Chamber and committees

Ten child patients and their families arrived in Scotland in Autumn 2025, under the UK Government medevac scheme and are receiving NHS treatment. Some of the 27 siblings who accompanied them have also required NHS treatment since arriving in the UK.

Scotland has committed to supporting up to 20 child patients and their families and we stand ready to receive further arrivals. The Programme for Government 2026 – 2031 also commits the Scottish Government to providing continued support for the people of Palestine.

Work on the Commission continues to progress well. This includes agreement between the Chair, Fiona Taylor, and the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, of the Commission’s Remit and Terms of Reference. These were published on 26 August 2026 and are available at Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland: Independent Commission - terms of reference - gov.scot

Work is actively underway for the consideration and appointment of expert panel members to the Commission. The Commission’s substantive work and first meeting will take place once members have been appointed. Updates will be provided to the Commission’s website in due course.

The Commission will undertake its work independently of government.

The Scottish Government considers Hospital at Home to be an important part of the solution to reducing pressure on hospitals and improving flow across the health and care system. Evidence published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland demonstrates that Hospital at Home provides a safe and effective alternative to hospital admission for many patients. Its latest annual reporting shows more than 17,000 people aged 65 and over avoided a hospital stay through access to Hospital at Home services across Scotland.

However, as set out in the recently published Health and Care Improving Flow Plan, improving hospital performance requires a whole-system approach. Hospital at Home is one element of a wider package of measures including same-day care, improved discharge processes, frailty services, urgent care redesign and strengthened community-based support.

Together, these measures, supported by Public Health Scotland's evidence showing continued growth in Hospital at Home services, are expected to improve patient flow, reduce pressure on acute services, and contribute to improve Emergency Department performance.

Evaluation of Hospital at Home services is ongoing. The findings from Phase 1 were published in June and are available on the Scottish Government website. Phase 2 will focus on further analysis of Hospital at Home services, including their impact on key NHS Scotland performance indicators and wider system outcomes.

Officials from the UK Governments Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) engaged with relevant Scottish Government officials in July 2026 to advise on it's review of National Lottery Good Cause funding.

Since this initial engagement, Scottish Government officials have sat on a dedicated intergovernmental working group alongside DCMS and representatives from Wales and Northern Ireland. This devolved nations working group ensures that devolved policy contexts are respected, the interests of the funding recipients in the devolved nations are represented, and that UK-wide review objectives do not undermine devolved decision-making powers.

Ensuring people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are supported is a priority for this Government. Whilst the Member will be aware that the responsibility for the content and delivery of undergraduate medical education rests with individual medical schools, the Scottish Government funded development of an educational resource on ME/CFS. The resource was reviewed by the Scottish Deans Medical Education Group (now LUMES) who advised that integrating ME/CFS learning outcomes across existing teaching better aligns with current educational approaches than introducing separate stand-alone modules.

LUMES has advised that ME/CFS learning outcomes will be incorporated within broader teaching on areas such as:

• General practice;

• Neurology;

• Chronic conditions;

• Person-centred care;

• Clinical assessment and diagnosis.

This reflects the approach used for many other conditions within undergraduate medical education. More generally the General Medical Council (GMC) sets the overarching standards and outcomes for graduates through Outcomes for Graduates. Individual medical schools determine how learning outcomes are delivered within this framework.

While structural change will support long-term financial sustainability, the greatest benefits will come from service redesign, better planning and reducing variation in health care and outcomes across Scotland. The costs and benefits of reform will be set out through the programme's business case and developed in partnership with NHS Boards.

This work will complement existing plans to improve financial sustainability and support Boards in returning to financial balance. The programme will be supported by a clear benefits framework and ongoing monitoring to assess whether it delivers improved outcomes and value for money. Decisions on final service structure models and their locations will be worked through during this design phase.

Education authorities and schools are responsible for determining curriculum content in line with local needs and circumstances.

During school inspections, HM Inspectors evaluate the quality of learners’ experiences, including how well that learning supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes that contribute to both their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others.

In February, the First Minister announced an investment of £2.5 million to strengthen local responses to cardiac arrest. The funding will support the establishment of Cardiac Arrest Rescue Zones (CARe Zones) across local authorities, helping to improve community preparedness and response. This may include increasing CPR training in schools. Plans will be tailored to local priorities and needs but can include promoting CPR training resources such as SALFS' Resources for Schools, and providing additional support for teachers.

As part of Restart a Heart Month, the Scottish Government is supporting efforts led by Save a Life for Scotland (SALFS) to encourage people to be prepared to respond in the event of a cardiac arrest.

To help promote this work, on 1 October the Minister for Mental Wellbeing, Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs will join pupils at a school in Edinburgh to participate in “Restart a Heart Live,” a nationwide virtual CPR and defibrillator training session led by experienced staff based with the emergency services.

The Scottish Government is a member of the SALFS Partnership, and we work with other stakeholders in the partnership to promote their free online training resources schools and local authorities. Their resources for schools are available on SALFS website through the following link: Resources for Schools - Save a Life for Scotland.

Information on the economic status of those aged 20 to 24 is available from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Population Survey. These estimates have greater volatility compared to those for 16 to 24 year olds estimates due to smaller sample sizes for this age group. The latest data indicates that an estimated 27.3% of 20 to 24 year olds in Scotland were economically inactive in April 2025 to March 2026. This was similar to the inactivity rate in April 2024 to March 2025 (27.4%).

The Skills Development Scotland (SDS) 16+ Participation Portal holds up-to-date participation information on 16 to 24-year-olds that can be shared securely between partners for service delivery purposes, including Local Authorities, Colleges, the Scottish Funding Council, the Student Awards Agency Scotland and the Department for Work and Pensions. The information is used for operational purposes to monitor and support young people aged 16 to 24, and allows key partners to coordinate services targeting young people who are at risk of disengaging from education, training or the labour market.

Integration arrangements will be reviewed as part of wider health, social care and public service reform. Over the next three months, we will undertake an intensive programme of engagement with local government and partners to consider how health, social care and wider public services can work more effectively together, make best use of public investment and improve outcomes for people and communities. Detailed arrangements will be developed as part of wider public service reform. In doing so, we will also draw on the intelligence from extensive civic engagement and co-design with lived experience as part of the National Care Service development and Independent Review of Adult Social Care.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting fair work, employment and skills development across the economy. Public procurement guidance highlights the role that community benefits can play in creating jobs, apprenticeships, work placements and wider skills opportunities where these are relevant and proportionate to the contract concerned.

In relation to subsidy schemes such as ScotZEB3, applications were assessed against published criteria, including market development and wider community benefits. The scheme was designed to support the transition to zero-emission buses while encouraging investment, supporting jobs and skills, and strengthening supply chains associated with Scotland's green economy.

Since 2019, the Scottish Government has supported Scotland's colleges with £1.6 million to develop provision for skills relating to zero emission vehicles,, including training for teaching staff and the provision of specialist equipment.