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Scottish Development International prioritised 26 international markets as set out in our export strategy, A Trading Nation, which is available on the gov.scot website. At the time of publication in 2019, these 26 markets account for 80% of strongest export growth opportunities.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government publishes data on individuals prosecuted and convicted in Scottish courts in the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland statistical bulletin. Although this data set includes information on individual charges prosecuted (e.g., those under Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 Part 4 Children) it does not allow for group-based charges to be identified.

We have been in touch with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, who confirmed that they are unable to provide this information, as group-based crimes cannot be reliably identified from their data either.

The Scottish Government acknowledges Audit Scotland’s observation and is committed to ensuring that the governance framework for NHS Boards enables effective planning and delivery of reform. The recently published NHS Scotland Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework are key to supporting Boards to take a longer-term, whole-system view, with a greater focus on prevention, place-based care, and service redesign. These frameworks alongside our Operational Improvement Plan and are designed to reduce duplication, support local flexibility and strengthen alignment between national priorities and local delivery.

We continue to work closely with NHS Boards to identify and remove barriers to strategic decision-making that improves outcomes for patients and communities in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises the governance challenges highlighted in Audit Scotland’s NHS in Scotland: Spotlight on Governance report and is committed to a continuous improvement approach to strengthening Board effectiveness, transparency and accountability. This includes for example, a refreshed Model Framework and strengthened national oversight mechanisms.

We are also embedding the principles of the NHS Scotland Service Renewal Framework and the Population Health Framework to support more joined-up, preventative, and locally accountable decision-making. These measures aim to ensure NHS Boards are equipped to lead transformational change and deliver improved outcomes for patients and communities.

The Scottish Government remain deeply concerned about the current financial pressures facing the social care sector. We fully recognise the anxiety and growing concerns within the social care sector in light of the increasing financial viability pressures.

These pressures have been caused by recent policy decisions made by the UK Government, including the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions, increases in salary threshold levels and adjustments to the social care visa system, all of which have direct and significant implications for the sector’s workforce and financial sustainability.

The Scottish Government has been pressing the UK Government at every opportunity to reverse these decisions, which are potentially catastrophic for the social care sector in Scotland. Despite the lack of engagement from the UK Government, Scottish Government officials have undertaken a significant programme of work to consider how to respond to the current financial viability pressures in the sector, and to understand the impact that these challenges will have. The Scottish Government initially established the eNICS Working Group in February 2025, which has since developed into the Financial Viability Response Group (FVRG).

The FVRG includes representatives from COSLA, from Health and Social Care Partnerships, SOLACE, Scottish Care, CCPS and the SSSC and it meets weekly, subject to progress.

This includes ongoing engagement with local leaders through the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group (CRAG), alongside regular monthly roundtable discussions involving Scottish Ministers, COSLA, and other key partners. In addition, we are continuing to evaluate both the immediate and longer-term impacts of these changes on care providers, service delivery, and the social care workforce.

Our shared goal is to identify, understand and manage the immediate risks effectively, while also laying the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable social care system in Scotland. This will be an ongoing process with a number of options under consideration, and we value the collaboration and insight of all stakeholders as we navigate these complex challenges together.

While we will continue to provide as much support as possible to the sector, we are also confident in the ability of our local partners to ensure that appropriate contingency planning is being undertaken effectively and to respond to both national and local level pressures.

Local Authorities, Integration Authorities, and NHS Boards each play a key role in developing contingency plans at the local level. As Category One Responders under the Civil Contingencies Act, they undertake significant and robust planning and preparation, in order to fully respond effectively to a range of scenarios.

The figures published by Scottish Government on 5 June (available here: ) are estimates of the number of residential buildings in Scotland 11 metres or more in height, across all forms of residential ownership, which may require work to bring the building to a tolerable level of risk. As noted in the publication, data quality and the assumptions used could overstate or understate the actual numbers. They represent our current best estimates, and will be subject to change as more information becomes available. They are not based on a specific list of buildings that have been identified as needing work.

The Cladding Remediation Programme is our response to this challenge. Following the coming into effect of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 at the start of this year, we published on 25 March a Plan of Action setting how we would increase the pace and breadth of that programme. On the same day we launched the first stage of the Single Open Call (SOC), backed by £10m funding, to support building owners in commissioning assessments of their buildings. There has been a positive response to this scheme. We will shortly be launching the second stage of this scheme, supporting mitigation and remediation, and publishing a report on progress and an updated Plan of Action.

We have also sought information from Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords about the status of buildings within their ownership, and encouraging them to apply to the Single Open Call where required. We are following up on this information to seek assurance that appropriate action is being taken. In relation to those properties for which developers are responsible, we are seeking an early conclusion to negotiations on a Developer Remediation Contract, to enable those developers to take forward necessary works.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) (link here: ) provides a snapshot of the domestic housing stock in each survey year, including the construction age, built form and the estimated number of dwellings falling below the Tolerable Standard (BTS). The physical data about the dwelling is recorded by surveyors trained to collect detailed information on housing characteristics and the key findings are published annually available here:

The estimated number and percentage of dwellings recorded as BTS in Scotland is presented in table 1 below.

Table 1 Percentage and number of dwellings below tolerable standard 2018-2023

In line with the requirements of Section 16 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Scottish Government discloses to the Scottish Parliament the number and total cost of employing special advisers on an annual basis. The latest report, pertaining to the financial year 2024-25, was published on 6 June 2025. I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38463 on 6 June 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Although there is around a one month overlap with the tenure of the previous First Minister, the response nonetheless confirms that costs for 2024-25 under the current First Minister have reduced to £1,745,042 from £1,906,963 in the previous financial year.

The Scottish Government is committed to the safe assessment of and remediation of buildings identified as at risk through the cladding remediation programme. However, it is important to clarify that fire safety remains the legal responsibility of the owner.

The Cladding Remediation Programme is being delivered through a distributed model, supporting owners to arrange Single Building Assessments (SBAs) to determine the scope and nature of risk for individual buildings.

Where remediation is required following an SBA, building owners are supported to develop appropriate design and remediation plans. However, the pace of delivery is influenced by a range of factors, including the specific outcome of each SBA, the complexity of the remediation that may be required, ownership and tenure arrangements, the involvement of original developers, and the need to obtain statutory consents such as planning permission and building warrants.

In the meantime, all buildings should have fire safety measures in place, such as up-to-date fire risk assessments and interim mitigation measures where needed. Building owners and managers are expected to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of residents in accordance with their legal duties.

For these reasons, it is not currently possible to publish a national timeline for the completion of all necessary remedial works. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with delivery partners to progress buildings through each stage of the programme, and we publish regular updates on our website. Homeowners and residents are kept informed throughout this process, and every effort is being made to expedite the safe remediation of affected properties.

The Scottish Government can only provide data on those buildings where its own data systems are in place. Some locations have landlord data systems in place and the Scottish Government does not have access to that data.

Average occupancy levels are shown in the following table for the buildings where we hold this data, these are taken as an average of attendance levels for a full day every second Tuesday for January - December 2024. Bothwell House closed for use by SG core staff in April 2025.