Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00581 on 8 June 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/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government confirmed that a further £3 million was available to help Police Scotland tackle retail crime in its budget for 2026-27. This will ensure that the service can build upon its work carried out the previous year, which included the creation of its Retail Crime Taskforce.

Spending plans for 2027-28 and 2028-29 were outlined in the Scottish Spending Review 2026. Decisions on future budgets will be taken as part of the budget setting processes.

We are currently working with all health boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan for Scotland. This supports continued safe and effective use of existing facilities, through ongoing business continuity planning, as well as informing future investment priorities based on assessment of need across the whole of Scotland.

The first phase, Business Continuity Planning, is focussed on priority investment in the existing estate to support service continuity. Boards have completed risk-based assessments and received confirmation of items which can be progressed with additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The second phase is focussed on the longer-term development of the estate to meet national, regional and local needs.

All Health Boards have been asked to undertake strategic needs assessments for three local investment priorities which align with the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework. If NHS GG&C believe that the development of the Stobhill campus is a priority, it is through this process that it would be escalated.

Further detail on NHS Whole System Infrastructure Planning is set out in DL 2025-15.

As our national development agency, Scottish Enterprise is responsible for delivering the Scottish Government’s economic development priorities as set out by ministers.

Residential Properties

Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the homeowner. To confirm the presence of RAAC, any property suspected of having RAAC requires a survey by a qualified professional which homeowners would need to agree to.

Intelligence gathering, undertaken as part of the RAAC Cross Sector Working Group, has indicated that RAAC has not been used extensively as a building material in private sector house building in Scotland. However, some homes containing RAAC have passed into private ownership through Right to Buy transactions and other mechanisms.

The Scottish Housing Regulator wrote to all social landlords on 13 October 2023 to request a data return on the presence of RAAC in social sector housing. Additional information was sought from landlords in relation to homes where they have maintenance obligations, provide factoring services, or have previously sold properties.

In July 2025, the Scottish Housing Regulator published an update on the number of social landlords that have identified RAAC in their social rented homes. The data returns showed that 17 landlords identified RAAC in 2,205 homes. Regulator publishes update from RAAC data collection | Scottish Housing News

Public Buildings

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of public buildings affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) as of 31 March 2026.

Information on public buildings identified as having RAAC is contained in a Scottish Government report published in September 2024 and available here: Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across the public sector in Scotland - gov.scot. Current information may be obtained from individual public authorities who retain responsibility for matters of building maintenance as building owners.

We are taking bold and ambitious action to reform and renew our health and care systems in line with our vision where people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives while recognising the financial pressures facing the health and social care sector now. 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.

Delivering the transformation the people of Scotland need depends on improving prevention and ensuring that health and care services are accessible, high quality, and person led. The Service Renewal Framework provides a structured approach to drive the transformation necessary to realise our vision - responding to today’s pressures but also building the foundations for long-term sustainability and improvement. Renewing Scotland’s essential public services must be rooted in a long-term vision - one that prioritises prevention and early intervention.

The integration of health and social care planning is essential in ensuring services are well-coordinated and responsive to the population's evolving needs, and the report recognises the need for local collaboration in setting budgets. This means that local authorities are responsible for how they choose to invest in those services, not Ministers.

As the strategic housing authority for the area, Fife Council assessed the opportunity to purchase these homes and concluded that it was a strategic priority – taking into account the potential risk of homelessness to the tenants in-situ, the proposed purchase price of the homes, and the longer-term benefit of increasing the stock of affordable housing in Fife. The proposal presented to Scottish Government demonstrated clear alignment with the Council’s strategic priorities and demonstrated value-for-money compared to average grant rates.

I welcome the report on HMP Kilmarnock from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland (HMIPS), in particular their acknowledgement of good practice and that the transfer from private into public ownership was done in a safe and controlled manner.

I recognise that, faced with the context of the current prison population, HMP Kilmarnock has experienced challenges as seen across the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) estate. All SPS establishments have been required to make operational decisions that maximise available space in order to accommodate a rising and complex prison population.

The wellbeing of those in SPS’ care remains paramount, and in all instances, consideration is given to factors such as social care needs, risk presentation and the classification of prisoners.

As the strategic housing authority for the area, Fife Council assessed the situation and took a strategic decision to redirect Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) (2026-27) funds in Fife to purchase these homes. Due to funding commitments for other projects, Fife Council requested additional support from Scottish Government to ensure the purchase could be supported quickly without creating pressure on existing AHSP projects. The AHSP already allows for the purchase of homes with tenants in situ where this meets a clear strategic purpose and where the tenant is at risk of homelessness, as set out in published guidance. Guidance+and+Procedures+-+MHDGN+2023-01+-+Affordable+Housing+Supply+Programme+%28AHSP%29+Process+and+Procedures.pdf.

Adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), such as an EpiPen®, are prescription-only medicines which are prescribed by an authorised healthcare professional and dispensed at a registered pharmacy. A current exception to this is that schools are allowed to purchase AAIs without a prescription, for emergency use in children with a prescription and who are at risk of anaphylaxis, but whose own device is not available or not working.

The regulation for the licensing, quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Extending access to AAIs to eateries in Scotland will require a change to the Human Medicines Regulations (HMR) 2012. Scottish Government officials are engaging with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the MHRA about the changes to the HMR 2012 that will be required and will develop options for a pilot following these discussions.