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Through regular engagement, the Scottish Government has received assurance from the SPPA that they are prioritising pension estimates where the member is retiring in the next six months, or the information is required for ill-health or divorce purposes. Decisions about administration and service delivery are made by the SPPA in consultation with the Scheme Pension Boards, which consist of representatives from both members and employers.

SPPA also advise that 2025 Annual Benefit Statements have been issued to 90.19% of all active scheme members. These statements provide a pension valuation as of 31 March and enable members to access calculators on the SPPA website, allowing them to produce a retirement estimate.

The Scottish Government has the utmost sympathy for women who were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) and the impact it may have had on them and their families.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend increased screening for individuals whose mother may have been administered diethylstilbestrol while pregnant with them. The most recent guidance advises that routine screening is appropriate for those who believe that they were exposed to stilbestrol in utero, and we would encourage all women to attend their routine breast and cervical screening appointments.

In line with the UK NSC’s current recommendations, all women aged between 50 to 70 are invited for breast screening every three years. In addition, those aged 25 and 64 are invited for routine cervical screening every 5 years. Individuals may be invited for more regular cervical screening or until they are aged 70 if previous results have found changes that need to be monitored.

Anyone concerned that they may have side effects from possible or known exposure to DES should discuss this with their GP in the first instance, who can provide support and advice, and request a referral for any further testing or treatment if this is determined to be appropriate.

The Housing Emergency Action Plan delivers new and enhanced actions, including committing to deliver up to £4.9 billion of investment over the coming four-years - with homes delivered through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment.

These interventions are supporting local authorities to deliver their housing and homelessness services. It is essential that those who are at risk of homelessness are able to access housing and support when they need it most. The plan centres on three priorities, which are closely aligned with the vision in Scotland’s homelessness strategy:

• Ending children living in unsuitable accommodation – as a vital part of the Scottish Government’s determination to eradicate child poverty;
• Supporting the housing needs of vulnerable communities, including women and children experiencing domestic abuse and people with the most acute experiences of homelessness; and
• Building our future – invest extensively in affordable homes whilst working to create the optimum conditions for wider investment to be made in our housing sector with confidence and certainty.

Housing to 2040 remains our key overarching strategy that sets out a vision and roadmap to ensuring everyone has a safe, good quality and affordable home by 2040. That has not changed, and in these challenging times, the formal governance we have established through the Housing to 2040 Strategic Board provides important critical and strategic oversight to support sector-wide delivery of the Housing to 2040 strategy and the Housing Emergency Action Plan.

The public sector provides a range of digital public services and it is critical that these are secure and resilient.

Local Authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and it is up to each council how it plans for, manages, and mitigates its risks. However the Scottish Government routinely engages with and encourages public sector organisations to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience.

The Scottish Government has set out a framework including guidance on how to:

• Assess their cyber resilience maturity,
• Align with minimum security standards,
• Benchmark performance, and
• Prioritise investment based on risk.

It is supported by practical tools such as self-assessment templates and critical systems mapping resources.

The Scottish Government has in place the Notifiable Scottish Public Sector Cyber Incidents Procedure. This is a voluntary process which encourages Scottish Public Sector bodies to report cyber incidents to the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre the SC3). The process also encourages reporting of cyber incidents to the UK Government National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland where appropriate.

The SC3 also provides ongoing support to local authorities in the form of:

• 24/7 national incident response coordination
• Daily threat intelligence and early warning notifications
• Cyber exercising and preparedness programmes, and
• Guidance on standards and best practice.

This national support is helping to equip our public bodies with the tools, intelligence and skills needed to build and maintain strong cyber resilience.

During December the Director of Resilience in the National Cyber Security Centre will be briefing all CEOs on the importance of cyber resilience. The Scottish Government will also be meeting with all Chief Information Security Officers to reinforce the importance of extra vigilance during the festive period.

There is no requirement for proof of age to use the app. There will be the opportunity for citizens to use the app with the digital wallet to prove their age if they wish to.

The Scottish Government encourages public sector organisations (including local authorities) to adopt a proactive, risk-based governance approach, with board-level accountability to build and improve their cyber resilience. The Scottish Government provides a range of resources and advice to help build public sector cyber resilience. It should be noted that local authorities are independent corporate bodies, entirely separate from the Scottish Government, and each must plan for, mitigate, and manage their own cyber risks.

The ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) is a crucial part of delivering Scotland’s net zero ambitions and in line with Committee for Climate Change advice. It will come into force on 31 December this year.

While significant efforts and investment have been made by local authorities and commercial waste operators to prepare for the ban, due to a temporary shortfall of energy from waste capacity in Scotland, some parts of the waste sector identified challenges in fully complying with the upcoming ban.

Taking account of these challenges, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency published a Regulatory Position Statement on 29 October outlining its approach to enforcing the ban.

The Scottish Government recognises the findings of the Independent Review of the Role of Incineration in the Waste Hierarchy in Scotland, including its determination that in the short-term incineration will have a role to play in managing our waste as we transition to a circular economy.

The Scottish Government is committed to limiting EfW capacity, as part of our transition to a circular economy. Our National Planning Framework 4 makes it clear that development proposals for new EfW facilities will not be supported except under limited circumstances, and there have been no planning applications for new EfW developments since 2023.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42174 on 9 December 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 Scottish Government receive regular updates from the SPPA on service delivery, who in turn engage regularly with the Scheme Pension Boards, on which both members and employers are represented. The SPPA has not recorded a significant increase in complaints about transfers and pension estimates.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was approved by the Scottish Parliament in February 2023, before the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act commenced. Its implementation reflects children’s rights principles, including participation and wellbeing considerations.

For individual development proposals, including national developments and cases under sections 36 or 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, applicants are not legally required to prepare a CRWIA. However, Ministers must act compatibly with UNCRC requirements.

Scottish Ministers must prepare and publish a CRWIA for strategic decisions affecting children’s rights and wellbeing—high-level decisions that may impact the Government’s ability to respect, protect, and fulfil these rights. These typically include setting policy priorities, allocating resources, and policy delivery, but not routine operational decisions (e.g. many planning or licensing cases).

Strategic decisions are usually made by Ministers but can also be made on their behalf. They generally influence how the Scottish Government implements laws and policies over the long term, though urgent short- or mid-term decisions may also qualify. Strategic decisions may form part of an overarching plan. Ministers also intend to carry out CRWIAs for any changes or reviews of such decisions.