Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01290 on 14 July 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/questions-and-answers .

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01276 on 14 July 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish 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 is committed to ensuring families can access the support they need. Support that is joined up, easy to navigate, and shaped around the needs of the whole family. Since 2022, we’ve invested over £154.5 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to support local areas transform holistic whole family support.

Our Third Tackling Child Poverty Delivering Plan, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, places whole family support at the heart of our approach. In 2026-27 this includes:

• £50 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to continue the transformation of local whole family support;
• £15 million (per year) of baselined funding to local authorities for community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families;
• £6 million through the Fairer Futures Partnership programme to further test and embed improved delivery of holistic support for families in or at risk of poverty;
• £1.9 million across 2026-2028 through our Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund to strengthen approaches to child poverty; and
• £20 million through a new Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund to provide more support that wraps around families in their communities, making connections to public services and helping to break the cycle of poverty.

These measures are complemented by £15 million through the Childcare Support Fund, for short-term, flexible childcare support to help low-income families manage the cost of childcare and overcome barriers to employment, training and learning. In addition, the significant investment through the Scottish Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Funding, is working collaboratively across a range of local services and partners to best meet the needs of pupils and their families impacted by poverty.

Looking ahead we are bringing together the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme, Fairer Futures Partnerships, and the Whole Family Support Early Adopter areas into one integrated system change programme from April 2027. This will streamline and strengthen our approach to systems change, providing a clear offer to local areas that supports the implementation of whole family approaches that best meet the needs of local communities.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a universal breakfast club offer for primary school age children by August 2027.

To support this offer, we are investing £15 million this financial year to enable the phased expansion of breakfast clubs across Scotland and a recurring investment of £44 million from next financial year to fund national provision.

Decisions have not been finalised on funding distribution. Work is ongoing with COSLA, Local Government and wider partners to agree a fair and proportionate distribution model for funding across financial years 2026-27 and 2027-28.

It is unacceptable for anyone’s mail to be delayed unnecessarily, and such delays are especially concerning for patients awaiting hospital appointments.

We want all patients to receive reasonable appointment offers, allowing sufficient time to plan for their appointment or treatment.

As part of the updated Waiting Times Guidance patients now receive a period of at least 10 calendar days for an offer of appointment. Patients may also consent to different methods of communication for this offer, for example receiving a phone call.

Officials met with representatives from Royal Mail in June and July 2026 and continue to be in discussions exploring all options to ensure that there are minimal delays to NHS correspondence.

The Scottish Government is committed to using public resources more efficiently and effectively. Electricity is a matter generally reserved to the UK Parliament under the Scotland Act 1998, including electricity generation, transmission, distribution and supply, and the operation and management of the electricity network. Decisions regarding grid connections are the responsibility of the National Energy System Operator (NESO), not the Scottish Government.

While Scottish Ministers exercise devolved consenting functions under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for generating stations in Scotland exceeding 50MW, applications must be considered and determined in accordance with the statutory framework established by that Act and any applicable regulations.

There is no restriction on any person making an application for consent under the Electricity Act 1989, or for planning permission under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, other than as stipulated under those Acts or any applicable regulations.

Supporting more businesses to scale and anchor in Scotland is a key economic priority for this Government and this is reflected in our commitment to establish a High Growth Unit focussed on helping our best companies to achieve their full potential.

The Scottish Government is currently considering a range of models for how the High Growth Unit might be implemented, including its remit and priorities, as well as the structures, skills and capabilities that will be required to maximise its impact. As part of that work, we are also considering where the Unit can best be located to optimise its value and effectiveness, including the role that Scottish Enterprise may play.

These considerations are being informed through close engagement with private sector partners , including the Chief Entrepreneur, Ana Stewart. We will set out further details on the High Growth Unit, including its final structure and location, in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a universal breakfast club offer for primary school age children by August 2027.

Many primary schools across Scotland already deliver breakfast offers using a range of delivery models. Work is underway with delivery stakeholders to assess existing models, explore how these can be expanded and enhanced, and identify how best to establish provision where none currently exists. This work is informing national delivery plans including recognising the importance of elements of local flexibility for individual schools.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists' 2025 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census Report. The findings will be considered as part of ongoing workforce planning processes. Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in radiology. Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Radiologist workforce by 24% (from 325.4 WTE as of March 2016 to 403.8 WTE as of March 2026). Over the last five years, a total of 162 Clinical Radiology specialty training places were advertised for recruitment in Scotland, of which all posts were filled successfully.

A skilled workforce is essential for achieving economic growth, through supporting increased productivity and innovation, and positioning Scotland to benefit from inward investment opportunities, our energy transition and future technological advances. Equipping people with the skills they need to engage in a changing labour market also helps more people enter or remain in good jobs, contributing to higher incomes and reduced economic inactivity.

Therefore, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport will have a pivotal role in the delivery of apprenticeships and skills and workforce development, working across government with other portfolios. This collaborative approach aims to build a responsive skills system that meets the needs of Scotland’s economy, its businesses and its workers.