Chamber and committees

I have been advised by NHS Tayside that external investigators AAB began their formal investigation in February 2026, and that they are independently analysing all the documents they have requested to date, with further documentation being identified and new information requested as witness interviews progress and additional evidence is heard.

The agreed scope of the investigation is to:

• Review NHS Tayside’s systems, processes, actions and governance arrangements in response to the Do Not Destroy notice
• Examine NHS Tayside’s internal investigation to assess whether the Health Board has a full and accurate understanding of how the destruction occurred
• Identify any systemic or procedural weaknesses that contributed to the incident
• Provide recommendations to strengthen controls and prevent recurrence.

NHS Tayside has indicated it expects to receive its final investigation report and recommendations during the first week in April. The report will then be considered by NHS Tayside’s board and next steps agreed. The First Minister has written to the Chief Executive of NHS Tayside to ask that she keep former patients updated with any developments in the weeks ahead.

The review of modern apprenticeship contribution rates will be undertaken in two stages. The first stage of the review will begin imminently, in March 2026, and the initial evidence gathering work will be complete by the end of June 2026. The second stage will commence in February 2027 and will involve a more in-depth consideration of contribution rates.

The scope and terms of reference for the MA contribution rates review can be found on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/modern-apprenticeship-contribution-rates-review-scope-and-terms-of-reference

The publication date of official statistics are pre-announced on the Official Statistics forthcoming publications list, found on the Scottish Government website: www.gov.scot/publications/official-statistics-forthcoming-publications/

As pre-announced, the next quarterly housing statistics release will be on the 31 March 2026.

Behind every statistic is a human being. We know that experience of multiple forms of extreme disadvantage, including homelessness, poor mental health and opioid dependence, is linked to higher rates of ill health and premature death. The Scottish Government remains committed to doing all we can to address disadvantage, tackle health inequalities and prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.

We continue to support local authorities through funding of £8 million per annum for rapid rehousing to deliver Housing First, which provides the best response for people experiencing homelessness who have multiple and complex needs. 26 local authorities in Scotland offer Housing First and, as of March 2025, it is estimated that more than 2,100 people have been provided with a settled home and wrap-around support.

Our housing emergency action plan recognises that people with multiple, complex needs are particularly vulnerable during a housing crisis, and we provided an additional £4 million in 2025-26 to expand the delivery of Housing First. We also extended rapid rehousing funding to 2026-27, bringing total funding provided to local authorities since 2018 to £84.5 million. In addition, the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 will introduce gold-standard homelessness prevention measures to ensure people receive the help and support they need before reaching crisis point.

We are committed to continuing to strengthen our response to the harms caused by drugs and alcohol. In 2025-26 we made £160 million available for drug and alcohol programmes, including widening access to treatment, residential rehabilitation and life-saving Naloxone. We are maintaining record levels of investment of over £160 million in 2026-27, including £115 million for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships across Scotland. We are also continuing to improve treatment and harm-reduction services through the implementation of the medication-assisted treatment (MAT) Standards and the establishment of the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility in Glasgow, which is backed by Scottish Government funding.

We recognise that addressing the harms caused by substance use requires an integrated and coordinated approach. Our new Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan, published on 10 March, sets out actions to tackle substance related harms and deaths in Scotland and ensure that people receive the care and support that is right for them.

We are also working with colleagues across the UK to identify opportunities for collaboration to respond to emerging drug trends, including the increasing prevalence of new synthetic substances, which is a matter of significant concern across the UK.

The Scottish Government is supportive of market innovations which deliver lower bills for households as well as providing benefits to decarbonisation and our New Build Heat Standard has created regulatory certainty for developers and energy suppliers to innovate.

In light of the UK Government’s decision, the Scottish Government is actively exploring options to ensure that listed places of worship in Scotland are not disproportionately affected by this withdrawal of UK-wide VAT relief.

I asked for clarity about Barnett consequential funding from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government. She has reviewed movements in the UK Government Department of Culture, Media and Sport’s funding from the UK Spending Review, and this shows negligible changes in capital budgets across the period. On this basis, it appears that existing funding has simply been repurposed from the now scrapped UK-wide scheme.

The Scottish Government remains firmly committed to the delivery of Housing First and continues to support its growth across Scotland through sustained investment in rapid rehousing and the implementation of rapid rehousing transition plans. Between 2018 and the end of March 2027 a total of £84.5 million will have been provided to local authorities to support rapid rehousing activity, including the delivery of Housing First.

The Scottish Government’s housing emergency action plan demonstrated our ongoing commitment to improving housing options for people with multiple and complex needs by including investment of £3 million capital and £1 million resource for the expansion of Housing First in 2025-26.

The Scottish Government also provides funding annually to Homeless Network Scotland to deliver a suite of tools designed to support local authorities and their delivery partners to scale-up and expand Housing First in Scotland, including the National Framework for Housing First and the Housing First Check-Up process.

Reporting on the delivery of Housing First will become a statutory requirement under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, ensuring transparency, consistency and evidence based improvement.

All Warm Homes Plan funding was announced in the UK Government's Autumn Budget on 27 November 2025. Scottish Budget allocations were confirmed in the Scottish Budget published on 6 March, which included an allocation of £300 million for Heat in Building programmes.

We support the use of solar PV panels, alongside a range of technologies including batteries and heat pumps, to decarbonise existing homes. To allow us to target finite budgets where they have the greatest impact, we fund these technologies through our fuel poverty schemes, Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based Schemes. As support to tackle fuel poverty is tailored to the circumstances of individual households and localities, the package of measures installed in any property will be the best fit for that household.

Following the announcement by the UK Government of the closure of the Places of Worship Grant Scheme the Scottish Government has met with representatives of both the UK Government, and the Church of Scotland, regarding the closure of the UK Government’s Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

The Scottish Government is actively exploring options to ensure that listed places of worship in Scotland are not disproportionately affected by this withdrawal of UK-wide VAT relief.