public bodies are separate from the Scottish Government. Therefore, as long as they act lawfully, each public body is accountable for its own decisions in relation to day to day business, including procurement competitions.

Public procurement regulations specifically allow for companies to be excluded from tendering, where it can be demonstrated by appropriate means that they are guilty of grave professional misconduct. The Scottish Government expects all public sector bodies to undertake appropriate due diligence on companies in receipt of public money. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of public sector bodies to make decisions on how best to deliver services to their communities.

The Scottish Government is working with COSLA through the Joint Working Group on public engagement on Council Tax Reform. We have procured the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to carry out expert and independent analysis to support this work.

The analysis is planned to be published in September 2025, in advance of any engagement activity. The budget for this independent analysis is £49,750, and is being managed within the existing resources.

The Scottish Government contributes to attracting and equipping skilled people for rural and Island areas, including funding Lantra Scotland’s 2025-26 workplan to promote the rewarding careers available, and the economic and environmental benefits of investing in skills in the land-based, aquaculture and environment.

We are additionally developing our future approach for the sustainable delivery of skills for rural Scotland, following on from the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland (SAPRS) in the context of reform across the education and skills system.

Operational decisions, including course provision and staffing, are a matter for individual colleges, who are best placed to respond to emerging trends in skills needs at local and regional level. However, the Scottish Government is committed to introducing a new Scottish Government-led approach to national skills planning, and strengthen regional skills planning, to ensure that post school provision becomes more responsive to Scotland's strategic skills needs and priorities.

The Scottish Government does not hold this data. The General Teaching Council of Scotland (GTCS) is best placed to advise on how many newly qualified teachers progress each year to meet the Standard for Full Registration, through the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) or by the Flexible Route.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Decisions about the fees for hospital education services are a matter for local authorities and NHS boards to consider as appropriate.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the important contribution Colleges make to both education and the economy, which is why we provided a 2.1% uplift in funding for the sector in this year’s Budget.

The Scottish Government also provided £560,000 in funding to Lantra, the sector skills body for land-based, aquaculture, and environmental conservation sectors. This funds Lantra Scotland’s 2025/26 workplan, that promotes careers in these sectors and highlights the economic and environmental value of investing in skills and supports efforts to attract and train skilled people in rural areas.

Operational decisions, including course provision and staffing, are a matter for individual colleges, who are best placed to respond to emerging trends in skills needs at local and regional level.

The Scottish Government contributes to attracting and equipping skilled people for rural and Island areas to promote the rewarding careers available and the economic and environmental benefits of investing in skills in the land-based, aquaculture and environment.

Operational decisions, including course provision and staffing, are a matter for individual colleges, who are best placed to respond to emerging trends in skills needs at local and regional level.

We are engaging industries and employers across Scotland, and will continue to do so, as we reform the post school education and skills system.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Decisions about the fees for hospital education services are a matter for local authorities and NHS boards to consider as appropriate.

The Scottish Government is not planning to undertake a Council Tax revaluation. Any suggestion of a revaluation could only proceed if a broad political consensus in favour existed – no such consensus currently exists.

Any changes to Council Tax must also be informed by robust evidence and wide public consultation. Our joint programme of engagement with COSLA on options for reform is intended to inform that public debate. This process will run for a number of years. Consequently, any substantial reform thereafter, including any suggestion of revaluation, would require a mandate from a Scottish Parliament Election and will not be possible this decade.

The powers relevant are contained within the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and related regulations.