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The Scottish Government takes the accuracy of its commissioned reports seriously and aims to ensure that work carried out on its behalf is appropriate.

The Parliament email system receives approximately 700,000 email messages sent to Members every month, and like every modern organisation, the Parliament utilises automated tools to identify and manage unsolicited email messages including ransomware, phishing and spam emails. 

With the automated tools we use we have a high degree of confidence that the email messages identified are spam emails or contain harmful content such as viruses or ransomware. These messages will then be blocked automatically and not delivered to Members mailboxes.  Messages automatically identified as spam email, but with a lower level of confidence are delivered to the quarantine area where they can be viewed and released if appropriate.

The SPCB recognises that releasing quarantined email is challenging for their staff who have delegate access to a Members mailbox due to the way our email system works.  We have raised our concerns with the supplier and our officials are investigating ways of best managing the issue.

The consultation on a Long Term Conditions Framework is currently live and will close on 20 July.

An analysis report, detailing the number of responses and who responded will be published and the results will assist in the development of a Long Term Conditions Framework.

Funding and resources available will be published as part of the series of Action Plans.

We are considering using an evidence based process to determine which improvement work will be prioritised and details of this will form part of the Long Term Conditions Framework which we will publish in December 2025.

In April 2025, the First Minister, Ministers, and Law Officers received ministerial waiver mandate letters. As the mandates contain data which is personal to the individuals concerned the Scottish Parliament, as a data controller, will not publish them. It is a matter for individuals to decide if they wish to publish information contained within their own mandate letters.

The SPCB publishes up to date information about salaries for MSP, Ministers, Law Officers and Office Holders on its website.

We have not had any engagement with OSCR concerning the proposed sale of Armadale Castle and estate by the Clan Donald Lands Trust.

Charities and OSCR are independent of government, and so it would not be appropriate for Scottish Ministers to intervene in any complaints that have been submitted.

The Scottish Government expects that all policies and proposals set out in the forthcoming Climate Change Plan will be delivered. Progress of these policies and proposals will be monitored closely throughout the plan period through a robust Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Regular monitoring will establish progress and allow Ministers to consider appropriate action to support any off track indicators on a case to case basis.

Scottish Government Officials and Ministers engage with a wide range of stakeholders to inform policy. This engagement has informed the production of the Building a new Scotland series (BANS). We are not aware of any representations from foreign investors expressing concerns about access to the UK Market in an independent Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with like-minded investors to increase investment in Scotland. EY's latest Annual Attractiveness Survey showed that Scotland has maintained its position as the top performing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) region or nation of the UK outside of London for the past 10 years and is ranked sixth among the top ten FDI locations in Europe.

With the full powers of independence, it would be possible to further strengthen our approach to attracting investment. The full range of fiscal and regulatory powers and incentive mechanisms could be aligned to match our policy ambitions and values.

The Scottish Government set out proposals in the paper A Stronger Economy with Independence for the two main trunk routes between Scotland and England in a scenario in which an independent Scotland was in the EU and the rest of the UK was not. It should be noted that the Common Travel Area means 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 for those travelling within it.

The UK Government is currently negotiating an SPS Agreement with the EU. Precise border arrangements between the EU and the UK will not be known until the conclusion of those negotiations. The Scottish Government supports an ambitious agreement to minimise checks and delays. We also continue to press the UK Government to drop its red line on UK membership of the Customs Union and Single Market to mitigate some of the damage of Brexit and smooth trade between the UK and EU.

As we develop our new integrated Long Term Conditions Framework, we will consider how it and its series of action plans are governed and implemented to ensure all conditions are considered and action plans are implemented effectively. Future planning for current advisory committees and taskforces will be considered at the same time

Details of the governance arrangements will form part of the Framework and will be published in December 2025.