Chamber and committees

Transport Scotland is undertaking consultation and engagement on the strategic approaches for the M8 Woodside Viaducts Permanent Solution project through the current public exhibition process, which runs until 25 March. This consultation is open to all stakeholders, including users of the wider trunk road network such as the M74. In addition to holding two in-person public exhibitions in Glasgow on 25 February at Dundasvale Residents Hall and 4 March at Woodside Halls, a virtual exhibition room was launched on 25 February, to allow those unable to attend the in-person events to view the exhibition material and provide feedback. To maximise awareness and participation, Transport Scotland has taken a range of proactive steps to promote the consultation, including:

The Scottish Government acknowledges the Scottish Health Technologies Group recommendations regarding specialist interventions for managing chronic non-malignant pain in adults. NHS Scotland is required to consider SHTG recommendations and discussions are underway to understand how those recommendations can inform sustainable, consistent and effective service delivery across Scotland.

We continue to work with work with clinicians, third sector organisations and people with lived experience of chronic pain to deliver the actions in our Pain Management Service Delivery Framework.

We have set out the wider policy within which NHS Scotland is expected to deliver services and expect all NHS Boards, including NHS Highland, to provide high quality care that is safe, effective and person-centred. We expect that decisions about the appropriateness of treatment for chronic pain, or specific medications for pain management, will be made by the clinician in discussion with the patient to ensure the most suitable treatment is made available based on their medical history.

The Scottish Government is committed to introducing 20mph limits on appropriate roads across Scotland by the end of March 2026. Of the 75 locations on the trunk road network that were assessed as being appropriate for a reduced speed limit. Good progress has been made in implementing these with 64 already having a 20mph speed limit in place. 10 of the remaining locations are currently programmed to have a 20mph speed limit in place by 31 March 2026. The exception is the A78 in Greenock. While Transport Scotland will have the necessary Temporary Traffic Regulation Order made and associated works on the trunk road complete by 31 March, the 20mph speed limit will not become live until Inverclyde Council complete their works on the adjacent side roads. Inverclyde Council have indicated that this will be done on 27 April.

The strategy will set out what women and girls told us is needed for a gender equal Scotland. The vision and goals cover a wider range of issues, therefore we need to engage widely with the public sector to ensure they are ready to help us meet its ambitions. The additional time will allow us to build support and lay the foundations for effective and sustainable delivery.

The strategy will set out what women and girls told us is needed for a gender equal Scotland. The vision and goals cover a wider range of issues, therefore we need to engage widely with the public sector to ensure they are ready to help us meet its ambitions. The additional time will allow us to build support and lay the foundations for effective and sustainable delivery.

The ScotZEB3 competitive funding round closed on 26 February with applications currently under consideration. Funding under ScotZEB3 is not
pre-allocated to specific operators or regions. All applications are being assessed by an independent evaluation panel against the published criteria, with Ministers making final funding decisions. The outcome of the funding round will be announced in due course, once the decision-making process is complete.

We are grateful to the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls and their Empowering Women Panel for their dedication and invaluable insights as we have worked in partnership to develop an Equality Strategy for Women and Girls. Subject to the outcome of the Scottish Parliament election, we are committed to publishing this strategy early in the next administration.

Whilst universities are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decision making, the Scottish Government expects staff and trade unions to be consulted meaningfully on the potential impact of any cost-saving measures - in line with Fair Work principles. In line with its statutory responsibilities, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) will continue to offer appropriate support as universities develop their own cost-saving measures, and advise the Scottish Government regarding any financial or governance concerns.

The Scottish Government cannot compel universities to commit to no compulsory redundancies, however our clear expectation is that they are only considered as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

Implementation of Fair Work First must be the guiding criteria to promote fairer work practices for staff within the university sector. Universities in receipt of government funding through the SFC are currently expected to meet two mandatory Fair Work First criteria (payment of at least the real Living Wage; and provision of appropriate channels for effective workers’ voice, such as trade union recognition), while being encouraged to meet all other non-mandatory Fair Work First criteria. From April 2027, universities will be expected to adopt all Fair Work First criteria, and the SFC will look to include these as a condition of grant. Further details are set out in my answer to question S6W-42976 on 13 January 2026.

I also expect universities to take appropriate steps to support and promote staff wellbeing, and comply with relevant legal requirements, including the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for enforcing health and safety requirements at UK workplaces, including universities.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that universities play in Scotland’s economy and wider society, which is why we are investing over £1.4 billion in the university sector in 2026-27. This includes a combined increase of over £55m in resource and capital funding via the SFC, equivalent to a 5% uplift on last year’s budget.

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 confirmed to the higher education sector in November 2025 that tuition fee loans available to Scottish domiciled student studying in the rest of the UK would increase to match the maximum rate of tuition fees announced by the UK Government. This will take effect from the start of the 2026-27 academic year to align with the increase in tuition fees for students in England that are set by the UK Government. A further increase to the tuition fee loans for Scottish domiciled students will also be introduced for the start of the 2027-28 academic year for the same reason.

Scottish domiciled students studying in the rest of the UK are entitled to the same package of living cost support available to students studying at Scottish higher education institutions. This provides a maximum support of £11,400 through a combination of bursaries and student loans for the most vulnerable students. This includes a £2,400 uplift in the form of a Special Support Loan that was introduced for the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Full details of the funding available can be found on the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) website - Undergrad Funding - SAAS - Higher Education - Student Loan - Bursary.

The Scottish Government provides the vast majority of local government funding – including funding for delivery of the 1140 entitlement – 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, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.

The needs-based formula used to distribute the total funding available for local government is kept under constant review and is agreed with COSLA on behalf of all 32 local authorities each year. While the Scottish Government is always open to suggestions to improve the funding formula, any fundamental changes must properly come through COSLA in the first instance.

The Scottish Government continues to seek solutions to address immediate risks and to progress with long-term remediation at the Tarbolton Moss former landfill site, engaging with partners including South Ayrshire Council and SEPA.

SEPA continues to monitor the site regularly. The most recent site assessments indicate that site conditions are stable. However, there continues to be an impact on local surface waters.