Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government works closely with the National Institute for Health & Care (NIHR) including buying into the majority of their research funding programmes to allow access for researchers based in Scotland NIHR Programmes – Chief Scientist Office

The Scottish Government will reach out to the relevant team within NIHR to discuss how the NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium will be fully implemented here for the benefit of both patients and researchers.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken an analysis of this comparison. However, there is evidence that thrombectomy is a cost-effective procedure with known benefits including a reduction in ongoing care requirements and we remain committed to the delivery of a 24/7 thrombectomy service.

While driving tests are a fully reserved matter for the UK Government, extended waiting times have had a significant impact on learner drivers across Scotland.

In December 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) introduced a seven-point plan aimed at reducing driving test waiting times and improving learners' experience of the booking process. A public consultation on further improvements to the driving test booking system subsequently ran between 28 May and 23 July 2025.

Following that consultation, the UK Government announced additional measures which were introduced from spring 2026. These changes include reducing the number of times a driving test can be changed from six to two; requiring learners to book and manage their own tests; prohibiting the use of unofficial booking services; and, limiting driving test changes to the three nearest test centres. These measures can be found at: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026 - GOV.UK

As this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government had no role in developing these measures, or in the work of DVSA. However we have had considerable correspondence from members of the public on these issues and Transport Scotland officials have met with DVSA to discuss these changes and their implications for Scotland and will continue to engage with the DVSA on these issues and to raise the concerns of learners.

The Scottish Government launched the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme within weeks in response to the spiralling prices caused by the Iran conflict and wider instability, such as Russia's war in Ukraine, undermining energy security across Europe as well as other factors such as the increases to the cost of living due to the UK leaving the EU.

The scheme was put in place to ensure the most vulnerable households are supported during the cost of living crisis, which 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, with the first payment made within 24 hours of the scheme launching on 1 April 2026.

As at the end of 9 August 2026, £1,747,800 has been paid out to ensure the most vulnerable households are supported during the cost of living crisis, which includes households on means-tested benefits but also those in financial hardship and at risk of self-rationing fuel who have unavoidable heating needs.

The following table provides the outcome of applications that Advice Direct Scotland have received to the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme, as at the end of 9 August 2026.

These management figures are taken from a live administrative database and so could be subject to future revision. There are various caveats with the data and should not be regarded as official statistics, these caveats are noted in the following table.

Over the last few years the Scottish Government has updated a range of wildlife and nature conservation legislation. We do not have any plans to undertake further review of existing wildlife legislation, beyond existing statutory review and reporting requirements.

However, the Scottish Law Commission is currently undertaking a Nature Conservation Consolidation project, previously included in its Eleventh Programme of Law Reform. The project aims to bring together key pieces of nature conservation legislation, including legislation relating to wildlife and protected species, into a coherent and systematic body of law, helping to improve its accessibility and making it easier for the public, regulators and enforcement bodies to understand and apply.

The Scottish Government recognise and share the concerns within the RCEM report, particularly around the impact that long waits in emergency departments have on patients and staff. That is why we are implementing initiatives to reduce acute hospital occupancy and stream patients to the most appropriate services to improve patient flow and reduce waiting times.

As part of our first 100 days commitments, we will publish a new national plan to improve hospital flow. Developed in partnership with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and other key system partners, the plan will set out actions to improve patient flow across the healthcare system, helping to ensure that people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Improving access to care, reducing waiting times, and easing pressure on hospitals, particularly through strengthening primary and community care, will be central to our plan.

The 2026-27 budget provides almost £22.5 billion investment in health and social care services, exceeding consequentials and providing a real terms uplift to enable more sustainable and resilient services. As part of this, £100 million has been invested to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 Operational Improvement Plan, to release capacity within the system and bolster our urgent care services.

The Scottish Government undertook a lessons learned exercise following winter 2025-26 involving NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, national organisations and Scottish Government officials. The review found that planning and partnership working had improved, but that services continued to face significant pressures associated with high hospital occupancy, delayed discharge, workforce challenges and sustained demand across health and social care.

The review also found that many of the pressures experienced during winter reflect wider year-round challenges rather than a short-term seasonal event. Key lessons identified included the importance of whole-system working, improving patient flow, supporting workforce resilience, strengthening preventative approaches and providing earlier and clearer national direction.

These findings are informing current planning for 2026-27, including a refresh of the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness, strengthened governance and assurance arrangements, enhanced regional coordination and improved operational intelligence. They are also informing development of the National Flow Plan, which is intended to improve patient flow, reduce delayed discharge, improve use of available capacity and strengthen whole-system coordination across urgent and unscheduled care services.

The Service Renewal Framework commits to increasing access to health and social care, including primary and community care. We are continuing to work with PSD Scotland to develop phase two of a rural and islands programme, consolidating work of the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care. We provide targeted support to General Practice through workforce initiatives, including the Golden Hello Scheme, ScotGEM, Rediscover the Joy and Rural Fellowships. While Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grants and Recruitment and Retention allowances are available to support and grow dental surgery numbers across Scotland, work is currently ongoing to revise these financial incentives to ensure they better target support for rural and island areas. Following a successful pilot with the Barra visiting optometry service, we will establish a framework to support eligible community optometry practices providing services in areas with limited access to NHS eye examinations.

For the purpose of this exercise we’ve included correspondence from MSPs on behalf of practices in their constituency, and one received from the RCGP representing practices from Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The results were as follow (a) 0 are direct from NHS boards (b) 6 are direct from practices (3 Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 2 Dumfries and Galloway, 1 Forth Valley). It should be noted that more than one correspondence may relate to the same practice.

The standards of care for cancer treatment are rightly developed independently of Scottish Government by those with the relevant clinical expertise.

The NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative’s Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs) define national standards of care for cancer treatment. The CMP for breast cancer has incorporated the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) Council’s 2023 independent recommendation on the use of commercial multigene assays for breast cancer patients across Scotland. SHTG have criteria and processes in place to judge whether new evidence is sufficient to revise its existing recommendations of these commercial tests. NHS genomic testing, delivered within our laboratory service, is nationally commissioned by NHS National Services Division to ensure equitable access across Scotland.