Chamber and committees

Officials are working with Environmental Standards Scotland to look at the need for a definition taking into account current and future policies and guidance.

As the member is aware from my answers to his previous questions (most recently S7W-00613 on 8 June 2026), this work is on-going and is not at a point that it can be shared with Parliament. It is important that the work considers fully the consequences of any policy changes given the potential costs falling to customers of the investment consequences.

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-01802 on 14 August 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

Today, the Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on proposals to introduce a cap on the price of selected essential food items. The consultation seeks views on whether such an approach could help improve food affordability for households facing cost of living pressures, particularly those on lower incomes.

In Scotland, Patient Access Schemes (PAS) offering discounts by pharmaceutical companies to list prices of medicines are considered by the Patient Access Scheme Advisory Group (PASAG) and are commercial-in-confidence. Therefore this information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government published a national consensus statement in September 2024, to support Health Boards to consider how best to implement these weight loss 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.

For families in NHS Lothian, neonatal service delivery will remain unchanged with neonatal intensive care remaining at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Special Care remaining at St John’s Hospital.

I must be absolutely clear that this change is about saving babies lives. The evidence is clear, that outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies are improved when they are born and cared for in a unit with a high throughput of cases, and where support services are co-located and aligns with existing neonatal intensive care service models across the UK.

These changes will benefit a very small number of babies – those born at less than 27 weeks gestation and those very sickest babies who need multiple complex life support, or surgery.

The Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) will be one of several stakeholders Scottish Government will engage with to consider priorities and approaches that best support improved outcomes for children and young people with cancer. I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02402 on 31 August 2026.

As a national network of healthcare specialists in children and young people’s cancer services, and the organisation responsible for the delivery of the current children and young people’s cancer strategy – The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026, their input into these discussions is valuable.

Scottish Government has invested in the MCN CYPC since it was first established in 2011 to deliver on its remit of supporting NHS Boards to deliver high-quality cancer services for children and young people, whilst supporting the holistic needs of patients.

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's approach to media buying is to ensure that channel selection is driven by evidence of what most effectively reaches and engages target audiences, rather than by specifying particular media channels within contracts.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking a neurodevelopmental diagnosis and support, resulting in increased pressure across a range of services.

Recognising these pressures, last year the Scottish Government and COSLA undertook a review of the implementation of the National Neurodevelopmental Specification for Children and Young People. The Specification is clear that support should be put in place at the earliest opportunity on the basis of need, and should not wait for, or be dependent on, a formal diagnosis.

The review identified areas of good practice and areas where further action is required. It highlighted the significant pressures facing services and the need for clearer national direction and practical support to help deliver timely, neuro-affirming care across Scotland.

In response to these findings, the Scottish Government committed to a programme of work to support health boards and local authorities in delivering the aims of the Specification. This work is being supported by the cross-sector Children and Young People’s Neurodevelopment Taskforce, which brings together expertise from health, education, local government and the third sector to ensure a collaborative, whole-system approach to improving support and services for children and young people.

Broadcasting is reserved and we believe it should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The proportion of Scottish Government advertising expenditure that has been allocated to community radio in each of the previous five years is as follows:

We recognise that there have been some short-term disruption to services in practices that have transitioned to the new Vision system and in response, Public Service Delivery Scotland has increased post migration support to practices.