Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-30385 on 25 October 2024. 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 most recent, May 2026 timetable has also seen the four trains per hour frequency being adjusted to operate later in the day on Saturdays; now operating between 10:30 and 18:00, to better reflect passenger demand.

The Scottish Government provides a range of schemes to support GP, dentist and consultant recruitment and retention in rural and island communities. This includes:

• The Rediscover the Joy project, which recruits experienced GPs to provide support to island and rural practices who require short-term GP cover.
• Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) offer a Credential in Rural and Remote Health, focused on unscheduled and urgent care. The programme establishes a clear career pathway into remote and rural medicine and aims to support flexible career development and help attract and retain clinicians by providing formal recognition for their skills.
• The PSDS Rural Fellowship in General Practice offers qualified GPs the opportunity to develop the generalist skills required for rural and island areas through working in a range of clinical settings.
• ScotGEM is a four-year graduate entry medical programme, tailored to meet the current and future needs of the NHS in Scotland and focuses on rural medicine and healthcare improvement.
• Working with stakeholders to develop a national strategy for the dental workforce in Scotland, to ensure we can deliver sustainable access to dental services into the future.
• The Centre for Workforce Supply (CWS) and the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care (NCRRHC) have developed a sustained model of direct support to provide rural and island health and social care employers with the help they need to improve recruitment success.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00174 on 5 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

There is currently no fully established national clinical pathway for Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) or hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) specifically commissioned by NHS Scotland.

Clinical pathways, including any dedicated pathways for EDS or HSD, can be developed by individual NHS boards under established clinical governance arrangements, informed by clinical evidence, service needs and local population need.

Where proposals are put forward for pathway development, these are considered through established, clinically led processes by NHS and relevant national delivery partners.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00628 on 5 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 work of Clyde Gateway has been instrumental in the delivery of large scale physical, social and economic transformation across the east end of Glasgow.

We are committed to taking steps towards the establishment of an Urban Development Company for Glasgow to act as a strategic driver of growth in our largest city.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on 2 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 has not undertaken a separate national assessment of emissions associated with gas and diesel back up generation for hyperscale data centres. An assessment of environmental impacts is undertaken aspart of the planning process for individual developments.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on 2 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.

Gynaecology - Waiting to access gynaecology related treatment can cause women anxiety and delays are unacceptable. Last year we allocated £13 million of additional funding to health boards to target long waits for gynaecology. We are beginning to see the impact of that of that investment, with waits going down and we are determined to build on that momentum, ensuring women receive the treatment they need as soon as possible. Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan was published in January 2026 which includes specific actions and steps to help reduce waiting times.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes statistics on stages of treatment waiting times for gynaecology by board and length of wait. The most recent report was published on 26 May 2026 and can be found at: Stage of treatment waiting times – new outpatients, inpatients and day cases 26 May 2026 - Stage of treatment waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Menopause - We do not hold data on waiting times for menopause related treatment.

However we want all women to have timely access to menopause support and services when required. Through the delivery of the first Women’s Health Plan, published in 2021, we took action to improve menopause care and support for women.

Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan published in January 2026, has menopause as a focus of that plan with targeted actions to raise awareness and provide reliable information; commission research; ensure more support for complex menopause care and continuing to deliver education and training for healthcare professionals to help them best support their patients.

Chronic Pain - The Scottish Government understands the impact waiting for treatment can have on people with chronic pain. NHS boards are continuing to effectively deliver pain management services during extremely challenging circumstances over the last few years. We know that performance is not where it needs to be and we continue to work closely with the boards facing the greatest challenges, to drive down waiting times and improve services for patients and staff.

We remain committed to improving the experience of those living with long term conditions in Scotland. That is why we will continue working with people with lived experience, the third sector and clinicians to develop our way forward for long term conditions, including chronic pain.

This will build on the work undertaken by the Long Term Conditions Advisory Groups established under the previous government. We are now carefully considering their recommendations to inform our way forward.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes quarterly official statistics on waiting times for pain management services, reported against the national 12 week new outpatient standard. The most recent report was published on 10 March 2026, for the quarter ending 31 December 2025, and is available on the PHS website. However, these data are not disaggregated by sex so we are unable to provide this. The full data set can be found here: Waiting times for pain management services - Quarter ending 31 December 2025 - Waiting times for pain management services - Publications - Public Health Scotland.