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As set out in the letter from the Minister for Public Finance found here Letter from the Minister for Public Finance to the Convener of 23 September 2024, to the Convener of the Finance and Public Administration Committee, on 23rd September 2024, Scottish Government is working with the environmental public bodies to review both short-medium and long-term reform opportunities. By the end of 2025, the Group will have developed options for future operating models building on a prior programme of short-medium term improvement projects covering estates, digital, data & HR. This reform effort is focused on delivery of the environment strategy outcomes by using Public Service Reform principles as set out in the strategy published on 19 June 2025.

VisitScotland provided funding of £180,000 (£150k + VAT) to the DP World Tour for branding and advertising, which in turn provided Scotland with a global platform to showcase its credentials as one of the world’s premier golf tourism and events destinations.

This funding included the delivery of on-course branding and advertising promotion across live broadcast to a global audience. VisitScotland’s investment enabled a channel to market, and a platform to promote Scotland and the North-East as a year-round golf tourism and events destination, with the intention to inspire future visits.

Golf and golf events are important to Scotland and play a key part of our national identity, supporting communities, driving economic growth, contributing to environmental sustainability across the country and promoting Scotland through global profile.

I can confirm there are currently no plans to implement protest exclusion zones around asylum accommodation.

People have the right of peaceful protest in a democracy, but that must be balanced with safety. The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about some activity targeting asylum accommodation and individuals which creates a sense of real fear and alarm. The Scottish Government strongly believes that everyone has the right to be and feel safe and secure in the place they are living and in the community. No one should have to fear they will be targeted for who they are.

It may be helpful to note that the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee considered a petition calling for buffer zones to be introduced in September 2023. Petition PE2049 was closed on 9 October 2024. Consideration and evidence submitted to the Committee is available on the Scottish Parliament website: PE2049 Introduce buffer zones outside migrant accommodation | Scottish Parliament Website.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40528 on 23 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.

Arrangements for IJB decision-making, including the reversal of decisions, may be set out in their local Standing Orders. Statutory finance guidance sets out what IJBs should do, to include making provision in their integration scheme, as regards in-year budget variance.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The safety and security of all those who work, reside and visit our establishments is of the utmost importance.

All individuals in prison are provided access to a kettle within their accommodation, except in cases where medical or security considerations necessitate its removal. Such decisions are made following an appropriate risk assessment and in accordance with established procedures.

Scotland's Circular Economy and Waste Route Map to 2030 confirms the Scottish Government’s commitment to develop further measures to tackle consumption of problematic single-use items and promote uptake of reusable alternatives , prioritising action on single-use drinks cups, as part of wider work to promote responsible consumption, production and reuse.

The Scottish Government has consulted on proposals to introduce a minimum 25p charge on single-use drinks cups, to tackle their significant environmental impact. The findings from the independent analysis of the consultation, published in June 2025, indicated there was support amongst the public for a charge. We are now working closely with stakeholders to develop an approach that is deliverable, taking on board the views of businesses and consumers and giving them ample time to prepare. We are taking time to fully consider the issues raised in the consultation to ensure the charge is effective, proportionate, and fair.

The Scottish Government is also committed to matching or exceeding the standards set out by the EU Directive on single-use plastics where we are able to do so and in a manner that contributes towards maintaining and advancing standards, and is committed to building on the work done to ban on some of the most problematic single-use plastic products through the Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Scotland) Regulations 2021.

For example, on 1 June 2025, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland.

Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging is also being implemented this year on a four nations basis across the UK. It will incentivise businesses to reduce excess packaging, to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable, and encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging.

The cost of repair work on the A90 between St Ann’s and Keithock junctions near Brechin is not available. This is because expenditure is not recorded for specific sections of the trunk road. Instead, costs are collated and reported as a total spend for the A90 as a whole. The following table shows the expenditure breakdown for the A90 as a whole for the years 2015-2025.

The Scottish Government remains focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with at least 70% of these for social rent and 10% in rural and island areas, including new build, rehabilitation and acquisitions.

We report on all homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) via our quarterly official statistics, and this includes approvals, starts and completions. Official statistics for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme are available on the Scottish Government website at Housing statistics - gov.scot.

Note: The AHSP statistics reflect the number of affordable homes delivered with government support, whether through loans, grants or guarantees.

For the AHSP, figures are reported at the stages of approval, start and completion:

• Approval marks the point at which funding is granted.
• Start is recorded once there is an on-site presence to progress site work.
• Completion is measured when all homes on a site are delivered and ready for occupation.

This differs from the all-sector housebuilding statistics, where completions are reported on a unit-by-unit basis. As a result, there will be occasions when the AHSP records completions in a local authority while the social sector new housebuilding series shows zero completions in the same quarter. This occurs because the corresponding units are captured in earlier quarters of the housebuilding data.

While the majority of affordable housing developments in Scotland are supported by the Scottish Government through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme, there are also contributions to the costs from housing associations, councils and the private sector. In particular, contributions by private sector developers are agreed through the planning system.

More information of Data and Methodology can be found of the Scottish Government website: Data and methodology - Housing Statistics for Scotland Quarterly Update: New Housebuilding and Affordable Housing Supply to end March 2025 - gov.scot.

I don't recognise the member's timeframe of 3 months. As Independent Contractors, it is the responsibility of NHS dentists to manage their patient lists in line with clinical guidelines.

However, I can advise that the Scottish Government is taking several steps to improve access to NHS dental services across Scotland.

Public Health Scotland statistics published in August show that over 7 million courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered to patients since the introduction of payment reform in November 2023, demonstrating that our policy is delivering on our aims to sustain NHS dental services. The 2025/26 Budget reinforces our commitment to NHS dentistry, with an increase of almost 15% in funding for primary care dental services agreed - taking total funding to over half a billion pounds for the first time.

Furthermore, our recently published Operational Improvement Plan sets out a package of funded actions to bolster the NHS dental workforce and support increased access now and into the future. Within this we will:

• support the dental workforce pipeline through i) the immediate expansion of domestic dental student numbers and ii) the development of an innovative new training package to support international dentists in joining the NHS Scotland workforce; and
• support the ongoing sustainability of practices through revision of our existing allowances to secure and improve access in Scotland’s most rural communities.