Health Improvement Scotland are working with all NHS boards and partner organisations to standardise the reporting of adverse events, and have developed a national framework which was published in February 2025.

This also includes a standard review process through the development of a national Significant Adverse Event Review template with associated guidance and national learning summary. The category of violence and aggression (which includes instances of sexual violence) is a priority category.

The safety of staff and patients is the responsibility of the individual Health Board. We expect Health Boards to make every effort to keep staff, patients and service users safe and to report incidents to the police where appropriate.

The courts have extensive powers to deal robustly with sexual offending. All instances of such behaviour should be reported and escalated to Police Scotland as quickly as possible for consideration of necessary action.

The report on women and girls’ safety on public transport recommends measures to enhance security and comfort. These include better lighting, surveillance, greater staff presence, clear reporting, use of technology, public awareness campaigns and stricter enforcement of safety policies. These recommendations align to work underway by the transport industry and Transport Scotland. Therefore not all have specific commencement dates, but build on already established activities.

To share good practice and improve awareness, in May 2024 Transport Scotland published research around the use of personal safety apps in public spaces. In November 2024, Transport Scotland launched a dedicated webpage which provides links to the Transport Scotland’s research and engagement, as well as how violence against women and girls is being tackled by the Scottish Government.

Transport Scotland continues to work with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) to support sharing of best practice amongst bus operators including on data, education and driver training, and last met in January 2025. In addition, Transport Scotland are developing actions to tackle antisocial behaviour on the bus network, which includes the development of a behaviour code for those using the National Concessionary Travel Schemes and a process for temporary suspension or withdrawal of concessionary travel entitlement.

On the rail network, ScotRail, Network Rail and British Transport Police are working together with stakeholders to deliver a activities to reduce anti-social behaviours. British Transport Police’s (BTP) “Text 61016” service allows all passengers to discreetly report any incidents they witness on trains or at stations directly to BTP. ScotRail are reviewing their existing processes for responding to customer reports of anti-social and unacceptable behaviour, and in February 2025 further expanded their “Travel Safe Team”. To further improve joint working and reporting, BTP have established a Strategic Safer Transport Group which ensures partnership working between organisations to create a safer transport network across Scotland.

Regarding staff presence, ScotRail must have a member of staff other than drivers on all train services and they are reviewing changes to ticket office opening hours to allow more staff to be present at train stations. ScotRail have piloted conflict management training for front-line staff with a view to rolling this out further. Transport Scotland’s SQUIRe team inspect trains and all stations in Scotland in a four week period, ensuring that aspects such as CCTV, station help points and lighting are all working appropriately.

The 2025-26 Scottish Budget includes almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration – exceeding our commitment to increase funding by 25% by almost £350 million.

Our consultation last year on a new Social Housing Net Zero Standard (SHNZS) asked for views on proposals to require social landlords to improve fabric efficiency and install clean heating where it is technically feasible and cost-effective to do so.

In general, the Scottish Government has no role in day to day operations at airports in Scotland as these are regulated by the UK Government and its associated agencies. For power loss specifically, this would be a matter for the electricity distribution networks, who in turn are governed and regulated by the UK Government and OFGEM respectively.

However, the Scottish Government works closely with Highland and Islands Airport Limited (HIAL) and we remain assured that robust measures are in place to ensure all 11 airports operated by HIAL have sufficient power. Contingency plans are also in place for these airports should the primary powers sources be affected.

The Scottish Government thanks the Marine Conservation Society and all the many volunteers for their excellent work in monitoring beach litter and cleaning our shores. Citizen science is valued, and in combination with data from our scientists and our wider international monitoring programme, it is useful in helping us prioritise policy development to effectively reduce marine litter.

The social housing sector has been outperforming the housing stock overall in terms of EPC ratings in recent years. The Scottish House Condition Survey found 65% of Scotland’s social housing stock rated EPC band C or better. Scottish Government provides grant funding support to social landlords to implement clean heating systems and energy efficiency measures in their existing stock through the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund.

Regarding (a), quasi-judicial panels:

• There are a wide variety of organisations that could be considered quasi-judicial bodies with their own constitutions, legislative underpinnings and governance arrangements. The position in respect of political balance would need to be checked with each organisation.
• Regarding regulated Ministerial Appointments to public body boards that could be considered a quasi-judicial body, all applications are considered individually on their merits. The Ethical Standards Commissioner regulates this area and their Code of Practice for Public Appointments (the ‘Code’) and associated Code Guidance (both 2022) set out the position relating to political activity. In summary, candidates are required to provide information relating to their political activity. It is not necessarily a bar to appointment but the appointing panel will take the information into account as part of the Fit and Proper Person test when assessing ability to perform in role. When an individual is appointed, any political activity is declared in the news release announcing the appointment.

Regarding (b), local authority decision-making bodies:

• Councils (and potentially also their decision-making bodies) are independent bodies with their own powers, responsibilities, governing constitutions, legislative underpinnings and governance arrangements. The position in respect of political balance would need to be checked with each organisation.
• Scottish Ministers have committed to respecting local government’s democratic mandate as part of the Verity House Agreement. The view of the Scottish Government is that locally elected representatives are best placed to prioritise the needs of the local community.

Through our work on NHS renewal we are continuing to collect views through a series of engagements with a wide range of stakeholders. This builds on the feedback and understanding gained through the Health and Care Experience Survey and other channels. We are translating this into action and transformation through our ongoing work with NHS Boards, supporting staff to help deliver against the recently published Operational Improvement Plan, and building through the forthcoming population health framework and health and social care renewal framework

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

SPS Women’s Strategy delivers a focus on both therapeutic and trauma informed environments for women in our care, and through individualised case management processes, women’s safety is managed in a way that is sensitive to their individual and gender specific needs and risks.

SPS’ person-centred approach and Women’s Strategy acknowledges that safety and wellbeing needs can be different for each woman, and traumatic experience can show that one woman’s feeling of safety and secure looks very different from another’s.

In practice our approach allows us to create an environment that promotes safety in a way that is sensitive to individual past experiences of distress, abuse and trauma.

Additionally, SPS are acutely aware of the Supreme Courts Judgement regarding the ‘biological definition’ of a woman and are currently considering any impact this may have on existing policies and operations.