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The following tables shows applications and homes formally approved since 19 September to 31 January, including grant offered split by registered social landlord and local authority in 2023-24. It should also be noted that discussions have taken place to support additional acquisitions with other providers but formal applications have either not yet been received or are in the process of being approved.

We have not been able to provide purchase price information at this stage as, although approved, all properties have not yet been purchased:

Section 1 of The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (‘Dogs bred for fighting’) already prohibits owners of such dogs from giving away their pets.

This means that, for example, it is now illegal for the owner of an XL Bully to sell, give away or rehome their dog.

The Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”) introduced the dog control notice (DCN) regime. The 2010 Act gives powers to local authorities to issue DCNs to owners who allow their dogs to be out of control and this includes discretionary conditions that can be attached to a DCN. The Scottish Government recommends as best practice that when local authority authorised officers issue a DCN to an owner, this should include a condition that the owner is obliged to inform the local authority if they rehome their dog, and provide the name and address of the new owner.

The Scottish Government published updated statutory guidance on the 2010 Act in December 2020. The statutory guidance is designed to enhance understanding of the 2010 Act and assist local authorities and authorised officers: https://www.gov.scot/publications/updated-guidance-control-dogs-scotland-act-2010/

The Scottish Government has no current plans to amend the 2010 Act to prevent dog owners who have a DCN against them from relinquishing ownership and/or responsibility for their dog, but does plan to consider opportunities to enhance and strengthen the 2010 Act in the medium term.

The Scottish Government will publish the International Communications Framework before the summer recess.

Scottish Government have committed to ensure that sportscotland’s Active Schools programme is free for all children and young people by the end of this Parliament. While there are still a small number of cases where charging remains, it is not currently possible to determine how many children this applies to.

The Active Schools Network consists of over 400 Active Schools managers and coordinators working with schools. This means that every state school in Scotland is supported by an Active Schools coordinator dedicated to developing and supporting the delivery of quality sporting opportunities for children and young people.

Data published by sportscotland in 2023 shows significantly increased participation levels across the past academic year (2022-23), with over 4.6 million visits (a rise of 34% on 2021-22) made to almost 247,000 Active Schools sessions. The number of Active Schools participants (over 269,000 children and young people), deliverers (over 17,900 with 90% of those being volunteers), and school/club links (over 2,500) also increased from the previous academic year as the recovery from the pandemic continued.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role Active Play has in providing children with the opportunity to develop physical skills in their early years and to encourage a long-term relationship with physical activity. The Active Play Development Project continues to have a positive impact for children, with the delivery of high quality Active Play experiences and resources across three local authority areas Glasgow, Highland and North Ayrshire.

Enjoyment in Active Play has been one of the biggest drivers for children’s participation, because of this fun and inclusive approach, children are more motivated and confident to be physically active. There are currently 1213 children directly participating in the programme in a range of settings and the reach continues to grow as learning from year one of the project is built upon.

There is no record of any Scottish Government funding being provided to Milngavie Old People's Welfare Committee since 2019.

I wrote to the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee on 30 January to advise on progress with our work to monitor the implementation of short-term let licensing. This letter is available to view on the Scottish Parliament website at: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/local-gov/correspondence/2024/letterfromministershorttermletlicenceapplicationlevels.pdf .

I have outlined that I expect to provide a more comprehensive update on implementation in May/ June 2024.

My letter of 27 October 2023 to this Committee outlines the scope of this work, which explains that we will not be altering short-term let licence types including home letting (home exchanges are a form of home letting). A copy of the letter is available on the Scottish Parliament website at: https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/local-gov/correspondence/2023/shorttermlets27oct.pdf

The Scottish Government previously collected data on the number of dog control notices (DCNs) issued on an annual basis from local authorities. The figures collected annually cover the year from 27 February to 26 February.

The figures for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 are as follows.

2019-20 – 339 DCNs issued across Scotland

2020-21 – 363 DCNs issued across Scotland

2021-22 – 324 DCNs issued across Scotland

The Scottish Government introduced a national DCN database in February 2022. The national database brought together the DCN records of all local authorities into a centralised database that is accessible by all 32 local authorities and Police Scotland. It is managed by the Improvement Service, who have provided the following figures for the number of DCNs issued in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (as at 22 February 2024):

2022 – 266 DCNs issued across Scotland

2023 – 260 DCNs issued across Scotland

2024 – 11 DCNs issued across Scotland so far.

The Scottish Government is not intending to make a further extension to the transitional period.

Police Scotland’s 2019 Estate Strategy outlined plans to replace outdated, underinvested and underused properties with a modern, fit-for-purpose estate. This will help develop modern premises, capable of delivering effective and efficient public services to meet the needs of people and the staff who use them.

For example, co-locations make the best use of the public sector estate and offer the opportunity for increased visibility, closer working and increased collaboration between partners. Police Scotland has over 60 examples of successful co-location, including at Marischal College with Aberdeen City Council.

It should also be noted that, under a single Scottish police service, police operate over three tiers – local, regional and national. This ensures that there is a core complement of officers dedicated to community and response policing. Local Area Commanders can also draw on specialist resources to further support local policing whenever they are needed.

Police Scotland is currently undertaking a national consultation on its estate plans. This forms part of its wider engagement activity to listen to feedback and views about the proposed estate change. I encourage anyone with an interest to engage with this conversation which is available on the Police Scotland National Conversation About Our Estate - Police Scotland - Citizen Space .

Matters concerning the police estate are operational issues for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority. I also have regular meetings with the Chief Constable, where a range of issues are discussed, including the police estate.