Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government made a written statement to Parliament on 19 November 2024 on the effectiveness of environmental governance arrangements, following an earlier report and consultation. As stated in those documents, the Scottish Government does not see any strong argument for a change in the balance of parliamentary, administrative and judicial roles in decision making on environmental matters, or for the creation of a specialist court. Therefore, there are no plans to conduct any additional analysis of any potential efficiency savings in the judicial system from the creation of an environment court.

We understand that the provision of tailored mental health support remains challenging in some areas of respiratory care. We continue to work closely with health psychologists and other key stakeholders to determine how better support can be provided to people living with respiratory and other long-term conditions.

We have invested £51 million in our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults since 2021, with approximately 3300 grants made to local projects across Scotland in the first two years alone.

A further £15 million was announced on 25 March 2024 for Fourth year of the Fund which means the Scottish Government has made £66 million available since 2021, the funding supports people facing socio-economic disadvantage, people- living with a long-term health condition or disability, older people and people disadvantaged by geographical location.

We also continue to provide a range of resources and raise awareness of how to support mental wellbeing through expanding the range of practical mental wellbeing resources available on our Mind to Mind, Parent Club and Young Scots mental wellbeing websites to complement other supports available in person and by phone.

The Circular Economy & Waste Route Map to 2030 provides a framework to tackle the environmental impact of priority products, and take a targeted, coordinated approach to managing materials across the waste hierarchy. This approach recognises the variation in emissions or environmental impact of production, consumption or waste management of different materials and products.

The Scottish Government continues to be guided by the expert clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI has the responsibility to provide high-quality and considered advice and recommendations to the UK Health Ministers following thorough risk and benefit analysis. They consider vaccine safety, efficacy and look at the impact and cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.

Upon following this advice, the Scottish Government does not expect the eligibility criteria to differ in winter 2025-26 from winter 2024-25. Should the JCVI eligibility criteria for the flu vaccine change in the near future, we stand ready to implement those changes.

We will continue to work with Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards to ensure that those who are eligible are able to easily access a flu vaccination.

Additionally, the Scottish Government will hold sessions with key stakeholders to look at how we can support improved vaccination uptake among eligible groups in winter 2025-26.

Our Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland (RCAP) sets out our vision for driving improvement in the prevention, diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people affected by respiratory conditions including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease.

There is also a significant respiratory work programme managed by the Respiratory Speciality Delivery Group within NHS Golden Jubilee. They have pathways under development for severe asthma, COPD and sleep apnoea. ILD will continue to be considered within any new respiratory programmes.

Our new Prescribing Guideline set out our ambitions for better access to respiratory care and we also have national workstreams focusing on access to pulmonary rehabilitation and smoking cessation.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) based at the Golden Jubilee Hospital is developing national pathways for respiratory conditions including severe asthma, COPD and sleep apnoea. This work to improve patient journeys aligns closely with the Respiratory Care Action Plan and we are working with CfSD to understand the implications for wider respiratory policy.

We recognise the importance of having access to meaningful data in relation to respiratory services and assessing the impact of the Respiratory Care Action Plan.

We work with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the current programmes for improving respiratory care remain relevant and make an impact. We will continue to monitor progress through various groups, including via our third sector partners, to determine next steps for implementing the Plan.

From a trunk road maintenance perspective, the following upgrades are currently being planned for the A82 in the 2025-26 financial year:

Renton Rd U/B to Cardross Rd U/B – Structural Maintenance

• Lomond Gate roundabout to Barloan Toll roundabout NB & SB - Structural Maintenance
• A82 Dalnottar Int to Dumbarton Rd Jct NB - Structural Maintenance
• Between Dunglass roundabout and Dumbuck – Drainage improvements
• A82 Invermoriston to Drumnadrochit - New northbound layby
• A82 Glen Coe - Rock slope mitigation works
• A82 Grotaig - Rock slope mitigation works
• Glenurquhart Road, Inverness – Footway improvements
• Auch Estate - Edge strip hardening works
• Stoneymollan to Luss - Junction improvements
• Glen Falloch - Vehicle restraint upgrades
• Fort William to Spean Bridge - Vehicle restraint upgrades
• A82 Lomondgate Roundabout - upgraded road markings and localised widening
• A898/A82 interchange - Road safety measures identified from an investigation in 2024/25 will be programmed for construction.
• A82 Erskine to Dunglass - installation of an advanced direction sign (pending resolution of slope remediation works)
• A82 1110 Leagann Bridge - Concrete repair
• A82 1160 Ceannside Bridge – Re-waterproofing and concrete repairs
• A82 1390 Borlum Bridge – Re-waterproofing
• A82 615 C19 Auch 4 Culvert - Verge repair
• A82 500 Allt Fionne Ghlinne N Bridge – Parapet replacement
• A82 1080 W53 Loch Lochyside 2 Retaining Wall - Gabion repairs
• A82 240 Fruin Old Bridge - Scour repairs

The exact dates for the works are still to be confirmed as all schemes are in the process of being investigated.

The consulting process provided for under sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act 1989 and the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 ensures that public bodies, communities and members of the public are consulted on proposals for electricity infrastructure. The decision whether to grant consent is taken only after careful and fair consideration of environmental information, consultee responses and public representations. The Scottish Government is committed to strengthening the pre-application consultation process by working with the UK Government on their proposed reforms to electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to addressing the gender export gap in Scotland, confirmed by the findings in the recent Gender Export Gap research report.

Recognising the significant economic potential of women-led businesses, we are determined to ensure they are supported to expand internationally.

Our delivery agencies, including Scottish Enterprise, Business Gateway, and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, play a pivotal role in delivering this support. Working with the Scottish Government, they will be instrumental in implementing the report's recommendations, providing tailored advice, assistance, and international market access opportunities to help women-led businesses succeed on the global stage. Through these efforts, we aim to foster a more inclusive and dynamic exporting landscape in Scotland.

The Gender Export Gap report and Scottish Government’s response to it is available here: Gender export gap report: response - gov.scot.