More than £52 billion in spending last year has funded the delivery of vital public services for the people of Scotland.
The Scottish Government’s 2024-25 Provisional Outturn, which compares actual spending with overall funding, included:
Investing more than £19.5 billion in health and social care, protecting existing critical delivery in the face of unprecedented fiscal pressure and enabling frontline services to continue to evolve to deliver the best care and treatment for our diverse population.
Supporting fair and affordable pay deals for workers who provide our essential public services.
Investing more than £5.9 billion for 2024-25 in social security, directly supporting more than 1.4 million people across Scotland. This includes £456 million allocated to the Child Payment. As of 31 March 2025, 326,225 children aged 15 and under were actively benefiting from Scottish Child Payment.
Supporting economic growth despite global uncertainty. Scotland’s economy grew 1.2% in 2024, compared to 1.1% in the UK as a whole, having strengthened from 0.5% growth in 2023.
The remaining £557 million of available funding – representing 1% of the total Scottish Government budget – has been carried over to support costs in 2025-26, with no loss of spending power to the Scottish Government.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said yesterday: “The provisional outturn demonstrates once again this Government is prudently and competently managing Scotland’s finances while protecting our priorities and ensuring we can deliver effective public services.
“Managing the financial position for 2024-25 was a challenge once again. The continued impact of inflation, pressure on public sector pay, and wider geopolitical instability meant careful consideration had to be given to balancing the Scottish Budget.
“What’s more, under the UK Spending Review the Scottish Government’s day-to-day spending is set to grow by 0.8% over the next three years, considerably lower than the 1.2% average growth for UK Government departments.
“The impact of these challenges on our financial planning will be set out in the Medium-Term Financial Strategy tomorrow (i.e. Wednesday (today)) in Parliament, but the growing future year pressures mean we must act prudently and responsibly to remain fiscally sustainable.”
Three people have been charged following a day of action in Edinburgh city centre to address retail crime.
On Wednesday, 18 June, local policing officers joined colleagues from the Retail Crime Taskforce to undertake high-visibility patrols and visit retail premises to deter offences such as shoplifting and identify those involved in criminal activity affecting the area’s shops and businesses.
As a result, 13 stop and searches were conducted and three people are now subject to reports to the Procurator Fiscal.
A 49-year-old man was found in possession of drugs, which have been sent for analysis.
A 40-year-old male was stopped following a shoplifting and was arrested and charged with conditions not to enter the city centre. Stolen property worth £400 was recovered at this time.
A 24-year-old female was also charged with theft following the recovery of £50 worth of stolen goods.
Over 30 premises were visited, and extensive intelligence was also gathered for further inquiry throughout the day of action.
Inspector Gordon Duff said: “Our day of action was supported by key partners at Retailers Against Crime, Essential Edinburgh, BTP, Lothian Busses and the retailers operating within the city centre.
“We want activity like this to send a very clear message that retail crime is being treated as a priority and extensive time and resource is being dedicated to reducing offences and bring those responsible to justice.
“I’m grateful to all of the officers and partners that provided vital assistance, and the public can rest assured further activity will take place as we actively target all of those involved in the various forms of retail crime affecting Edinburgh’s businesses.”
Jenny Eclair will join a 13-night trip on a Baltic cruise
Eclair joins as part of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Moments Crew, commissioned to capture guests’ most memorable onboard moments
She will turn memorable guest experiences into short stories as writer-in-residence
The cruise departs from Rosyth on Friday 27th June
Best-selling author and comedian Jenny Eclair is taking to the seas this week as part of the cruise industry’s first ‘Moments Crew’ – a new service promising to capture guests’ most memorable onboard moments.
Departing from Rosyth on Friday 27th June, Eclair will be joining the ‘Fairytale Castle & Old Towns of The Baltic Scenic’ tour on Balmoral, the smallest of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ ship in the three-strong fleet. The 13-night trip runs until Thursday 10th July.
Three lucky ballot winners have won a session with Eclair in which she will turn their memorable moments into short stories. The guests will then be given the stories to take home, as a memento of the special moments, big and small, that happened on a Fred. Olsen cruise.
All guests on board will also be treated to An Audience with Jenny Eclair on Wednesday 2nd July. Open to everyone, Eclair will be interviewed by the ships cruise director, followed by a Q&A with the audience and book signings. Guests will be able to purchase her book, as well as pre-order, in the ships bookstore.
During the Baltic trip, guests will have plenty of opportunity to make new memories at a range of awe-inspiring locations places and experiences. Guests will be embarking cities within fairytale-esque settings from the majestic castles of Schwerin, Malbork and Rosenborg to the enchanting old towns of Vecrīga and Vanalinn.
Jenny Eclair is the second of three Moments Crew joining Fred. Olsen cruises throughout the summer.
Comedian-turned-artist Jim Moir (aka Vic Reeves) joined the ‘Scenic Falls & Fjords of Norway’ tour on Borealis for the eight-night trip on Thursday 5th June.
Celebrity photographer Scarlet Page will then embark Bolette for its 13 night ‘Volcanic Vistas of the Azores and Madeira’ cruise, departing from Liverpool on 25th July.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines recruited the famous crew of documentarians following research that revealed 82 per cent of people say their life’s top memories are made while travelling.
Sonia Holman, Marketing Director at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, comments: “We know that some of life’s best memories are made on the high seas, so what better way to ensure they are caught than by assembling the first-ever crew dedicated to recording these unique moments in unique ways.
“We’re delighted to welcome Jim, Jenny and Scarlet onboard and look forward to seeing, reading and viewing the big and small guest moments they observe.”
Jenny Eclair, Fred. Olsen’s writer-on-board, comments: “There is a rich literary history of travel writing, but my intention is to get the everyday holiday maker interested in keeping their own journals, even if it is just a record of what you had for dinner.
“In years to come, photos will take you back to places you loved, but it is often words on a page that will remind you of how those places felt.”
‘Come Dine With Us’ initiative recognised for tackling loneliness and fostering community wellbeing
MUIRHOUSE HOUSING Association is celebrating a magnificent triumph in a prestigious set of national awards.
The Association excelled in the Tenant Participation Service (TPAS) Scotland National Good Practice Awards scoring a win in the keenly-contested category for Community Involvement – tenant/community group.
It was a powerful endorsement of Muirhouse’s commitment to placing its community at the heart of everything it does as a housing provider.
The National Good Practice Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in tenant participation by individual tenants, tenant groups and social landlords.
The category won by Muirhouse “recognises and celebrates the achievements of a tenant or community-led group or project that has supported other individuals or groups within their community and made a positive impact.”
Muirhouse’s triumph centred on its innovative and inclusive “Come Dine With Us” initiative – a recurring event offering a free meal and companionship to local residents aimed at tackling isolation and loneliness
Launched in 2022, it instantly resonated with the community and attracts between 15 and 30 people to the weekly get-together in winter with it running fortnightly in the summer.
It has chalked up some impressive outcomes with evaluation showing an increase in the age groups attending ranging from 26-85 plus an impressive 140% increase in how satisfied those attending are with their lives. An increase of 83% was recorded from those attending who felt the things they do in life are “worthwhile”.
Muirhouse Chief Executive Susan Bell, added: “Ensuring we do our bit to tackle loneliness and isolation in our community – especially among those who are single – remains an important part of our work.
“In the face of the cost-of-living challenges, we as a housing association are ideally placed to make a difference and Come Dine With Us tackles this very issue. We remain very grateful for the funding received which helps to support this important initiative.”
“This project provides the opportunity to inspire and empower individuals to foster better health, connect with others in the community and feel valued.
“We are thrilled to receive this award, which recognises the dedication and teamwork behind our efforts to support the community.”
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 28 June–30 November 2025
Tickets for Monkeys: Our Primate Family are available to book at nms.ac.uk/Monkeys
The biggest exhibition of primate behaviour ever staged returns to the National Museum of Scotland this weekend. From huge gorillas to tiny mouse lemurs, Monkeys: Our Primate Family (28 Jun – 30 Nov 2025) explores the remarkable lives of our closest relatives.
Ahead of the opening on Saturday 28 June, experts at the National Museum of Scotland have been adding the finishing touches to more than 60 spectacular monkey, ape, lemur and loris specimens featured in the exhibition.
Monkeys: Our Primate Family is the first exhibition of its kind, capturing primates acting as they would in the wild. Taxidermy specimens created for the exhibition reveal behaviours rarely seen by humans and demonstrate how primate species have adapted to survive.
Atmospheric lighting and naturalistic displays create a tropical forest experience to explore while encountering some of the rarest and most endangered primate species on earth. Visitors to the exhibition will also learn about ongoing conservation efforts to protect these extraordinary animals and their fragile habitats.
The exhibition first opened at the National Museum of Scotland in 2016 before embarking on an international tour. It returns to Edinburgh for a final time having been seen by over 500,000 visitors in six countries around the world.
Professor Andrew Kitchener, Principal Curator of Vertebrate Biology at National Museums Scotland, said: ““We are all primates, but how much do we really know about our extended family?
“Following a successful global tour, this is the last chance to experience this remarkable exhibition. Monkeys: Our Primate Family provides a unique opportunity to see these fascinating animals up close. Visitors will also learn about the threats facing primates and what we can do to protect them.”
Visitors to Monkeys will discover how primates have evolved and adapted, their unique methods of locomotion, and the tools they have developed to obtain food.
A gibbon swings through the trees while a chimpanzee fishes for termites. The exhibition also reveals the fascinating ways they communicate and their complex social systems. A tarsier is shown using ultrasonic communication and a vervet monkey reveals how its different calls warn about each different predator.
The final section of the exhibition looks at conservation as well as some of the threats humans pose to primates today, including the climate emergency, conflict, and the bush meat trade. It includes endangered primates, such as the Sumatran orangutan and the black-and-white ruffed lemur.
Thanks to the support of players of People’s Postcode Lottery, children can visit Monkeys: Our Primate Family (28 Jun – 30 Nov 2025) for free.
For the first time, the National Museum of Scotland is also offering those on Universal Credit and other named UK benefits discounted exhibition entry.
The exhibition is supported by a programme of public events.
Recorded crime has more than halved since 1991, according to newly-published official statistics.
The Recorded Crime in Scotland 2024-25 bulletin shows that total crime remains at similar levels to 2023-24, with a small reduction in the headline figure.
Levels of non-sexual crimes of violence have also dipped slightly over the year and continue to be 23% lower than in 2006-07 – with serious assault and attempted murder now at their lowest level since 1977.
There was a 6% decrease in 2024-25 in recorded incidents of damage and reckless behaviour – now at its lowest level since 1976, with vandalism down 73% from 2006-07.
The detection of overall crime by police has increased, with clear-up rates rising to 56%.
The recording of crimes of dishonesty are now at pre-pandemic levels and down 74% from the peak in 1991 – however there was has been a 16% rise in shoplifting.
There was a rise in recorded sexual crimes (up 3%), with rape and attempted rape up by 15%. A quarter of these crimes were reported at least one year after they had occurred.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “These figures show that Scotland continues to be safe place to live with reported crime falling by more than half since 1991. This comes on the back of the flagship Scottish Crime and Justice Survey which also showed people feel safer in their communities.
“Violent crime is down significantly in the past 20 years, with serious assaults and homicide levels at record lows. However, we cannot afford to be complacent and I have been consistently clear that any instance of violence is one too many. That is why we are taking a wide range of actions to prevent, reduce and tackle violence, with more than £6 million funding invested over the past three years.
“I am concerned these figures also show a rise in reported sexual crimes. Multiple factors will lie behind this and our action to tackle sexual offending includes increasing confidence in the justice system so more victims come forward, improving support for victims and modernising the law on sexual offences.
“I also recognise the significant harm and disruption caused by retail crime, which is why we have made £3 million available in this year’s Budget for Police Scotland to work with the retail sector to help tackle this issue.
“This year we will invest £4.2 billion across the justice system including a record £1.64 billion for policing – an increase of £70 million on 2024-25.
“As part of the Scottish Government’s broader package to tackle violence, we have increased funding to the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit from £1.17 million last year to over £1.2 million this year. Projects supporting young people at risk of being drawn into criminal activities, under the Cashback for Communities programme, will receive up to £26 million over the next three financial years.”
How cancer resists treatment is the focus of a £1.5million Cancer Research UK project in Edinburgh to find new ways to tackle aggressive ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer is one of the most common difficult-to-treat cancers affecting women worldwide. In Scotland, around 600 people are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, 7,600 in total across the UK.*
While ovarian cancer is typically responsive to initial chemotherapy, relapse – when cancer returns after treatment – remains a common and devastating occurrence.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, are launching an innovative study focused on understanding how a particular mechanism known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to chemoresistance in ovarian cancer.
EMT is a natural process in the body where epithelial cells, which line organs and tissues to form barriers, change their role to become mesenchymal cells, which are more flexible and capable of rebuilding and repair.
Some aggressive cancers use this process to repair and resist damage to cancer cells caused by chemotherapy and use it to improve their mobility to invade other parts of the body (metastasis).
Lead researcher Dr Robb Hollis, of the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh and Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, said:“Ovarian cancer remains one of the most challenging cancers to treat. The main problem being the development of treatment resistance if cancer comes back after initially successful treatment.
“Ovarian carcinosarcoma, a particularly rare type of ovarian cancer, provides a unique opportunity for research as it arises directly through the EMT process, which has been linked to treatment resistance.
“By identifying the molecular triggers of EMT and chemoresistance, we aim to make a real difference for ovarian cancer patients by finding new treatments that target these molecular triggers.”
The molecular switches that activate EMT and contribute to chemoresistance at different stages of the disease will be a key focus, and the research will compare samples taken at diagnosis, at relapse and from both primary and metastatic sites.
It is hoped to identify and validate new therapeutic approaches that could be used to prevent or reverse chemoresistance.
These therapeutic approaches could then be fast-tracked into clinical trials, improving the likelihood of success due to the well-established dosing and toxicity profiles of some already investigated drugs.
Cancer Research UK Director of Research, Dr Catherine Elliott, said:“The identification of the impact of mechanisms like EMT, which have the potential to help cancer cells resist treatment, is crucial for our ultimate goal of improving outcomes and survival rates.
“The results of this study could significantly enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie chemoresistance in ovarian cancer and could help lead to new treatment options for patients in the future.”
While this research is focused on ovarian cancer, the findings will be relevant to other cancer types where EMT is implicated in drug resistance.
Insights gained could potentially be applied to a wide range of cancers, contributing to the development of new therapeutic strategies that can overcome chemoresistance.
LOTTERY FUNDING FOR STEPPING STONES NORTH EDINBURGH
Twenty-six- Scottish groups are today (WEDNESDAY 25 JUNE) celebrating a total cash boost of £2,049,812 from the Young Start fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund.
The projects, which are based all over the country, will see thousands of young people engaging in various activities, which will ultimately bring a brighter, healthier, and more connected future.
SEVEN Edinburgh-based groups and organisations received funding in the latest round of awards announced this morning. They are:
International Jazz & Blues Festival Ltd £93,000
The group would like funding to pay for a three year long, city wide, inclusive, multicultural youth arts initiative for children and young people age eight-24 years called ‘RISE’.
Edinburgh Napier University Development Trust £80,000
This group will use funding to support delivery of their student ambassador programme. The project will employ care-experienced learners to work as ambassadors as they are uniquely positioned to advocate and lobby for change across our partnership and beyond.
Inspiring Scotland £78,181
The group will use the funding to enhance and deliver the young persons group InVoice that sits within the wider intandem mentoring programme for young people looked after at home and in a kinship care arrangement.
Jack Kane Centre Community Wing £94,360
The group will use the funding to work alongside young men age 11-21 years in the community to delivering a 16 week peer education programme which has been co-produced with the young people on the theme of positive masculinity.
Marine Conservation Society £80,223
The group will use the funding to deliver skills training to young people within a marine and coastal environment (see below).
Stepping Stones (North Edinburgh) £61,740
This group will use three years funding to continue their support for young parents living in the North West of Edinburgh.
Delivery will continue to be a mix of group work and one to one support.
The programme encourages young parents to build confidence and self-esteem, develop new skills, reduce isolation and increase opportunities for further learning and employment for young parents.
YMCA Edinburgh SCIO £98,217
This group will use the funding to support up to 40 young people each year in Leith, Edinburgh. Through the three-year project, young people aged between ten and 13 years of age, will be part of a youth forum to campaign and advocate for a better environment and better local services. The young people as activists will take an active role in community issues helping to shape local services and developments.
The Marine Conversation Society will use their funding of £80,223 to run a programme of outdoor activities for young people in Central Scotland.
Katie Macfarlane, Youth Engagement Officer, Marine Conservation Society said: “Spending time in nature is proven to benefit young people’s development and physical and mental health.
“Equally, our blue planet needs young people’s passion and determination to protect it more than ever before. Funding given to the Marine Conservation Society’s youth engagement programme in Scotland will enable us to reach more young people across the Central Belt over the next three years.
“We will run youth events, coastal residentials, internships, educational workshops, and experiential outdoor fun – empowering and upskilling the next generation of ocean optimists to be a powerful force for change.”
Thanks to an award of £29,150, Lochview Rural Training will deliver a range of land-based learning, training and career opportunities to young people in Sutherland who will get hands on experience in a range of skills including peatland management, dry stone walling, fencing and conservation and biodiversity.
Cara Cameron, CEO and founder of Lochview Rural Training said: “We are deeply grateful to be awarded support from Young Start.
“This funding is not just vital—it’s transformative. It allows us to deliver meaningful land-based training and employability programmes tailored for young people in our rural community.
“In a place like Sutherland, where opportunities can be scarce and challenges are real, this kind of support helps create pathways to brighter futures. It truly makes a lasting difference.”
Based in Dundee, Giving Back will use their award of £32,870 to run a three-year employability programme for young people in Broughty Ferry.
Havey Gay, 18 Peer Worker, Giving Back, said: “Giving Back employed me last year on their first pilot of the Youth Employability Programme for six months.
“I was given support from a Mental Health Nurse and worked in a cafe in the area. As a young person with ADHD and Autism I struggled to find work and this opportunity gave me the skills, time and financial support to build my confidence.
“I have now been employed by Giving Back to support the young people this year as a Peer Worker. This programme is amazing and really helped me to get into employment, have my voice heard, develop my confidence and encourage me to engage with the community.”
Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to continue funding such a broad range of vital projects for young people all over Scotland.
“We are always keen to support projects that put Scotland’s young people at the heart of the development and running of services. If your group has an idea how you would make this happen, then we’d love to hear from you.”
