Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government and COSLA published the Coming Home Action Plan in March 2026. The action plan is backed by Scottish Government funding of up to £20m to support implementation. The majority of this funding will be distributed via the Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland through the creation of a new Coming Home fund.

No timeline has been set on releasing hospital beds through this new fund. In line with a person-centred approach and to ensure safe and supportive transitions, all moves from hospital to the community will progress at the pace appropriate for each person to ensure their individual needs are met.

Data on the number of children accessing Bairns’ Hoose services is not currently collected by the Scottish Government. This reflects the current phase of the Bairns’ Hoose programme and the different stages that partnerships are at in their journey towards developing Bairns’ Hoose services. Work is underway with partnerships to develop a standardised approach to data collection to support future monitoring.

Bairns’ Hoose is specifically for those children who have experienced abuse, neglect or exploitation which has caused, or is likely to cause, significant harm and is not intended to support all children who have been through the court system. The first Bairns’ Hoose open its doors in 2023 with national rollout planned from 2027.

The number of students who began undergraduate nursing programmes (entrants) and the number of students who completed undergraduate nursing programmes (qualifiers) at higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland in the last five years are as follows:

Scotland’s police service will always be visible and at the heart of our communities. Police Scotland are keeping people safe every day as shown by recorded crime falling by half since 1991.

Using the GDP deflator, the 2026-27 Scottish Police Authority (SPA) Budget has increased in real terms compared to the opening 2025-26 budget.

In 2026-27, the Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £1.7 billion for policing, a total budget increase of £81.5 million, or 5% compared to the published 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget. This record investment continues to allow Police Scotland to recruit new officers and to maintain officer numbers at 16,500.

It is for the SPA, working with the Chief Constable, to determine how to allocate this budget to meet policing priorities, as outlined in the Police Scotland Three year Business Plan.

The Scottish Government commitment to carrying out a clinically led review of latest data and evidence to determine whether there is merit in specific additional or alternative cancer waiting times standards for different types of cancer and cancer treatment is already underway.

A project steering group is being established which will support the review, determining if any amendments to the standards would enhance patient experience and meet the needs of the NHS for the future.

Evidence review commissions were shared with key partners in April, with the full clinical consensus review expected to conclude with recommendations within 18- 24 months.

I will be holding discussions with my Officials in the coming months to determine how best to organise and supply additional funding for local roads maintenance. As with all areas of Local Government funding, substantive details around funding allocations and accountability will be considered through the joint COSLA and Scottish Government Settlement and Distribution Group (SDG) prior to recommendations being provided to COSLA Leaders and Scottish Ministers.

Work is underway to modernise the Adults with Incapacity system in Scotland, including Powers of Attorney, with a specific focus on enhancing the rights and protections of people affected by incapacity law. We are working collaboratively with an Expert Working Group, convened in September 2025, to develop evidence-based recommendations for legislative and procedural reform and to improve the experience of those affected by incapacity law.

Financial support is already in place to obtain a Power of Attorney in circumstances where an individual may not otherwise be able to afford it. Legal aid may be available to support the cost of a solicitor drawing up a Power of Attorney and individuals may be able to claim a fee in relation to registering their Power of Attorney with the Office of the Public Guardian.

The Scottish Government is considering plans to deliver the commitment to temporarily reduce the power of attorney registration fees within this parliamentary term and will engage with relevant stakeholders to do so.

The following table shows the number of individuals entering the NHS Scotland workforce following completion of pre-registration education (headcount), by sub job family. Midwifery is included for completeness alongside nursing sub job families. Figures may be subject to future change, as some individuals who have completed training may enter the workforce at a later date.

At this early stage of the new Parliament, it is not possible to provide a specific date for full implementation beyond the existing commitment. Progress is, however, well underway: twenty partnerships are in development and seven Bairns’ Hooses are already delivering services across Scotland.