Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02577 on 11 September 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 Scottish Government will as part of its commitment to produce a national skills plan by Spring 2027, include a timetable for the publication of a national funding strategy next year.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The deployment of police officers is a matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.

Workforce management is an operational matter for the Chief Constable, with oversight by the Scottish Police Authority.

The Scottish Government recognises the unique pressures and mental health risks associated with policing and welcomes the work being undertaken by Police Scotland to support the wellbeing of its workforce. Police Scotland continues to strengthen prevention, early intervention and access to treatment through a range of measures.

Since 2024, Police Scotland have invested around £2m per year in an occupational health contract to support the health and wellbeing of its workforce.

It is unacceptable for any home to be subject to vandalism, deliberate damage or other criminal activity. As well as affecting communities, vandalism and other criminal damage can result in homes being unavailable for occupation at a time when demand for social housing remains high.

All social landlords are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their properties and for ensuring that homes meet the required standards before they are let to tenants. Decisions about repairs, reinstatement works and the management of affected properties are therefore matters for the individual landlord, reflecting their responsibility for the condition and safety of their housing stock.

In 2024-25 and 2025-26, a total of 620 void social housing properties were supported back into use through targeted use of £120m Affordable Housing Supply Programme grant for acquisitions and voids.

The legal duty for housing and homelessness services, including responsibility for the provision and management of temporary accommodation, rests with local authorities. Under The Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, temporary accommodation provided to households must meet specified standards, including access to adequate cooking facilities. Access to suitable cooking facilities is important in enabling households to prepare meals and make their own choices about the food they eat while living in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government provides funding to regional community food networks to work with local authorities and health boards to help improve access to healthier food options and improve diets, including for people living in temporary accommodation.

The Scottish Government is committed to growing rail freight. Ports are a vital part of Scotland’s logistics network, and we are keen to see rail freight services grow both to and from Scotland’s ports.

We are taking a range of actions to support rail freight growth, including setting industry growth targets and supporting targeted network enhancements where appropriate. Transport Scotland works closely with Network Rail and wider freight industry to identify and develop opportunities for rail freight growth.

Through the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme, Transport Scotland has also supported projects that encourage the movement of freight from road to rail and water. This includes £3 million towards West Fraser's Dalcross rail terminal, which began transporting its products by rail earlier this year.

Responsibility for implementing national clinical pathways, including the National Headache Pathway, rests with individual NHS boards, taking account of local service delivery arrangements and population needs. The Scottish Government does not routinely monitor implementation of the National Headache Pathway at NHS board level and does not hold information centrally on variation in implementation between NHS boards.

Average time spent on remand prior to departure from prison or a transition to the sentenced population is published in the accredited official statistics on the Scottish prison population. The statistics are available here: Scottish Prison Population Statistics 2024-25 - gov.scot.

Scottish Ministers are clear as a matter of stated policy that preventing the creation of new nuclear reactors, and their associated waste, is of national importance.

As such Ministers would have powers to intervene in such determinations under the Town and Country planning (Scotland) Act 1997.