Chamber and committees

Operational policing decisions and workload considerations are for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority - not to Scottish Ministers. It would not be appropriate for Scottish Ministers to seek information from Police Scotland in relation to officer workload.

We offer a range of support to GPs to take up posts in rural and island settings.

This includes incentives such as the Golden Hello Scheme, which offers payments of up to £10,000 to GPs taking up eligible posts in rural and island settings.

ScotGEM is helping to build the rural medical workforce through its four-year graduate-entry medical degree programme, which focuses on rural medicine and General Practice. We also fund fellowships to help GPs to develop the right skills and experience required to work in, rural and island settings.

The Rediscover the Joy of General Practice programme enables experienced GPs to undertake placements in practices across rural and island areas which require additional short-term capacity.

Social Security Scotland regularly publishes statistics on its benefits, including Adult Disability Payment, which covers the current number of clients in receipt of the payment, their age breakdown, and the information on completed reviews and outcomes.

The latest Adult Disability Payment statistics are available at: Adult Disability Payment statistics to 30 April 2026.

The specific breakdown of information requested is not routinely produced and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, in line with Scottish Government guidance on Parliamentary Questions.

British Transport Police (BTP) is funded principally by the rail industry, including Train Operating Companies. ScotRail has continuedly met its funding obligations towards BTP. BTP distribution of funding is a matter for British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). Both of these organisations operate under the UK Government’s Department for Transport.

The previous Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop raised concerns with the BTPA about the impact of budget reductions in Scotland.

ScotRail has delivered a range of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, including the expansion of its Travel Safe Team, which works closely with BTP to support staff and passengers on trains and at stations.

The Scottish Government established the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group to consider further action to improve safety for passengers and staff. The Group published its final report and recommendations, which can be found here, and included a specific recommendation on preventing further reductions to BTP numbers in Scotland. The former Cabinet Secretary for Transport accepted these recommendations in full, with officials at Transport Scotland now considering the feasibility of these recommendations and how can they be delivered.

Local authorities are independent statutory bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are separate from the Scottish Government. It is for individual councils to determine how they engage with their communities, including the design and delivery of local consultation and feedback exercises.

The Accounts Commission is appointed by Parliament and has statutory responsibility to secure the audit of local authorities, evaluate Best Value and oversee public financial transparency. In particular the Accounts Commission must consider reports issued by the Controller of Audit, investigate matters raised, conduct public hearings where necessary and issue formal recommendations to local councils and Scottish Ministers.

The Accounts Commission considered a special report by the Controller of Audit in relation to the continued late reporting of Clackmannanshire Council’s annual accounts at its meeting on 18 June. The Commission published its findings on 30 June and set clear expectations for the improvements it expects to see. The leader of the council has provided assurances that compliance with statutory timescales for financial reporting will be prioritised by the full council.

The Accounts Commission continues to work closely with the council to ensure the necessary improvements are made and Scottish Government officials will continue to monitor the council’s progress through ongoing engagement with the Council and with the Accounts Commission.

The vast majority of councils continue to meet their statutory obligations and almost all have now considerably improved or returned to pre-pandemic timescales for the production of their statutory annual accounts. Only three other local authorities have not yet published their 2024-25 annual accounts: Stirling Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and East Dunbartonshire Council. We expect that the Accounts Commission will be monitoring the situation with each of these authorities and alert Ministers to any concerns in line with the statutory framework.

Data relating to incidents of antisocial behaviour and assaults on trains is held by the British Transport Police (BTP), who regularly share these statistics with Scottish Government officials.

BTP publishes some of the statistics and they can be found on its website: Stats and data | British Transport Police

The Scottish Government recognises potential impact of the decision to designate an additional public holiday on Emergency Departments that continue to face significant pressures.

We proactively sought assurance through our established governance arrangements. Boards advised that the additional public holiday would be managed in line with existing public holiday protocols to ensure continuity of patient care.

NHS Boards are responsible for developing operational plans that reflect local circumstances and community needs, while remaining aligned with nationally agreed planning principles.

Our overriding priority is the continued delivery of safe, person-centred care.

Scotland is the only UK-nation that currently has an active Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF). The fund provides support to the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care, regardless of their health diagnosis.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts may reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending hospital appointments, subject to eligibility criteria and clinical requirements. These arrangements apply across Scotland and provide support to eligible young people and their families irrespective of condition.

NHS Boards are responsible for assessing eligibility and have the flexibility to consider individual circumstances and make decisions in the best interests of patient care and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the patient travel reimbursement schemes guidance; however, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time. It is important that the review is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care, rather than as a standalone exercise to consider and address the wider and underlying issues relating to the travel itself.

The Scottish Government continues to support workforce capacity across cancer services, including mesothelioma care, through investment in the cancer workforce and expansion of key specialist roles. Over the last decade, the oncology and radiology consultant workforce has increased by more than 25%.

Health Boards remain responsible for ensuring they have the workforce required to deliver health care services that meets the needs of their local population.