Chamber and committees

We expect all women giving birth in Scotland, including those living in rural and island communities, to be supported and safe. The recent Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspection of acute maternity services at the Balfour Hospital in NHS Orkney showcased many areas of good practice and highlighted the resilience and adaptability of island boards.

On the 11th of June, the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Care made a statement to Parliament setting out the plan for an independent Review of Maternity Services. The principles of this Review include a focus on: maternity services in rural and island areas across Scotland and the experiences of women living there. This review will be fast paced and forward looking.

I have also commissioned a survey of all remote, rural and island maternity services earlier this year. The responses from this, alongside national audit data, will form part of the Review and ensure future service provision takes into account the needs of those living in rural and island communities.

The Scottish Government launched the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme within a matter of weeks in response to the spiralling prices caused by the Iran conflict and wider instability undermining energy security across Europe.

The scheme was put in place to ensure the most vulnerable households are supported during the cost of living crisis, enabling affected households to apply for £300 towards their bills. This includes households on means-tested benefits but also those in financial hardship and at risk of self-rationing fuel who have unavoidable additional heating needs. The first payment was made within 24 hours of the scheme launching on 1 April 2026.

As of end of 9 August 2026, 598 applications had been received from households in the Western Isles. Of these applications, 270 have received an award of £300 towards the cost of their heating oil bills, with 322 applications having not met the eligbility criteria or had their application closed due to not responding to requests for information. Closed applications can be reopened if the applicant contacts Advice Direct Scotland.

Full details of the eligibility requirements have been available on the Advice Direct Scotland (“ADS”) website since launch, which includes noting that for discretionary decisions applicants must be in financial hardship and, in addition, meet one of the other listed criteria.

The Scottish Government is taking further steps to raise awareness of this scheme and will continue to use various channels to reach those households most in need. I would encourage anyone who uses heating oil or liquid petroleum gas to heat their homes in the Western Isles, and throughout Scotland, to visit the ADS website to check eligibility and, where eligible, to make an application.

Applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria but are still struggling with the cost of living crisis may wish to be aware of the Scottish Government’s cost of living website which provides helpful information and support and can be found here: https://costofliving.campaign.gov.scot

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was developed to support delivery of the Clyde Targeted Scientific Programme (TSP). It provides a framework for collaborative working, setting out shared commitments, roles and responsibilities to help achieve the programme's objectives. The MoU is a voluntary, non-binding agreement entered into in good faith. Responsibility for delivery is shared between the parties, with the Marine Directorate retaining oversight responsibilities and a final determination role.

The Marine Directorate, the Clyde Fishermen's Association (CFA) and the Working Group are currently identified as parties to the MoU. The decision to develop the MoU was agreed at the programme's inception meeting in February 2026, where discussions focused on practical arrangements for implementing the TSP, including data collection and methodology. As the initial priority was to establish the programme quickly and begin gathering data from fishing vessels, the CFA was the obvious fishing industry organisation supporting delivery at that stage given its membership and location. This should not however be interpreted as limiting participation to a single organisation. The MoU remains a live document, and the Scottish Government welcomes engagement from all active Clyde fishers, including those operating independently or through other representative bodies.

Year 1 priorities for the TSP are set out in public documents and are intended to be delivered through collaboration between fishers, scientists and technical advisers. As the programme develops and evidence gaps are addressed, opportunities for wider scientific engagement and collaboration are expected.

The MoU does not give any organisation responsibility for appointing scientists to the programme, determining participation in meetings, or restricting the involvement of other research institutions or the sharing of programme outputs. The Marine Directorate has also committed to providing annual updates to the Scottish Parliament, supporting transparency and the dissemination of programme findings.

The TSP and wider Clyde cod policy were considered by the Scottish Parliament in January and February 2026, with relevant licence conditions taking effect on 1 March 2026. The MoU did not establish new policy or create legally binding commitments. Rather, it documented collaborative arrangements to support delivery of an existing programme and formed part of its routine governance arrangements.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02285 on 21 August 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.

These questions relate to the procurement, specification, quality assurance, performance monitoring and contract management of hearing aid batteries supplied through National Procurement arrangements. This is a matter for Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) and NHS Boards and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Prior to 1 April 2026, these functions were undertaken by National Services Scotland and now sit within PSDS. While the Scottish Government sponsors PSDS and provides strategic oversight, operational responsibility for procurement and contract management rests with PSDS, while the delivery of audiology services is a matter for NHS Boards.

PSDS has advised that NHS Boards may raise supplier or product performance concerns through National Procurement's complaints process where products supplied under the framework do not meet the required standards. PSDS has also advised that it holds no record of a formal complaint relating to hearing aid battery performance under the current framework agreement that has resulted in contractual remedies being exercised since the commencement of the contract.

NHS Scotland Health Boards may make use of external teleradiology providers or commercial imaging companies based elsewhere in the UK to deliver remote diagnostic imaging interpretation.

The use of the alternative providers to deliver additional capacity is not a new development. As is the case across the UK, in certain circumstances limited use of external providers may be required in response to capacity constraints.

This approach supports diagnostic waiting times performance and enables the continuation of vital diagnostic services while longer-term initiatives to increase NHS capacity are implemented.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the frequency of which Health Boards make use of alternative providers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02285 on 21 August 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 met with the Chief Executive and Medical Director of NHS Highland on 18 August 2026. This meeting discussed the plans in place for current patients and the long term vision for sustainability of oncology provision within the region.

The 2026 – 27 Scottish Budget provides a further real-terms increase in funding for both the Local Government Settlement and Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently and the vast majority of funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets, and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities. This includes decisions on how they and police resource the antisocial behaviour strategies which they are required, by law, to have for their respective areas.

SEPA has committed to increasing the number of samples of PFAS collected in 2026 to 500 which is fully funded through SEPA’s existing Grant in Aid arrangements. SEPA has stated that outcomes from its 2025 Water Quality Monitoring Report will be used to inform this extended programme of monitoring and investigation where necessary at specific sites.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the changes that the EU recently made to its list of Priority Substances for the Water Framework Directive, which includes the introduction of an environmental quality standard for 25 PFAS.