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The economic impact of beavers have been the subject of various reports to date with a focus on impacts on farmers in Tayside. This includes a collation of impacts on land use in the Tayside Beaver Study Group final report 2015 and a Commissioned Report 805: Tayside beaver socio-economic impact study carried out by SRUC (2015).

These reports point to most of the negative impacts occurring in intensively farmed lowland areas, with the costs being variable from a few hundred pounds to £10,000.

The Tayside beaver socio-economic impact study sought to establish a method for assessing the costs and benefits associated with beaver presence. Questionnaire responses from 111 land managers collated costs incurred to farmland and crops.

The study also collated modest figures for economic benefits largely around eco-tourism and found the non-use values may be considerable. They concluded ‘Taking these estimates in aggregate, the benefits of beaver tolerance are likely to outweigh the costs incurred, which can themselves be lowered by appropriate management and mitigation measures’.

As the report sets out, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) has a huge impact on the welfare of many in Scotland. We therefore welcome this report and will take its recommendations into account as we develop the next phase of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.

We have already established a dedicated working group and action has been taken to raise awareness and support better understanding of PMDD among healthcare professionals. This work sits alongside our ongoing commitment to deliver a social security system with dignity, fairness and respect at its core.

In contrast to the UK Government, the Scottish Government is committed to protecting and enhancing social security benefits. We will carefully consider the report’s findings alongside the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment, which we have committed to respond to by January 2026.

The First Minister announced on 7 February that around £14 million will be allocated to delivering the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS). Despite the current constraints on the Scottish Budget, given the significant level of demand for the scheme, the possibility of allocating additional funding to the scheme is being considered.

In the wider financial context, FFIS is but one way in which the Scottish Government is supporting farmers and crofters deliver sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The 2025-26 budget allocates more than £665 million for the purpose of supporting farmers, land managers, rural communities and rural businesses. In contrast with the rest of the UK, the Scottish Government continues to provide farmers and crofters with reformed direct payments to support sustainable food production.

There has been significant interest from the agriculture sector in the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS). 7,584 applications have been received, demonstrating the strong commitment of Scotland’s farmers and crofters to support key outcomes, from reducing emissions to supporting nature restoration.

NatureScot’s direct spend on beaver advice and mitigation since 2020 is as follows:

There has been a significant and welcome interest in the Future Farming Investment Scheme. Applications received are currently being considered and applicants will be informed of the outcome as soon as practicably possible after assessment has been undertaken.

Once a grant offer has been made, successful applicants will have 14 days to accept the terms and conditions of their offer. After acceptance, payments will be issued within 30 days. Applicants will have nine months from being made the Offer of Grant to purchase all items listed in part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Offer of Grant letter and provide evidence of the investment to the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Division (SGRPID).

The investment in discretionary housing payments (DHPs) announced as part of the Housing Emergency Action Plan on 2 September will be made available to local authorities experiencing the most sustained temporary accommodation pressures via a distribution methodology agreed with COSLA.

This further DHPs will target eligible households in temporary accommodation who are interested in a settled home in the private rented sector but who are concerned about affordability. Local authorities will use DHPs to cover any shortfall between the housing benefit people receive – determined by the UK local housing allowance (LHA) rates – and the actual cost of private rent.

While this additional £2 million investment will be targeted at households in temporary accommodation, local authorities retain discretion to support other households facing shortfalls between their rent and LHA rates. Many local authorities already use this flexibility to help people secure and sustain tenancies in the private rented sector, spending £3.1 million in 2024-25.

The latest ONS data for Scotland indicates that there were approximately 47,900 new online job adverts posted in July 2025, down 1.1% over the year from July 2024. The data also indicate that the number of new online job vacancies posted in Scotland in July 2025 were 32.5% lower than in July 2021, when online job adverts were at their highest July level following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scotland’s labour market is resilient, despite economic challenges. The number of payrolled employees in Scotland remains relatively high with 2.45 million payrolled employees in July 2025 while unemployment remains low.

However, sectors like Construction continue to face recruitment difficulties. Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) data for Scotland indicated that 31.0% of Construction sector businesses experienced recruitment difficulties in July, compared to 22.4% of all businesses in Scotland. These challenges will be exacerbated by the ongoing damage of Brexit. The changes introduced in the UK Government’s Immigration White Paper completely fail to meet Scotland’s economic and demographic needs, and the UK Government must work urgently with the Scottish Government to ensure that the immigration system works for our businesses, public services, and communities.

The DWP is ultimately responsible for increasing take-up of Pension Credit. Despite this, through our Benefit Take-Up Strategy, of which there is no UK Government equivalent, we continue to tackle barriers to take-up and explore opportunities to raise awareness of this payment to people in Scotland. For example, Social Security Scotland have shared content on Pension Credit, via social media, and information is included in posts where entitlement is relevant to a devolved payment.

The Scottish Government is taking seriously concerns that 16- and 17-year-olds may need more protection. Our consultation on a range of family law matters, including whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18, is in the latter stages of preparation and will be published this Autumn. The responses to the consultation will, along with other available evidence, help inform our decisions on next steps.