The Scottish Government has announced its approval of the prisoner early release plan for some short-term prisoners in order to address the impact of a recent increase in the prison population. Under this model and based on criteria set in regulations approved by Parliament, around 514 eligible prisoners are expected to be released among four tranches, starting from 26 June 2024. The Scottish Government explains that this will only apply to prisoners serving less than four years and due to be released within 180 days, and will automatically exclude any prisoner who is serving a life sentence, is on the Sex Offenders Register, is subject to a non-harassment order or has an unspent conviction for domestic abuse. Public safety will remain the priority and will underpin all decisions along with built-in safeguards.

The Scottish Government has published a letter to local authorities, outlining changes to the guidance in the Building Standards Technical Handbooks. These changes stem from two amendment regulations to the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004: the Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2024, SSI 2024/247, and the Building (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2024 SSI 2024/327, effective from 1 January 2025. These changes will be reflected in both domestic and non-domestic handbooks. The previous April 2024 Technical Handbooks will cease to have effect for building warrant applications and completion certificates submitted after 31 December 2024.

The Scottish Government has announced that a digital evidence sharing technology will be rolled out nationally as part of a £33m initiative. The Digital Evidence Sharing Capability aims to allow access for police officers, prosecutors, defence lawyers, court staff and judges to a platform which collects, stores, processes and manages evidence digitally. According to the Scottish Government, a pilot of the programme saved 550 hours of police time.

The Scottish Government has announced a new package of policies for climate change action. The new policies on transport, land use and agriculture aim to support the Scottish Government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2045. The transport policies include increasing the number of electric vehicle chargers, a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport, and measures to accelerate the switch from the ‘Internal Combustion Engine’ to zero emission vans and other vehicles. The agricultural policies include funding for Tier 2 of the agriculture future support framework, and a consultation on a new carbon tax on large estates to incentivise peatland restoration and renewable energy generation.

The Scottish Government has announced that the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) has opened for applications to help first-time buyers and priority access groups who cannot afford the full price of a home. The scheme is available to eligible buyers on low-to-moderate incomes, including social renters, disabled people, people aged 60 and over, members of the armed forces and veterans, and funds between 60% and 90% of the price of a home bought on the open market, with the government holding the remaining equity stake. OMSE, together with the First Homes Fund, which offers a £10,000 contribution to first-time buyers who struggle to save enough for a full deposit, forms part of the Scottish Government’s programme of action to provide affordable housing across the country.

The Scottish Government announced that it will launch procurement this week for book runners and legal advisers to support its first bond issuance in 2026–27. The £1.5bn bonds programme, spread over five years, will finance capital infrastructure projects using powers devolved under the Scotland Act 2016. Proceeds from the bonds will be used exclusively for capital investment, in accordance with the Fiscal Framework agreement between the Scottish and UK governments.

The Scottish Government has announced a further £2m investment into specialist evidence suites, known as Evidence by Commissioner suites, for child and vulnerable adult witnesses attending serious criminal trials. The Scottish Government have said they aim to create a safe, managed, trauma-informed environment where witnesses feel supported to provide and pre-record evidence as early as possible. There will be two new suites which will cover the North Strathclyde and South Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway Sheriffdoms. The Scottish Government is also providing an additional £500,000 to Victim Support Scotland with the intent to develop access to their remote evidence suites in Edinburgh.

The Scottish Government has committed a £100m investment to support the construction of 2,800 mid-market rent homes. This follows the publication of the 2024-25 Programme for Government, which announced that funding will be used alongside institutional investment to grow to at least £500m. This forms part of the Scottish Government’s approach to leverage more private investment to deliver housing. It will also build on the success of the Thriving Investments model, which has grown an initial £47.5m investment from the Scottish Government to £222.5m, aiming to deliver up to 1,200 mid-market homes across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has published analysis of its 2025 consultation on reforming Scotland’s compulsory purchase system and confirmed that it will introduce legislation to modernise the framework. The consultation found broad support for simplifying the system through a single Compulsory Purchase Act, more flexible acquisition powers and electronic service of notices and documents. The government will also review compensation rules to ensure fair treatment of property owners and acquiring authorities. The reforms are intended to make compulsory purchase faster and more certain, while preserving rights to challenge decisions and receive fair compensation.

The Scottish Government has launched a technical consultation on the proposed changes to the lodgement fee levels for reformed domestic and non-domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and the penalty charge notices related to EPC enforcement. This consultation follows the government’s response to its 2023 EPC reform consultation, which confirmed plans to introduce new EPC regulations in 2025 and bring them into force in 2026. This consultation will inform final decisions on the level of EPC lodgement fees and penalty charges and serves as the final consultation on changes to the EPC regulatory regime, prior to the laying of the new regulations. The consultation closes on 28 March 2025.

The Scottish Government has opened a consultation seeking views on the Scottish Law Commission’s (SLC) report on section 53 of the Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003. The consultation aims to establish whether the legal landscape has changed since the SLC published its 2019 report on enforcing real burdens in common schemes, and whether the views previously submitted to the SLC remain broadly held. The consultation closes on 15 May 2026.

The Scottish Government has launched a Stage 2 consultation on proposals to deliver a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard through Scottish building regulations and supporting guidance. The consultation seeks views on proposed energy and environmental performance targets and an enhanced compliance process intended to reduce operational energy demand and running costs, improve ventilation and indoor air quality and provide greater assurance that new buildings comply with the applicable standards and achieve their intended performance in practice. The consultation closes on 16 October 2026.