Housing to 2040 , Scotland’s first long-term national housing strategy, reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to review the Housing for Varying Needs design guide. It also contained a commitment to develop and introduce an all-tenure Scottish Accessible Homes Standard, which will be implemented through changes to building standards and guidance from 2025-26.
This consultation sets out proposed updates to Part 1 of the Housing for Varying Needs design guide...More
In February 2021, the Scottish Government established an Independent Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland, chaired by Baroness Kennedy QC. The Working Group was tasked with considering how the Scottish criminal justice system deals with misogyny, including looking at whether there are gaps in the law that could be addressed by a specific criminal offence to tackle such behaviour.
The Working Group published its final report in March 2022. That...More
This consultation seeks views on the Scottish Government’s plans to set a legal minimum number of hours of school education school pupils should receive each year.
Traditionally, Scottish primary schools provide around 25 learning hours per week, and Scottish secondary schools around 27.5 hours per week. However, w hile local authorities are required to have their schools open for 190 days each year, the number of learning hours is not prescribed. Our schools have...More
The Scottish Government are undertaking a review of the National Outcomes. This is a requirement within every five years, under the Community Empowerment Act (2015).
The National Outcomes are laid out in the National Performance Framework. This is Scotland’s wellbeing framework, which sets out the type of Scotland we want to see, and measures progress towards the National Outcomes.
Find out more about the National Outcomes.
We want to know whether the existing National...More
The Scottish Government are undertaking a review of the National Outcomes. This is a requirement within every five years, under the Community Empowerment Act (2015).
The National Outcomes are laid out in the National Performance Framework. This is Scotland’s wellbeing framework, which sets out the type of Scotland we want to see, and measures progress towards the National Outcomes.
Find out more about the National Outcomes.
We want...More
This consultation relates to the 2023 Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for herring in the Firth of Clyde.
Marine Scotland is carrying out this consultation on behalf of the UK Fisheries Administrations, to seek views on the level of the 2023 TAC, to permit the allocation of Clyde herring quota to UK fishermen.
Read the consultation paper
Stakeholder event
We're delighted to hold an open meeting for any stakeholders who wish to discuss the options included in the...More
To realise our climate change ambitions, we need to transform the way Scotland generates, transports and uses energy. We must seize the huge opportunity this presents and deliver maximum benefits to Scotland’s people, workers, communities and economy from our vast renewable energy resource.
The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan was published on 10 January 2023 and was open for consultation until 9 May 2023.
As part of the process for developing the Energy Strategy...More
The closing date for responses has been extended to Friday 12 May.
The Scottish Government has committed to developing a strategy to support the international aspirations and potential of Scotland’s culture sector. Through this survey we want to understand views of all interested parties in this work to inform the shape the strategy takes. T he survey is likely to require about 30-45 minutes to complete.
Scotland’s culture sector undoubtedly has a strong...More
The Scottish and UK governments have worked together constructively to develop a Green Freeport model that reflects the unique conditions in Scotland, and ensures businesses, ports and communities across Scotland can benefit from the Green Freeport opportunity.
On 13 January 2023, following a rigorous assessment and selection process, the Scottish and UK governments announced that Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport had been selected as Green...More
Scotland’s peatlands have a critical role to play in responding to the twin crises of the global climate emergency and loss of biodiversity.
In good condition, peatlands are a significant natural carbon store. They hold around 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to around 145 years’ worth of Scotland’s total net carbon emissions. Covering about a third of our country, peatlands support important ecosystems and biodiversity, improve water quality and reduce flood risk. ...More
The Scottish Government has adopted the internationally recognised Community Wealth Building (CWB) approach to economic development as a key practical means by which progress can be made towards realising our wellbeing economy vision outlined in the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) .
What is Community Wealth Building (CWB) More Information
CWB is an approach designed to tackle long-standing economic challenges and transform...More
Overview
To realise our climate change ambitions, we need to transform the way Scotland generates, transports and uses energy. We must seize the huge opportunity this presents and deliver maximum benefits to Scotland’s people, workers, communities and economy from our vast renewable energy resource.
The draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out the scale of that opportunity and provides clarity on how Scotland will prepare for a just energy transition.
...More
The Scottish Government is seeking views on a proposal put forward by the boards of management of North Highland College (UHI North Highland), West Highland College (UHI West Highland) and Lews Castle College (UHI Outer Hebrides) to merge into a single, incorporated college.
The merging parties have suggested a “host” model, whereby the assets and liabilities of West Highland College and Lews Castle College are transferred to North Highland College to create the...More
The providers of independent health care in Scotland and the UK are many and varied, and the complexity of this area of health care provision continues to increase. The Scottish Government wants all health care provided to people in Scotland to be safe, appropriate and carried out by those with the right qualifications.
To achieve this vision, we need to ensure that independent health care services provided in Scotland are effectively regulated. We want the regulation of independent...More
Adult Disability Payment is the twelfth payment now delivered by Social Security Scotland. It replaces Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in Scotland, and it will provide support to over 510,000 disabled people by 2025.
In designing this new payment, we have carefully listened to the views of disabled people, stakeholders, and the public. We have made several improvements to Adult Disability Payment over PIP. These include substantial improvements to the application and...More
The Scottish Government’s vision for the marine environment is for clean, healthy, safe, productive and diverse seas, managed to meet the long term needs of nature and people. Through the Bute House Agreement , Scottish Ministers have committed to designate at least 10% of Scotland’s seas as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), by 2026. These sites will provide high levels of protection by placing strict limits on some human activities, such as fishing and...More
The Scottish Government wants to make sure that the protections relating to pitch fee uprating for residents of residential mobile homes remain fair, appropriate and in line with development of statistical measures. This is of particular importance in light of recent increases in the cost of living. We are therefore gathering views about a possible change from Retail Prices Index to Consumer Prices Index as the measure for pitch fee uprating under the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and options for...More
This consultation seeks views on proposed legislative amendments to the arrangements for the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS). The proposals seek to amend Schedule 2A of the Land and Buildings Transaction (Scotland) Act 2012 (“the Act”) and insert new Schedule 6A to the Act.
This consultation follows on from the Scottish Government’s call for evidence and views on the ADS.
The call for evidence and views closed on...More
Following a judicial review hearing at the Court of Session, the Court issued a decision in the case of Ola Jasim v Scottish Ministers [2022] CSOH 64 on 9 September 2022.
The Court declared paragraph 1(c)(ii) and (iii) of schedule 1 of the Students’ Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007 (“the 2007 Regulations”) (known as ‘long residence rules’) to be unlawful in light of Article 14 of, and Article 2 of the Protocol 1 to, the European Convention on Human Rights.
...More
We want to hear your views on the draft quality standards for adult secondary mental health services. We have asked a series of questions, and your answers to these will help us write the final standards and develop how we measure if these standards are being met.
Read the consultation paper
Read the easy read consultation paper
What are adult secondary mental health services?
Secondary mental health care services are usually services...More
We want to hear your views on the draft specification for psychological therapies and interventions.
A 'specification' is a document which sets out the standards that someone should expect when accessing or delivering psychological therapies or interventions. These standards are quite specific to psychological therapies and interventions. They are based on evidence about what should happen.
Read the consultation paper and national specification
Read the easy...More
Overview
Our consultation on electoral reform considered possible improvements to electoral law. It set out a number of areas where the government identified issues requiring action, including candidacy, voting, and electoral administration.
The full consultation paper can be read here.
Analysis
The results from the Scottish Government’s consultation on electoral reform have now been analysed and a report published. The analysis of the...More
This consultation follows the work of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee (PAPLS) in the fifth session of the Scottish Parliament, to undertake post-legislative scrutiny of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA).
The Committee’s report was published on 19 May 2020. The Scottish Government provided its formal response to the Committee’s report on 25 February 2021. In that response the Government accepted the Committee’s central...More
Through this consultation, the Scottish Government is seeking views on a proposed target relating to the combined supply of thermal energy through heat networks in Scotland in 2035.
The consultation is focused on this one topic, and covers Scotland only.
We are also taking the opportunity to ask an open question about any other issues relating to heat networks, to inform any future target considerations.
Background
Scottish Ministers must in...More
Restricting alcohol marketing is identified as one of the World Health Organization’s three ‘best buys’, the most cost-effective measures that WHO recommends to prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm. Many our European neighbours have already taken action to restrict alcohol marketing including Ireland, France and Norway. This consultation sets out a potential approach for Scotland.
Alcohol is marketed through an integrated mix of channels including advertising on TV, on...More
The Scottish Government wants to ensure planning authorities properly involve the Gypsy/Traveller community in planning the future of their places. The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 therefore requires planning authorities to seek the views of Gypsies and Travellers in preparing Evidence Report for their Local Development Plans (LDPs) and to include a summary of the action taken by planning authorities to meet accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers.
A...More
We welcome your views on the draft revised upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer quality performance indicator (QPI) engagement document. Please refer to this document (bottom of page) for full details of each QPI.
Please provide comments whether they be on all individual quality performance indicators or only those relevant to you.
In particular we are looking for comments on:
the appropriateness of the QPIs that have been developed ...More
Having a choice about which school your child will attend is a fundamental feature of our education system. Choosing which school your child will attend is one of the most important decisions parents/carers will make. Most parents opt for their local catchment school while others will apply for a place at another school.
There are times when a local authority rejects a placing request. Under such circumstances, and when families do not agree with such a decision, they may wish...More
The Good College Governance Task Group's report , published in 2016, made a series of recommendations to improve the governance of colleges, including adding trade union nominees to the boards of management of college institutions.
Following consultation in 2017 on the Good College Governance Task Group's recommendations, the Scottish Government committed to introducing trade union nominees to the boards of the incorporated colleges, the Glasgow Colleges’ Regional Board...More
Small landholdings are a part of our Scottish agricultural and national heritage, and we are determined to have them as part of our future. We are fully committed to modernising their truly unique legislative status to ensure small landholders have comparable rights with other types of land tenure, and the opportunity to contribute to our wider objectives.
In recent years we have seen a series of global shocks that have had, and continue to have, an impact on global food...More