Chamber and committees

Scotland’s Investment Zones operate within governance, assurance and reporting arrangements agreed between the Scottish Government, the UK Government and regional partners.

Delivery, outcomes and expenditure are subject to ongoing monitoring, including through annual delivery plans and six-monthly reporting. Retained Non-Domestic Rates revenues will be reinvested in accordance with locally agreed governance arrangements to support Investment Zone objectives. These arrangements, which sit within the established Investment Zone framework, do not alter the wider operation of Scotland’s national funding or planning systems.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-04691 on 10 November 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Corridor care is unacceptable and we remain committed to eliminating this practice. While there is no single solution, we are taking forward a range of actions through our Health and Care Improving Flow Programme, working in partnership with NHS Boards and clinical leaders to improve patient flow and reduce the system pressures that contribute to corridor care. Our focus remains on ensuring patients receive safe, timely and high-quality care.

The impact of road closures varies according to the specific circumstances, including whether the closure is planned or unplanned, its location, duration and the availability of diversion routes. As a result, the economic impacts of individual incidents will differ, and no cumulative assessment has been undertaken by the Scottish Government.

Nonetheless, the Scottish Government recognises the strategic importance of the A77 for communities, businesses and freight operators in South West Scotland, and the importance of maintaining a safe and resilient trunk road network. Transport Scotland considers the impacts of planned works and network disruptions as part of its management of the trunk road network and continues to engage with stakeholders on matters affecting the resilience and operation of the A77.

The Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) operates through established audit arrangements within NHS Boards, with data collected and entered by trained local audit staff using nationally agreed data definitions. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) is based on a different audit methodology, data collection process and funding model, which means that equivalent measures are not available across all areas of the two programmes.

To support greater consistency and comparability across the UK, the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland have undertaken a detailed review of SSCA data fields and definitions against those used by SSNAP and have aligned them where appropriate and feasible. This work is intended to strengthen benchmarking opportunities while ensuring that the audit continues to meet the needs of Scotland's health and care system.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-04691 on 10 November 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-04691 on 10 November 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The issue of the negative impact of the condition of one person’s private property on neighbouring property is primarily a private property matter. Homeowners may wish to consider seeking advice from a local advice agency or solicitor on what options may be available. Local authorities do not have general powers to intervene in neighbour disputes.

Local authorities do have various enforcement powers under different legislation where the public interest is involved, which may be applicable depending on the circumstances of a case. These include ‘amenity notice’ powers under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 where the authority considers the condition of land is affecting the amenity of an area. There are also powers under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to serve notices requiring remedial works where vegetation, including trees, is overhanging a road carriageway or public footway and, for example, endangering or obstructing the passage of vehicles or pedestrians.

The High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013 provides a statutory process for qualifying high hedge disputes (which can include trees in certain circumstances). Where reasonable attempts to resolve the matter have been unsuccessful, a householder may apply to the relevant local authority, who may investigate the complaint and, if it considers that the hedge is adversely affecting the reasonable enjoyment of domestic property, issue a high hedge notice specifying the action that must be taken.

All three of the abovementioned powers to issue notices allow the local authority to take the actions specified in the notice where the recipient fails to comply, and to recover the costs they incur in so doing.

The Scottish Government has no plans to amend the abovementioned powers and procedures.

Local authorities also have compulsory purchase powers which might be applicable to land in a poor condition depending on the circumstances of the case. For example, the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 allows authorities to compulsorily acquire land for the purpose of improving the amenity of a predominantly residential locality in their area. Powers under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 have been used to acquire, for example, vacant or derelict land for development or regeneration purposes. An authority considering the use of compulsory purchase powers must demonstrate that there is a sufficiently strong case in the public interest to justify the interference in the owner’s private property rights.

The Scottish Government is currently developing the next Cancer Action Plan, to continue progress towards the ambitions in the Cancer Strategy. The contents of the next Cancer Action Plan will not be shared publicly prior to publication.

The Scottish Government recognises that barriers to meeting the Scottish Stroke Care Standards vary between NHS Boards and may reflect factors including geography, workforce availability, service configuration and local population need.

Through the Stroke Improvement Plan, we work with NHS Boards to identify and address these challenges and support continuous improvement in stroke services. NHS Boards are expected to address areas where their services do not yet meet the Standards.