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The 2024 Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics show that the number of active Scottish fishing vessels was 1,998, a modest decrease of 8 vessels compared to 2023. The fleet remains dominated by vessels under 10 metres in length, which have increased by five per cent since 2015, while the number of larger vessels over 10 metres has declined by 16 per cent over the same period.

In terms of employment, 3,735 fishers were working on Scottish vessels in 2024, down 48 compared to 2023. This continues a longer-term trend, with changes reflecting a range of factors including access to labour, technological advances and market conditions.

Despite this consolidation, the sector’s overall performance remains strong. In 2024, Scottish vessels landed 561 thousand tonnes of sea fish and shellfish worth £756 million — the highest value and tonnage recorded in the past ten years.

The Scottish Government remains committed to working with industry, coastal communities and stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and thriving future for Scotland’s fisheries.

The carbon levy collected in respect of Ministerial and official travel is listed in the following table. The levy is applied to Ministerial and official travel booked via the Scottish Governments travel agent.

The Scottish Government understands that some local authorities will have their own protocols and processes for reporting graffiti that may constitute a hate crime. We would strongly encourage local authorities to ensure that hate crime is reported to Police Scotland.

This is a matter for individual public bodies. This information is not held centrally.

As announced by the First Minister of 3 November 2025, Health Boards have been allocated an additional £25.5 million this year to allow them to deliver more planned activity for the longest waiting patients.

This funding is focused on Health Boards in the most populated areas and targeted at specialties where it can most effectively reduce the longest waiting times, ensuring the greatest benefit for patients.

This brings total additional funding to £135.5 million for Planned Care in 2025-26.

The following table set out the allocation of the £25.5 million funding by Health Board.

Table 1

This is a matter for individual public bodies. This information is not held centrally.

This is a matter for individual public bodies. This information is not held centrally.

Public safety remains a foremost priority for the Scottish Government. To strengthen fire safety standards following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, an independent panel of fire safety experts was convened to assess the risks associated with combustible cladding materials and to review the role of the BS 8414 fire performance test.

The use of BS 8414 test data and BR 135 classification reports is now only permitted for buildings outside the scope of the combustible cladding ban. Where such evidence is submitted in support of a building warrant application, local authority verifiers must notify the Building Standards Division. In these cases, rigorous compliance checks must be carried out throughout the design and construction phases, with all supporting evidence thoroughly documented.

In addition, the Scottish Government will extend the ban from April 2026 on combustible external wall cladding systems to include hotels, boarding houses, and hostels, further reducing fire risk in buildings where occupants may be especially vulnerable.

Following the publication of the final Grenfell Tower Inquiry report and the Scottish Government’s formal response, a comprehensive review of fire safety standards will be undertaken. This will include a call for evidence later this year to ensure that future policy is informed by a broad range of expertise and stakeholder input.

The notional study leave allocation for each resident doctors in training is £600 annually but this is not a limit and, as requirements vary from year to year, where necessary doctors are provided additional study leave funding depending on curricular demands and availability. Resident doctors in training receive 30 days per year in study leave time, not including any study leave which is utilised to provide courses for all doctors including Leadership and Management training and simulation training. Foundation doctors have less access to study leave but are able to apply for taster experiences where they can shadow a resident doctor in a specific specialty. More information is available at https://www.scotlanddeanery.nhs.scot/resident-doctor-information/study-leave/.

The Scottish Government is delivering a transformation programme to reform the post-school education and skills system, which aims at making the system more responsive to Scotland’s strategic skills needs at national and regional levels.

Alongside reform, we are also taking targeted action to meet urgent skills needs in specific sectors. For example, we are investing up to £2 million to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow City Region through a programme led by Clyde Maritime Cluster, and the defence sector, with Skills Development Scotland. Member authorities, led by Inverclyde Council, are leading on engagement with local employability partnerships to identify individuals who would benefit; and offer training opportunities through interventions including Skills Academies, paid work experience and guaranteed interviews. Companies are also working innovatively with regional colleges and other partners to look at specific interventions that would support candidates with particular upskilling or reskilling needs or with additional barriers.

Operational decisions such as curriculum delivery are the responsibility of individual colleges.