Tag: Scottish Parliament

Delivery must be at the heart of the Scotland’s Climate Change Plan, says Holyrood Committee

Concrete policies backed by clear targets and timelines must be at the heart of the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan, says Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee.

In its report published this week, the Committee says that key policies must also state clearly who will lead on delivery and, wherever possible, be costed.

A clear and accessible system to monitor progress will also be vital to catch policies and interventions at risk of going off track.

The report highlights the Plan’s reliance on electrification for delivery across many sectors. The Committee calls on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government and other UK administrations on a joint plan of action for more affordable electricity.

The report also identifies areas of potential risk in plotting a pathway to net zero emissions, either because the Scottish Government is dependent upon others for key actions or because they have set ambitions that look stretching. These include, for example, a quite fast-paced switchover to electric vehicles; decarbonising Scotland’s homes; and using negative emissions technology at scale over the next decade to abate hard to decarbonise areas.

The Plan sets out how the Scottish Government intends to meet emission reduction targets across all portfolio areas and sectors of the economy. It covers the period 2026-2040 as Scotland looks to be ‘net zero’ in carbon emissions by 2045.

10 committees took part in the Scottish Parliament’s scrutiny of the draft Plan. Leading the cross-parliamentary effort, the Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee considered the draft as a whole; including governance, monitoring, and fiscal arrangements; as well as three sectors relevant to its remit; energy supply, transport and waste.

Convener of the Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee, Edward Mountain MSP, said: “Scotland has lost momentum in reaching net zero and a new Climate Change Plan is the key opportunity for a reset. The Plan must be focused on delivery, with credible proposals and clear lines of accountability for each major policy.

“There are some good aspects to the draft Plan but it often falls short, with insufficient detail on key policies and the mechanisms to achieve specific outcomes, or on costs and who they will fall on.

“Public engagement is central to net zero delivery as it requires actions at a household level. People rightly want assurances that changes they are being asked to make are affordable and sensible. We reached out to the public and to grassroots community groups as widely as we could, within the time we had.

“Getting the Plan right also means the Scottish Government must listen to industry, NGOs and scientific experts, as well as the Parliament.“The Scottish Government has given itself a maximum of just three weeks to reflect on our recommendations and its own public consultation. This is not good practice. It lowers confidence that consultation is meaningful and will help shape the new Plan. It must not happen again.”

The Scottish Government has committed to publishing its final Climate Change Plan in advance of the dissolution of Parliament for the 2026 election.

Key committee recommendations:

In their reports, Committees highlighted a range of issues including, for example:

Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee

In relation to energy supply, transport & waste:

  • Proposals to decarbonise the transport sector are heavily reliant on EV switchover, with challenges around affordability and convenience of charging etc. The Scottish Government holds only some of the levers in this area. This poses a risk that should be monitored carefully. The Plan should encourage EV uptake but have more measures to enable less car usage.
  • Placing a high level of reliance on negative emissions technologies, a developing technology that is untested at scale, is a significant delivery risk that will require careful monitoring and reappraisal in the light of new evidence and data.
  • Ambitions on electrifying and decarbonising the freight sector look unrealistic, with insufficient detail on delivery.
  • Revised projections for emissions from energy from waste are required in light of the recent delay in banning biodegradable waste going to municipal landfill.

Read the Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee’s report

Rural Affairs & Islands Committee
  • The agriculture emissions pathway in the draft Plan was unclear due to a lack of clarity around the sector’s reform plans and the absence of a Rural Support Plan (RSP).
  • The final Plan must show how RSP policies will deliver sectoral emissions targets and the next Parliament must scrutinise the links between the RSP, wider reform programme and the Plan, to ensure sufficient leadership and ambition for the sector.
  • While the draft CCP signals strong long-term ambition for forestry and peatland, it should also set out how sites will be prioritised – using spatial analysis or mapping – and provide clearer detail on long-term financing, including the Scottish Government’s position on multiannual funding.

Read the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee’s report

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee
  • The Committee is concerned that the projected rates of heat pump installations will not sufficiently scale up by 2030 in order to put Scotland on course to reaching the 2045 target. There needs to be national leadership from the Scottish Government in partnership with the UK Government to deliver this through a coherent delivery plan.
  • Having sufficient numbers of trained tradespeople to deliver retrofitting is clearly critical, and the Scottish Government should set out a plan as to how a recognised skills gap will be addressed, particularly in rural areas where the skills shortage is greater, and with a focus on supporting SMEs to grow their retrofit workforce.

Read the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee’s report

Economy and Fair Work Committee
  • The Plan needs to include more information, be clearer on the priority of actions and involve workers and professional bodies. If not, there’s a real risk we repeat past mistakes, with industries closing and skilled workers leaving Scotland to find jobs elsewhere.
  • The Committee calls for a change in the way electricity prices and charges are set. Until this is addressed, it warns against adding new requirements for industries to cut emissions, as this too could risk more closures and job losses.

Read the Economy and Fair Work Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (246KB, pdf)posted 02 February 2026

Other Committee correspondence 

Read the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee with further findings due to be published shortly (136KB, pdf)posted 30 January 2026

Read the Criminal Justice Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (97KB, pdf)posted 08 December 2025

The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee sent two letters to the letters the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee:

Read the letter sent on 9 December 2025 (121KB, pdf)posted 15 December 2025

Read the letter sent on 23 January 2026 (158KB, pdf)posted 26 January 2026

Read the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs & Culture Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (217KB, pdf)posted 26 January 2026

Read the Social Justice & Social Security Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (117KB, pdf)posted 01 December 2025

Read the Public Audit Committee’s letter sent to the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (192KB, pdf)posted 07 November 2023.

“Clear pathway” should be negotiated urgently to allow for any future indy ref, says Holyrood Committee

COMMITTEE SPLIT ON FINDINGS

The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee has published the findings of its inquiry on options for a legal mechanism for triggering any independence referendum.

The Scottish and UK Governments should negotiate a “clear pathway” allowing Scotland to exercise its democratic right to determine its constitutional future as a matter of urgency, according to a majority of the Constitution Committee.

In a new report, a majority of the Committee’s MSPs (*) found that it is problematic that no established mechanism exists to ensure that, in appropriate circumstances, the wishes of the people of Scotland can be expressed.

This represents a democratic “disjuncture” where the “democratic mechanism may not work”, and as the Committee heard during evidence from Professor Alan Renwick of University College London, “it is the UK electorate that chooses those with the power to trigger a referendum, whereas the electorate whose wishes are to be respected is that of Scotland.”

The majority of the Committee’s view was that this creates a “democratic anomaly”.

The report follows the Committee’s inquiry into options for a legal mechanism for triggering any independence referendum.

Over several weeks, it gathered evidence from academics, lawyers and political science experts as it explored how any future vote could be legally brought.

The report’s conclusions, agreed by a majority of the Committee, set out a number of statutory and non-statutory options that should be considered as part of negotiations between the Scottish and UK Governments.

Clare Adamson, Committee Convener, said: “The majority of the Committee recommends, that steps should be taken to address this democratic anomaly.

“This should include the agreement, regardless of the UK’s political priorities, of a trigger mechanism which would allow the people of Scotland to exercise their democratic right to determine Scotland’s constitutional future if they so wish.”

(*) The report’s conclusions were agreed by Keith Brown MSP, Patrick Harvie MSP, George Adam MSP and Clare Adamson MSP.

Neil Bibby MSP, Jamie Halcro Johnston MSP and Stephen Kerr MSP did not agree to the report’s conclusions.

CEEACS062026R02Download

Scotland’s Budget Bill passed

HOLYROOD has approved the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, including a record £22.5 billion for health and social care and enhanced cost of living support.

The Budget Bill sets out funding of almost £68 billion with investment in Scotland’s infrastructure, direct support for household budgets and extra help for families.  

The spending plans include:

  • continued investment in cost of living measures, including free prescriptions, free eye examinations, removal of peak rail fares on Scotrail – and freezing of remaining Scotrail fares
  • free tuition fees for young Scots, free school meals for thousands of children, including all pupils in P1 to P5, and free bus travel for under-22s and over-60s
  • an increase in the Scottish Child Payment and, from 2027-28, a premium payment of £40 per week for eligible children under 12 months
  • an almost £15.7 billion record settlement for local government to support the services communities rely on including social care and education
  • significant extra funding for universities and colleges, more than £5 billion to tackle the climate emergency and £4.3 billion transport funding
  • record investment of £926 million for affordable housing supply, record funding for police and fire services and an additional £10 million investment in community justice services

Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “The Scottish Government’s Budget delivers for the people of Scotland – strengthening our NHS and providing real, practical support with the cost of living.

“It will improve access to healthcare, including funding for a network of 16 walk-in GP clinics open seven days per week, and builds on our game-changing work to eradicate child poverty, with an increase in the Scottish Child Payment.

“This Budget demonstrates our determination to improve lives across Scotland, and our plans mean that 55% of taxpayers can expect to pay less income tax than in the rest of the UK.”

WE CAN THANK THE LIB-DEMS, OF COURSE …

‘The £300m that we have secured in a whole host of areas shows just how serious we are about getting stuff done. With the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you get grown-up, sensible politics.

‘You can get more of that by backing us in May on your second, peach-coloured ballot paper.’

Budget Bill

Scottish Budget

Choudhury calls for clarity on anti-racist resources in schools

Following enquiries from concerned local teachers seeking clarity on funding for anti-racist curriculum resources, Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury raised the matter with the Scottish Government in Parliament last Thursday. 

During Portfolio Questions, Mr Choudhury asked the Cabinet Secretary: “What specific funding allocations will be made to support participative curriculum resourcing in anti-racist materials, and how will schools be supported to access high-quality materials to ensure racist incidents are handled effectively to prevent far-right narratives from filling the gaps?” 

In response, Cabinet Secretary Jenny Gilruth outlined funding already available to support anti-racism work in schools, noting that two additional funding streams are also in place. She confirmed she would write to Mr Choudhury with further details, and he said he looks forward to receiving that information. 

As MSP for the Lothian region and a lifelong equality campaigner, Mr Choudhury has repeatedly raised issues around racism in schools, including funding for anti-racism education, improving reporting of racist incidents, and ensuring inclusive curriculum reform.  

He has also been a leading voice on equality throughout his career, including serving as Chair of the Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council and supporting minority ethnic communities and anti-racism initiatives across Scotland. 

In previous parliamentary questions, he sought clarity on government funding for anti-racism education initiatives, including programmes delivered through organisations such as Education Scotland and Intercultural Youth Scotland as part of the wider Anti-Racism in Education Programme. 

Mr Choudhury said: “Our schools must be places where every child feels safe, respected, and represented. Teachers who contacted me were keen to ensure they have the right resources to support their pupils, and well-supported anti-racism programmes are an important part of that work.” 

He added that he will continue working constructively with teachers, parents, young people and anti-racism organisations to understand what support schools need and to follow up with ministers as further information becomes available. 

Costs of Cairngorm Funicular may outweigh benefits, warns Committee

Concerns have been raised about whether the cost to monitor and repair the Cairngorm Funicular could outweigh the benefits to the local and national economy. This stark warning comes from a new report issued today by the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee.

The report follows the Committee’s look at the funding and operation of the troubled funicular.

Opened in 2001 at a cost of £19.5 million, the funicular was closed for four years from September 2018 due to issues with the track. It briefly opened again in 2023 before closing once more for further repairs. It finally reopened in February 2025.

During this time, ownership of the funicular has moved into public hands with Cairngorm Mountain Ltd, a company owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Now, with costs of over £16 million to reinstate the funicular and a reliance on public finance, the Committee has raised concerns about whether the costs of regular monitoring and maintenance may become disproportionate to its benefit.

The Committee has also called on the Scottish Government to be more transparent about its plans for the funicular and to ensure that the project remains value for money.

During the Committee’s consideration, there was also frustration about the level of information available to the Committee to take a judgment on HIE’s decision-making on the future of the funicular.

The report now calls on HIE to make significant improvement in this area as well as ensuring that the governance arrangements in place for the funicular are be simplified and made more transparent.

Speaking as the report launched, Committee Convener Richard Leonard MSP said: “It is safe to say that the Cairngorm Funicular has had a somewhat troubled history, with repeated and lengthy closures and requiring significant public investment.

“This Committee has heard from those in charge of the funicular, the public bodies supporting it, those living and working in the area and nature conservation activists. We have heard both optimism and scepticism about what comes next. And it presents a picture of concern for us that the future benefits are not as clear as they ought to be.

“There also needs to be a much more transparent governance structure in place for the running of the funicular. A simplified structure would allow for better public scrutiny of public money and decisions on the future plans for the Cairngorm Mountain resort.”

Scotland’s leading healthcare organisations raise serious concerns over Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

Scotland’s leading healthcare organisations raise serious concerns over proposed changes to Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill

A group of six major medical and healthcare membership organisations in Scotland has issued a joint consensus statement warning of their significant concern regarding changes now being proposed to the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

The organisations – whose members span a wide range of clinical and ethical perspectives on assisted dying – emphasise that while they take no collective position on the principle of assisted dying, they are united in their concern that provisions relating to no duty to participate and conscientious objection may be removed from the Bill, and the impact that this could have on the workforce.

The Scottish Government has recently indicated that key provisions relating to ‘no duty to participate’, as well as other protections linked to professional regulation and employment rights are not within devolved powers and may be removed from the Bill at Stage 3. These issues would instead be addressed later through a Section 104 Order – secondary legislation that receives only limited parliamentary scrutiny.

The signatory organisations state that removing issues of such significance risk undermining both professional confidence and public trust.

The joint letter, sent today to Liam McArthur MSP, the Scottish Parliament Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, as well as the Secretary of State and Chair of the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee states:

“The prospect of removing matters of such professional, ethical, and legal significance from parliamentary scrutiny at Stage 3, and deferring them to secondary legislation after the Bill has passed, raises important questions about transparency, accountability, and the robustness of the legislative process.

“These protections are central to the safe, ethical, and fair delivery of care, and to the confidence of our medical workforce who may be affected by the legislation.”

The organisations highlight four core concerns:

1. Removal of key safeguards from primary legislation

2. Risk to professional confidence and public trust

3. Inadequate scrutiny of consequential provisions

4. Implications for safe and ethical implementation

The group of organisations in consensus express their continuing commitment to work constructively with the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament to ensure that any legislation affecting assisted dying is developed transparently, rigorously, and with full consideration of the healthcare workforce it will impact.

Signatory organisations:

  • Association for Palliative Medicine (Scotland)
  • Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
  • Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland
  • Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
  • Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland
  • Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Consensus statement – ADTIA (Scotland) Bill – FINALDownload

Targeted action needed to ensure rural access to services, opportunities and rights, says Holyrood committee

Rural communities continue to face barriers that limit access to essential services, including healthcare, childcare, specialist support, legal advice and public transport, according to a new report from Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee.

A shortage of affordable housing and adequate infrastructure, combined with a higher than average cost of living, were also found to pose significant challenges to the sustainability of rural communities.

The Committee’s report calls for targeted action to be taken to ensure that these communities are able to fully access their rights. The Committee want to see the Scottish Government recognise the distinct needs of different rural areas, consider rural populations throughout all stages of policymaking, and factor the findings of the report into a future Scottish Human Rights Bill.

While the Scottish Government acknowledged the issues raised during the Committee’s inquiry and highlighted the work it is doing, the Committee’s report says that this has yet to translate into sufficient improvements in the lives of people living in rural areas.

The report backs calls for the Government to carry out multi-year engagement with, and investment in, community-led organisations. The potential of these organisations, who are often best placed to understand local need and design effective solutions, appears to the Committee not to be currently being used to its full potential.

The report also highlights concerns over rural housing shortages. The shortage undermines workforce recruitment, drives depopulation and restricts the ability of young people to remain in their communities. It calls on the Government to provide an update on what it is doing to improve the situation.

The Committee also heard about barriers to health that were created by distance and travel costs. In its report it calls for urgent action to be taken to address the centralisation of essential health services, such as those relating to maternity in regions such as the Highlands.

Karen Adam MSP, Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, said: “Rural communities deserve equitable access to services, opportunities and rights and often face greater financial challenges than urban areas of Scotland.

“During this inquiry rural people clearly told us that they cannot access essential services, including healthcare, childcare, specialist support, legal advice and public transport.

“We want to see the Scottish Government build on its work to date by undertaking targeted action to deliver better access to services and combat the rural premium.”

Read the Committee’s report

Traitors star addresses Scotland’s Disability Summit at Holyrood

Meryl Williams, star of The Traitors, joined an influential Summit aimed at championing the rights of disabled people and shaping a future where the next Parliament drives meaningful progress towards equality and opportunity.

Scotland’s Disability Summit took place yesterday – Saturday 21 February 2026 and was held in partnership with the Cross-Party Group on Disability.

Following on from Meryl’s appearance on The Traitors, she has used her significant social media platform to raise awareness about her condition, Achondroplasia. Meryl is passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices and challenging outdated perceptions around disability in society.

Meryl addressed hundreds of disabled people across Scotland in the Debating Chamber of the Parliament, as well as those joining online. The Summit also considered what progress can be made around transport, social care, education, social security and voting.

Speaking before the Summit, Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said: “This Summit brings together people from across the country to look at how we can create a more inclusive society, which is so important as we look towards what the next Parliament will achieve for people in Scotland.

“We’ll be meeting in the Chamber and online to share ideas and I’m delighted that this important event is returning to Holyrood.”

Meryl Williams said: “I wanted to take part in this Summit because disabled people are still too often spoken about, rather than listened to.

“Living with Dwarfism has shown me how systems around transport, healthcare, education and social security can unintentionally exclude people when accessibility isn’t built in from the start.

“I hope this Summit helps shift the conversation from awareness to action, and that the next Parliament listens directly to disabled people and uses those lived experiences to drive meaningful, lasting change”.

Jeremy Balfour MSP, Convener of the Cross-Party Group on Disability said: “This is a unique opportunity for disabled people of all ages from across Scotland to share their policy priorities with the Scottish Parliament as we approach the May elections, a crucial moment in Scottish politics.”

“I am really looking forward to hearing from disabled people across Scotland at what I know will be an excellent, informative and important opportunity to help shape the debate on the issues that matter most to disabled people.”

Letters: SCSC calls for urgent introduction of LDAN Bill

Dear Editor

A recent report from the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on ADHD and autism support highlighted that children and adults are frequently waiting multiple years for assessments of these conditions.

It called on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to develop and implement a national plan that ensures adults and children with autism and ADHD across all health boards in Scotland have clear, consistent pathways to support.

The report further reinforces the need for the Scottish Government to introduce the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

The LDAN Bill would help tackle long waiting times through new national and local strategies and introduce mandatory training for health and social care staff, as well as teachers and school staff, to ensure people’s needs are identified and met. 

The importance of the LDAN Bill in tackling the inequalities faced by individuals and their families cannot be overstated, and it has the potential to make a real difference for them in Scotland across education, healthcare, and employment. 

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Care

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

Holyrood committee backs Bill to update Visitor Levy legislation

A Scottish Parliament Committee is supporting the general principles of a new Bill aiming to give councils more flexibility in designing visitor levy schemes.

The Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill updates the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024, which granted local councils the discretionary power to introduce charges for overnight visitors, and amends the position in the Act that levies could only be charged as a percentage of accommodation costs. Councils could instead apply a fixed amount per night or per-person-per-night, or set different fixed amounts for different areas, times of year or accommodation types.

In its report, the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee supports the ability for councils to choose different models but recognises that the introduction of multiple options has the potential to create a “complicated landscape” across Scotland, and even within individual local authority areas, and describes the monitoring of this as “essential”.

The Committee recommend that the Scottish Government should amend the Bill to clarify whether a chargeable transaction could be subjected to more than one scheme – describing this current uncertainty as “unhelpful”.

While the Government said it developed its estimates of the potential costs for local authorities and businesses in consultation with stakeholders, local authorities and businesses have presented different estimates to the Committee.

Given these discrepancies – and the Bill’s wide discretion leading to varied local approaches – the Committee is seeking a fuller explanation of how stakeholders were engaged, why estimates differ, and what amendments and associated costs the Government is considering ahead of Stage 2.

Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP, said: “The timetable for this Bill has been challenging but we recognise the Scottish Government’s response to the calls of many stakeholders for flexibility.

“Our report outlines a number of recommendations for the Scottish Government, including an explanation on the discrepancies on the Bill’s costings, clarity over consultation and transition periods for councils who have already adopted visitor levy schemes and what changes it is considering making at Stage 2.”