Scottish Government: Programme for Government 2024/25

The Scottish Government has published its programme for Government, setting out the Government’s policy and legislative plans for the next 12 months.

The Government will focus its efforts and resources on four key priorities: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services.

There are also proposals for 14 new Government Bills, in addition to pre-existing Bills already before the Parliament.

The programme states that the eradication of child poverty is “the single greatest priority for this Government”; however, the programme has already drawn criticism from Save the Children which said that it was missing the “funded pledges” to meet child poverty targets. The latest figures show that 26% of children are living in relative poverty in Scotland, despite targets to reduce it below 18% by the end of the financial year, and to 10% by 2030-31. Fiona King, senior policy and public affairs manager at Save the Children Scotland, welcomed the priority for child poverty, but called for more action.

Ms King told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: “The reality is there is nothing in this programme for government that truly shifts the dial on child poverty, and we’re concerned we do not know what the roadmap is to get us to 2030.”

As has been widely reported, the programme does not repeat the pledge for universal free school meals in P6 and 7, and the First Minister has confirmed that this will not be delivered in this Parliamentary session. The pledge to provide them to pupils in receipt of Scottish Child Payment remains, although there appears to be a delay in implementation.

One bill proposal which doesn’t feature is a bill to ban conversion practices. The Scottish Government received widespread criticism last year for controversial plans which could have criminalised parents for, among other things, failing to affirm their child’s decision to change gender and restricting clothing choices. The proposals would also have had an impact on religious freedom and was heavily criticised in a legal opinion by Aidan O’Neill KC.

Whilst the Government has announced that it still intends to end conversion practices and will continue to prepare legislation to that end, it will only formally bring forward legislation if the UK Government fails to legislate in a way that the Scottish Government can support.

Below you will find some of the key sections of the Programme for Government, including a list of proposed new legislative bills.

KEY SECTIONS OF PROGRAMME FOR GOVERNMENT 2024/25 (taken directly from the Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland)

Programme for Government 2024-25: Serving Scotland – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Government will focus our efforts and resources on our four key priorities: eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services.

Cohesive Communities

At the heart of our agenda is ensuring cohesive, successful communities. We have been fortunate over the summer not to have experienced the widespread public disorder that has been experienced in other parts of the United Kingdom. As First Minister, I want everyone who lives in Scotland to feel safe. I will work with partners and faith leaders to safeguard Scotland against those who spread hatred, including Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. As a government, we will do everything in our power to ensure Scotland remains a place where everyone can live in safety and security, including refugees and those fleeing conflict.

Poverty

We know that some families have a far greater risk of poverty – including minority-ethnic, lone-parent, and those which include a disabled adult or child – and that women’s and children’s poverty are inextricably linked. Tackling barriers and improving opportunities for people, especially women, will deliver on our equality and human rights ambitions to ensure that the generational cycle of poverty is broken

For many the context in which they live remains very challenging. Scotland, like many countries, is still reckoning with increasing developmental concerns among children following the pandemic. Particularly for children in the most deprived communities, that brings poorer life chances. Efforts to address that must start before birth, with the circumstances experienced during pregnancy, at birth and during the earliest years having lifetime impacts

Adult Social Care Pay

Prioritise funding to increase the pay of workers in adult social care who are delivering direct care in commissioned services, early learning and childcare workers delivering funded hours, and children’s social care workers, so that they are paid at least the Real Living Wage from April 2025.

Just Transition to a Green Economy and Climate Action

To support a just transition to a green economy we will shortly publish our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan. As well as doubling our ambitions for renewable energy generation, this will set out actions to deliver our clean energy pipeline and its economic benefits

Complementing action at home, we will continue to lead on climate action internationally and support the Global South’s demand for climate justice. This will be delivered through our leadership roles in Regions 4 and Under 2 (as President and co-chair for 2024-26 respectively), bringing devolved governments together to agree ambitious actions, and our world-first £36 million Climate Justice Fund.

Reducing Alcohol and Drug Related Deaths

Reduce deaths and the level of harm caused by alcohol and drug deaths by delivering the National Mission, including:

❍ Implementing Medication Assisted Treatment standards to ensure people have quicker access to treatments aligned with physical and mental health support.

❍ Widening access to Residential Rehabilitation, increasing capacity by 50% to 650 beds, with 1000 people to access public funding for their rehab placement every year by 2026.

❍ Going further than our previously planned treatment targets by launching a National Specification, to raise awareness on the full range of treatments required in all areas to ensure improved recovery outcomes.

Conversion Practices

Progressing our commitment to ending conversion practices in Scotland and work towards complementary approaches across the UK. We will prepare legislation for introduction to the Scottish Parliament should a UK-wide approach not be achievable. By strengthening the support and services available to victims and survivors of conversion practices, we will ensure inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do

Tackling Racism and Welcoming Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Working with partners across the public and third sectors to embed anti-racism and advance the Race Equality Framework, including delivery of the Anti-Racism Observatory.

Delivering the New Scots Delivery Plan (2024-2026), working with COSLA and the Scottish Refugee Council to ensure Scotland maintains its international reputation as a welcoming nation for refugees and those seeking asylum.

Proposed New Government Bills

The Scottish Government intends to introduce 14 Bills over the course of the parliamentary year – alongside 12 Bills already before the Scottish Parliament. We will also continue to develop other proposals for legislative change for next parliamentary year and beyond. This includes our commitment to ensure that the rights of neurodivergent people and people with learning disabilities are respected, protected and championed, by publishing draft provisions for a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill. Work will also continue to develop proposals for Human Rights and Ending Conversion Practices.

Adults with Incapacity

The Bill will be a first step to update and modernise the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 in line with developing thinking and international standards on human rights. It will ensure adults are supported to make and act upon their own decisions for as long as possible. The Bill will also introduce proposals to modernise how adults with incapacity can participate in research in Scotland, whilst continuing to ensure the rights, safety, dignity and wellbeing of these research participants are prioritised throughout the process.

Budget (No. 4)

The annual Budget Bill provides parliamentary approval for the Scottish Government’s spending plans, allocates resources to strategic objectives, and supports progress towards the vision of a more successful country.

Building Safety Levy

Subject to the devolution of the necessary powers, the Bill will establish a Building Safety Levy in Scotland, equivalent to a Levy that will be introduced by the UK Government in England. The Levy will provide vital revenues to support the funding of the Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Programme.

Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets)

This Bill will establish a carbon budget approach to target setting, with budgets set through secondary legislation after expert advice, and will also make provision for a new Climate Change Plan to be published that reflects these carbon budgets. The ultimate target of net zero by 2045 will not be changed, and the Government will retain annual reporting on emissions and our commitment to just transition principles.

Community Wealth Building

The Bill will seek to address economic and wealth inequality by supporting the retention of more wealth in local and regional economies. It will seek to ensure consistent implementation of the Community Wealth Building model of economic development across Scotland.

Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews

This dual‑purpose Bill will make permanent some of the temporary justice measures in the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 and introduce measures that modernise criminal justice processes. It will also provide a legislative framework for Scotland’s first national multi‑agency Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review model.

Crofting

This Bill will support the sustainability of crofting, make crofting regulation less onerous for active crofters and the Crofting Commission, and allow crofters to innovate, diversify and adapt to help meet future climate and environmental challenges.

Leases (Automatic continuation etc.)

The Bill takes forward Scottish Law Commission recommendations to improve, simplify and update aspects of the law of commercial leases, particularly in relation to the circumstances in which leases continue after their termination dates, so that it meets the needs of a modern Scottish economy.

Heat in Buildings

This Bill is part of the Scottish Government’s wider response to the climate crisis. It will include provisions to prohibit the use of certain direct emission heating systems after 2045 and to require certain properties to meet a minimum standard of energy efficiency. The Bill will give Ministers powers to make regulations specifying how these measures are to be implemented including powers to ensure that the requirements on building owners are fair and proportionate.

Misogyny

The Bill will implement recommendations of the Working Group chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy, informed by the subsequent Scottish Government consultation, to create new offences related to misogynistic conduct, providing new powers to hold to account perpetrators who harm women and reinforce barriers to an equal society.

Natural Environment

The Bill will establish the framework for statutory targets to restore and protect nature. It will also include provisions to modernise the way in which national parks and deer are managed and provide powers to update environmental impact assessment and habitats legislation to support delivery of our net zero and biodiversity goals.

Post-School Education Reform

The Bill will simplify the post‑school funding body landscape. We are currently consulting on proposals to bring funding for learner support into one place, and funding for apprenticeships together into one place, benefiting learners, employers, the economy and wider society.

Prisoners

The Bill will propose changes to the release process for prisoners, taking into account the responses to a recent public consultation exercise. This will form part of a range of measures designed to respond to the rising prison population, which has reached critical levels.

UEFA EURO 2028

The Bill will put in place commercial rights protections to meet UEFA’s requirements for hosting EURO 2028 matches in Scotland.