Chamber and committees

The Cairngorms wildfire this summer was significant, and we are committed to working with partners to understand the impacts and the steps needed to support recovery and resilience to future events.

We are taking action to prevent future wildfires through our Strategic Action Plan on Wildfires, which sets out a coordinated approach to preventing, preparing for and responding to wildfires. A Scottish Government Strategic Oversight Group, that includes Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum representation, has been established to monitor progress of the Action Plan and all 18 of the actions contained within the Plan are underway. The Cabinet Secretary for Justice commissioned a review of the Action Plan to ensure every possible step is being taken to address the increasing risks posed by wildfires.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced on 3 September that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) would now be able to put helicopters on standby when a high or very high wildfire risk warning was issued.

Aerial firefighting support, actions to raise public awareness of risk, enhance danger assessments and ensuring a co-ordinated multi-agency response are key areas of focus. There is ongoing engagement with partners, including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Wildfire Forum, and those with experience at the forefront of wildfire management and we will use that experience and expertise to inform the implementation of the Action Plan.

Decisions on the provision of out-of-hours and community-based alcohol and drug support services are made locally by Health Boards and Integration Authorities on the advice of Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in response to local need. Local services are working to reduce barriers to support through a range of approaches, including self-referral pathways, outreach and community-based provision, digital services such as NHS 24 and Near Me, as well as practical support with transport where appropriate. The Scottish Government continues to support implementation of the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards, including MAT Standard 1, which promotes rapid access to treatment.

An important commitment within the new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan is to ensure that the wider health system is accessible and responsive to people who use substances, by continuing to address their specific needs through healthcare improvement work across primary care, acute and specialist services.

The Scottish Government is determined to reduce avoidable cardiovascular deaths by a fifth over 20 years by ensuring people receive timely and high-quality care. Obesity medicines, such as semaglutide (Wegovy ®,) offer an effective treatment for obesity and cardiovascular disease, as part of a range of interventions for eligible patients, used alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.

The Scottish Government published a national consensus statement in September 2024, to support Health Boards to consider how best to implement these obesity medicines. It is a matter for individual Health Boards to consider the implementation of any new medicine within their services in order to meet the needs of their local population in a safe and clinically appropriate way. This includes determining which criteria they apply in prescribing obesity medicines to individuals, and for taking appropriate phased steps to make them available across their services.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with obesity experts and stakeholders from NHS health boards through a range of forums to share learning and support access to these medicines for people living with obesity in Scotland. We are delivering additional programmes to support these people, including the digital Type 2 Diabetes remission programme, which will support up to 3000 patients to achieve remission by 2029 across Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02745 on 15 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.

Section 13 was commenced on 9 February 2026. The legislation requires that a set of standards for through care support be published within two years of that commencement date. Since commencement, officials have been engaging with the organisations named in the legislation to support the development of these standards. A full 12-week consultation on the draft standards is planned for early 2027.

The Scottish Government supports the application of the 3Rs principles through ongoing engagement with stakeholders, including researchers, academic institutions and organisations working to advance alternatives to animal use.

Through this engagement, we encourage the development and uptake of scientifically valid approaches that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research and testing.

Scottish Ministers are not minded to call in planning application 24/01934/FUL or listed building consent application 24/01935/LBA relating to the former Hillhead Baptist Church in Glasgow. As the applications remain live, it is for Glasgow City Council to determine them and it would not be appropriate to comment further.

This is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland (SDS) as they administer Modern Apprenticeships on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken any assessment into the potential usage of floating or submerged inshore data centres. We are however aware that in 2018 Microsoft’s Project Natick deployed the Northern Isles data centre at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, where it was tested and monitored for performance and reliability over a two year period.

The Scottish Government is not currently aware of any further propositions, but is always interested in exploring innovative practices in this industry that respect the offshore environment. Should any marine data centre proposition come forward, these would be considered on a case by case basis. As with all marine developments, rights to use the seabed may be required from Crown Estate Scotland and a marine licence from Scottish Minister.

The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution curling makes to sport and physical activity in Scotland.

With a strong tradition and cultural identity, the sport provides opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to be active, connect with others, and compete at every level, while also delivering wider benefits for physical and mental wellbeing, confidence, and community connection.

Our national agency for sport, sportscotland, recognises this through its investment in Scottish Curling. Between 2023-2027, this includes £742,300 in core funding and a further £284,428 provided through the additional sports investment announced in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, to support coaching, athlete pathways, clubs and the Summer of Sport programme.