The Scottish Government has now committed to replacing the UK Government’s Cold Weather Payment (CWP) of £25 for every 7 day period of very cold weather, with a new £50 winter heating payment paid annually to those low-income households currently eligible for the CWP. This will be an...More
A consultation on draft regulations regarding the transfer of the functions of the Council Tax Reduction Review Panel and the functions of the Valuation Appeals Committees to the new Local Taxation Chamber in the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, and transferring the relevant functions of the...More
Scottish building regulations set minimum standards applicable to new buildings and to new work to existing buildings.
Our recent draft Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out our vision for decarbonising heat and reducing energy demand across all buildings in Scotland, setting out the scale of...More
The Consumer Scotland Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament in June 2019, passed in May 2020, and received Royal Assent in June 2020. The Act now requires the Scottish Government to establish a consumer body – Consumer Scotland – to represent the needs of consumers.
Consumer...More
This consultation is hosted on behalf of Professor Ken Muir, University of the West of Scotland, in his role as independent advisor to the Scottish Government on the replacement of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and the reform of Education Scotland.
The Cabinet Secretary...More
The Scottish Government is committed to providing clarity and certainty to taxpayers and their customers regarding the application of Scottish Landfill Tax (SLfT), reflecting the Scottish approach to taxation and to ensure a level playing field across the waste and recycling industry. ...More
Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is an executive agency of the Scottish Government, responsible for managing Scotland's national forests and land.
We are launching a public consultation on our next Corporate Plan which sets out the proposed direction of travel and priorities for our...More
As in previous years, we intend to create a new Scottish Statutory Instrument accounting for the target cost of operating the Scottish Road Works Register , for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. The intention is to revoke the 2021 Instrument, and replace with a single Instrument in 2022...More
Following on from the period of simplicity and stability we are moving forward to put in place a successor to the Common Agriculture Policy that will guide farming, food production and land use for many years to come.
Our approach will support farmers and crofters to ensure their...More
The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (“the Continuity Act”) introduces new duties on Ministers and other public authorities to have due regard to five guiding principles on the environment. The guiding principles sit alongside Scotland’s...More
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This draft heat networks delivery plan sets out how the provisions of the Heat Networks (Scotland) Act 2021, and related policies, will contribute to increased heat networks across Scotland. It also outlines the proposed regulatory regime for the heat networks...More
We want to reassess what role prisons and the use of imprisonment should play in a just and fair society. We have the opportunity to take a transformative approach to the way some parts of the justice system operates in Scotland, delivering better outcomes for all. This includes a focus on the...More
This statutory guidance is published in draft by the Scottish Government and relates to certain provisions contained within the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 (“the 2019 Act”) that extend to Scotland.
This draft guidance covers provisions in the 2019 Act that extend only to Scotland and...More
Supplier payment default under the Renewables Obligation (RO) support scheme has emerged in recent years. The scheme features a mutualisation mechanism which seeks to recover unpaid bills from other electricity suppliers once they exceed a threshold. The UK Government recently legislated to...More
Building Standards Division (BSD), is developing a national Compliance Plan approach to provide greater assurance that compliance with building regulations is achieved from design to completion.
This consultation seeks to obtain the views on the development of a new Compliance Plan...More
This consultation is seeking views and comments on the draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).
NPF4 will, when adopted, set out the Scottish Governments priorities and policies for the planning system up to 2045 and how our approach to planning and development will help to...More
On 10 November 2021, the Scottish Government published a draft Hydrogen Action Plan that articulates the actions that will be taken over the next five years to support the development of the hydrogen economy in Scotland which will further our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from...More
As one of the steps to harness lessons from the Covid pandemic, the Scottish Government is committed to reviewing the impact of Covid on the Scottish statute book. The Government wants to remove measures no longer needed in order to respond to the pandemic whilst keeping those where there is...More
We welcome your views on the Draft Revised Cutaneous Melanoma Quality Performance Indicator Engagement Document.
Please provide comments whether they be on all individual Quality Performance Indicators (QPI) or only those relevant to you.
In particular...More
This consultation invites comments as part of the review of the National Strategy for Community Justice.
As per section 16 of the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 , Scottish Ministers must review the current strategy by 24 November 2021. Following this review, Scottish...More
This consultation seeks your views on the Scottish Government's proposals on the Scottish Pubs Code for tied pubs. It covers proposals on Market Rent Only leases and guest beer agreements.
On 23 March 2021, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill...More
This consultation seeks views on the Scottish Government’s proposals for delivering Anne’s Law in primary legislation, to ensure that people who live in adult care homes have rights to see and spend time with the people who are important to them.
The development of Anne’s Law...More
In September 2017, the Scottish Government published the first Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (the Statement). This set out the principles for land rights and responsibilities in Scotland and was the first of its kind in the world. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016...More
Since 2001, a specific area in the Firth of Clyde has been closed to fishing each year between 14 February and 30 April, in order to protect spawning cod. The Scottish Government has responsibility for the closure via a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI). Exemptions have always been provided...More
Scotland’s National Transport Strategy 2 (NTS2) sets out the vision for Scotland’s transport system to the year 2040. The NTS2 outlines the four priorities for our transport system:
Reduces inequalities
Takes climate action
...More
This consultation sets out our proposals to improve the way we deliver social care in Scotland.
The importance of our social care services has never been clearer than during the pandemic. In future, we want to make sure that our social care system will consistently deliver high quality...More
This consultation seeks your views on the Scottish Government’s proposals for strengthening the Health and Social Care Standards to enable people living in adult care homes to maintain family and friendship connections to support their health and wellbeing. These proposals form part of work...More
This is a consultation on statutory guidance in line with Section 96(3) of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (the Act), which states that Scottish Ministers must issue guidance on how the eight wellbeing indicators are to be used to assess the wellbeing of a child or young person....More
We recognised concerns about whether the legislation that governs the use of dogs to hunt for mammals in Scotland is working properly. That is why we asked the Right Honourable Lord Bonomy to undertake a review to ascertain whether the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 provided...More
Onshore wind is a proven cheap and reliable source of electricity generation and Scotland’s resource and commitment have seen us lead the way in onshore wind deployment and support across the UK.
It is clear that onshore wind will be vital in our progress towards Scotland's legally-binding...More