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The Scottish Government has not itself carried out any economic modelling regarding the economic impact of nuclear in Scotland. The Scottish Government position remains that new nuclear under current technologies is very expensive and takes decades to deliver, creating a legacy of radioactive waste which is difficult and costly to manage. Instead, we are focussed on supporting growth and creating jobs by capitalising on Scotland’s immense renewable energy capacity rather than expensive new nuclear.

Decisions to attend the scene of a reported crime and follow-up investigations are operational matters for Police Scotland.

All reports made to the service are assessed under THRIVE (Threat, Harm, Risk, Investigation, Vulnerability and Engagement) to gauge how they should be prioritised. THRIVE enables call handlers and officers assess whether there is a threat or potential harm, how likely it is to happen, whether there are investigation opportunities, whether the person is vulnerable and how best to engage.

Police Scotland have confirmed that, under the THRIVE model, reports of burglary, either in a retail setting or a private residence, would result in attendance from local officers.

In terms of retail crime, Police Scotland have used the £3 million additional funding provided this year to establish a Retail Crime Taskforce made up of uniformed officers, detectives and specialist analysts. The team is targeting repeat offenders of retail crime by using analytical data and intelligence to carry out proactive enforcement activities in areas most heavily impacted.

As highlighted in Police Scotland's recently published Quarter 1 performance report, their dedicated Edinburgh team has delivered significant results for the capital’s retailers, including 234 charges brought against retail crime offenders in the first three months of operations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40510 on 29 September 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.

Ministers have been in communication with both the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and Forth Valley College regarding the Alloa campus, and the SFC is working intensively to seek a resolution with the College regarding the campus and to support the College’s financial sustainability.

Although colleges operate independently of Government, and it is ultimately for them to decide on operational matters such as their campus footprint, Ministers recognise the vital role the campus in Alloa plays in providing access to services for the people in that community, and are keen that everything possible is done to keep the campus open.

In this year's allocations from the SFC, and in recognition of the vital role colleges play in communities across Scotland, all colleges received a 4.9% increase to support college maintenance in 2025-26, and Forth Valley College received a 2.3% uplift to the College's teaching allocation.

The Scottish Government is working collaboratively with the SFC and Colleges Scotland through the Tripartite Alignment Group to identify and implement flexibilities to support colleges. To date, the Group has created the conditions to improve the financial sustainability of the sector with the introduction of the SFC’s College Transformation Framework, and the new asset disposals process; and is supporting colleges to maximise commercial income.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40522 on 29 September 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40522 on 29 September 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 Centre for Good Relations has been grant funded to carry out three strands of work – civic diplomacy in relation to marches and parades; civic mediation and facilitation of dialogue in relation to protest and demonstrations; and steward and marshal training for those involved in organising and running processions and protests.

This work is funded and delivered on the submission of a business plan, a condition of which is the completion of quarterly reports with clear deliverables and an annual review. Additionally, feedback sought from stakeholders who engage with the Centre for Good Relations has continued to be positive. This ensures that the Centre for Good Relations continues to effectively address community tensions and improve the quality of stewarding for marches, parades and protests.

The breakdown of funding is set out in the following table:

The Digital Front Door programme has progressed over the summer to ensure we launch the Health & Social Care online app this year. In recent months, the programme has worked collaboratively with stakeholders on technical delivery, organisational readiness and branding of the service.

Following the conclusion of the work on branding, I am pleased to confirm Scotland’s app will be called MyCare. Like any digital service, good practice means the first version of MyCare will be evaluated thoroughly in Lanarkshire before it is rolled out across Scotland for the population from April 2026. With the delivery of MyCare, Scotland’s app will go further than other models proposed elsewhere in the UK and will support services in both health and social care.

Furthermore, today the Scottish Government has published an update on our approach to rolling out MyCare.scot across Scotland and the anticipated timelines. Members can read this publication at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806431717

The two main pieces of dog control legislation are the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (“the 1991 Act”) and the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). In general terms, Police Scotland will deal with offences under the 1991 Act, and local authority dog wardens will deal with matters under the 2010 Act.

The training of police officers in relation to the enforcement of the 1991 Act is an operational matter for Police Scotland to consider. Equally, the training of local authority dog wardens is an operational matter for local authorities.

The Scottish Government is committed to ongoing engagement with Police Scotland, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders, in order to consider any issues, concerns, or barriers to effective dog control enforcement including in relation to how best dogs can be identified.

Earlier this year the Scottish Government provided Police Scotland with funding to assist with the training of police officers who would be tasked with identifying prohibited dog breeds. Separately, the National Dog Warden Association also received funding from the Scottish Government to help improve how dog wardens are trained.

Please see the news release issued by the Scottish Government on 8 April 2025 for details: https://www.gov.scot/news/investing-in-community-safety/.

Scottish Government officials have attended four governance meetings between Scottish Ministers and senior NDA officials in the last five years. Scottish Ministers also have a role in approving governance documents such as the NDA Business Plan and NDA Strategy documents. This requirement is enshrined in the 2004 Energy Act.

The Scottish Government’s formal role in NDA governance is underpinned by a strong partnership approach to ensure NDA are implementing devolved policies and contributing their expertise to our future policy development. For example, Scottish Government Officials are also members of a number of UK wide networks that oversee key themes related to the NDA’s work.