Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to maintaining and improving the ferry links to Orkney and Shetland and better meeting the needs of island residents, businesses and communities. After careful consideration of the outline business case, I can confirm that a competitive process will begin shortly to secure delivery of two new 140m Freight Flex vessels. These vessels will replace the two existing vessels and provide additional freight capacity, higher operating speeds, and provide the ability to carry up to 200 passengers when required.

This procurement will be progressed by Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited as the procuring authority. It is expected that the relevant processes will be completed by early 2026, at which point contracts can then be awarded, subject to approval. I will provide further updates to Parliament at key stages of the procurement process.

The Scottish Government does not have all the information requested because it does not retain data in relation to office usage for a period of time greater than 24 months. Furthermore, the Scottish Government can only provide data on those buildings where its own data systems are in place. Some locations have landlord data systems in place and the Scottish Government does not have access to that data.

Average occupancy levels are shown in the following table for the buildings where we hold this data, these are taken as an average of attendance levels for a full day every second Tuesday. Bothwell House closed for use by SG core staff in April 2025.

As an independent non-departmental body, the Care Inspectorate operates at arm’s length from Government and issues its own guidance independently from the Scottish Government to maintain its role as an impartial and objective regulator.

There are many ways in which the Scottish Government consults citizens and organisations. For example, through written consultations, which are open to anyone who is interested in contributing their views, public and stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and questionnaires. In addition, the Scottish Government engages regularly with a wide range of stakeholders, including organisations working to promote gender equality and women's rights.

We will shortly begin engaging with stakeholders and women with diverse lived experience on the development of a strategy to tackle gender inequality and realise the rights of women and girls and we will take steps to ensure that we hear the perspectives of a range of organisations that work with women and girls and advocate for their rights.

It is not for the Scottish Government to issue immediate instructions or temporary guidance to public bodies or services, and we are not responsible for monitoring or enforcing compliance with the Equality Act 2010. That is the statutory role of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Each public body should consider the impacts of the Supreme Court ruling and prepare for the updated Code of Practice from the EHRC.

As the Care Inspectorate is an independent non-departmental body, it operates at arm’s length from Government. The Care Inspectorate issues its own guidance independently from the Scottish Government to maintain its role as an impartial and objective regulator.

The Scottish Government is grateful for the latest advice from the Climate Change Committee on Scotland’s Carbon Budgets.

We will carefully consider the Committee’s advice before bringing forward regulations to set carbon budget levels for Scotland. This will include consideration of the target setting criteria set out under the act, and an assessment of whether the pace of decarbonisation is appropriate for people, sectors and businesses across Scotland. Any carbon budgets proposed via secondary legislation must provide an achievable pathway to net zero in 2045.

Work is ongoing on the development of the next Climate Change Plan which will cover the period 2026-2040. Parliament will be updated once the new timetable for the next Climate Change Plan is finalised. The forthcoming Climate Change Plan will outline policies and proposals which will set out in further detail how we intend to deliver action to tackling climate change across all key areas of the economy, including land use. It will, of course, be subject to all necessary impact assessments to ensure rural and island interests are fully considered.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to continuing to support our agricultural industry with both the core role of sustainable food production and in terms of integrated land use, we are also in the process of developing our Land Use and Agriculture Just Transition Plan. This plan will focus on the wider livelihoods, skills, health, and wellbeing of those who live in and rely on Scotland’s land and agricultural sector for their livelihoods and wellbeing, as well as focusing on supporting thriving rural and island communities.

Scotland has a strong record in attracting foreign direct investment and our Inward Investment Plan (IIP) plays a central role in supporting this by targeting key sectors including HealthTech, energy transition and advanced manufacturing.

Scotland’s IIP outlines a plan for Scotland to be a leading destination for inward investment aligned with Scotland’s values of fair work, net zero and inclusive prosperity. It takes an evidence-led approach to identifying Scotland’s strengths, aligning these with current and projected global investment flows, and set out a series of actions to attract high quality inward investment to Scotland.

The Scottish Government and Enterprise Agencies work closely with both domestic and international businesses to secure and grow their operations in Scotland, ensuring long-term economic benefit and job creation.

ZeroAvia’s recent investment at Glasgow Airport, is one example of how our approach to inward investment, aligned with our values and net zero goals, is delivering real results, and creating high-value jobs. Scotland remains the top UK location for inward investment outside of London for the ninth year running, securing a record 142 projects in 2023 – a testament to the strength of our strong investment approach.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the total number of reported knife crime incidents as the data we receive from Police Scotland is a simple count of the number and type of crimes and offences recorded. We do not in general hold further details as to whether any of these crimes included a knife or other bladed/pointed instrument.

There are two exceptions to this. The first are crimes of homicide, where information is available on method of killing (including by sharp instrument). Table One presents this by local authority area for the latest three years. The next Accredited Official Statistics on Homicide (for 2024-25) will be published in October.

The second area where information is held in relation to knife crime are for those types of crime that specifically reference the presence of a knife or bladed/pointed article. This includes the police recorded crimes of (i) having in a public place an article with a blade or point, (ii) having in a prison an article with a blade or point, (iii) having in a school an article with a blade or point and (iv) possession of certain dangerous knives in a private place. Table Two presents information on these types of crime. Again, this is split by local authority area for the latest three available years. The next Accredited Official Statistics on recorded crime (for year ending March 2025) will be published on the 24th June.

The Scottish Government is working with local authorities and other partners to develop long-term workforce plans that address retention issues and support staff wellbeing across the ELC sector.

In 2025-26, we are providing £9.7 million to local authorities to enable payment of the real Living Wage to childcare workers in private and voluntary services providing funded ELC. Building on last year’s recurring investment of £16 million, this funding for the further increase to at least £12.60 per hour demonstrates our commitment to the Fair Work agenda. The Scottish Government remains the only part of the UK to fund the payment of the real Living Wage to ELC staff in the private and third sectors.

In addition, we have worked with partners to develop a range of new resources for the childcare workforce, including a new continuous professional learning portal which features a mental health and wellbeing resource specifically for early years professionals. We are working with Skills Development Scotland and funded partners in the private and voluntary sector to pilot ways of working that support efficiencies in services and allow practitioners to prioritise their professional learning within working hours.