Chamber and committees

We have confirmed that the replacement of the Belford Hospital is a strategic priority, and the 2025-26 Draft Budget has provided the necessary funding to allow the development of the business case to restart. NHS Highland is responsible for the delivery of the project and should therefore be able to provide information on the timeframe for the project in due course.

Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) working in General Practice are employed by either Health Boards or by GP practices.

Data on the whole-time equivalent (WTE) ANP workforce employed directly by Health Boards is published annually by the Scottish Government in the Primary care improvement plans: implementation progress summary. This data is set out in the following table.

Following the successful handover of the MV Glen Sannox in November 2024, the draft budget for 2025-26 includes the capital funds required for the completion of Glen Rosa (vessel 802). There are also capital funds included, subject to Parliamentary approval and financial and legal due diligence, for capital investment in the shipyard to modernise operations and enhance productivity, positioning the yard to secure future contracts. Operational matters, including the utilisation of the workforce, are decisions for the yard.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a UK Government scheme that is paid for by energy suppliers and administered by Ofgem. It is a requirement of the ECO scheme that installers meet national retrofit standards and provide a guarantee. The UK Government has published advice for homeowners about their consumer rights, if insulation has been wrongly installed or the quality of workmanship and materials is unacceptable. 2.0_Green_home_energy_consumer_guide_FINAL_links.pdf

The design of the ECO scheme is set out in regulations approved by the Westminster Parliament and as directed by UK Ministers. Consumer protection, as well as regulation of the financial services sector and business regulation more generally are reserved matters for the UK Government. Consumer compensation schemes will therefore be a matter primarily for the UK Government to consider.

Scottish Ministers have repeatedly raised our concerns and proposed changes to the ECO scheme to the previous UK Government.

From 2024-25, Scottish Government are dedicating over £2.5 million annually to support health and social care staff wellbeing. This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS).

These resources play a vital role in helping the workforce manage mental health challenges and maintain their wellbeing, thus enhancing the quality of care they can provide. We will continue collaborating with leaders across the NHS to identify and address areas of stress and to explore additional actions to support staff including physiotherapists.

The Scottish Government’s strategic priorities are to shift the balance of care closer to people's homes and drive a proactive approach of early intervention and prevention, which will help reduce demand for acute care.

We are increasing capacity and access to Primary Care by the end of 2026, through our reform programme, shifting the balance of care to preventative and community-based support. This will be done by improving the use of multi-disciplinary working to support better, patient-centred care pathways and improve service capacity in GP and frontline community services, including additional funding to support the Primary Care Phased Investment Programme.

We are committed to ensuring that people living in Scotland with long-term conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred. Action which the Scottish Government is taking includes:

• an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan backed by £70 million. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.
• Funding the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) with a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in IBD care which is being taken forward through the MPPP’s National Gastroenterology Speciality Delivery Group (SDG). They have developed a national IBD pathway for NHS Scotland which is due to be published imminently.
• Developing a lower gastrointestinal pathway which will provide primary care guidance about testing and diagnosis for people with IBD and Coeliac Disease in Scotland.

The BSc Paramedic Science course launched in 2020 with the first cohort of paramedic students graduating in 2023, and the most recent cohort graduating in September 2024. Data for the last five academic years is therefore not available as only two cohorts have completed the three-year degree programme. Data for the 2020 intake who graduated in 2023 is the only publicly available data at this time and this is outlined in the following table:

The Scottish Government is launching a public consultation on Community Benefits from Net Zero Energy Developments on 19 December 2024, which will be open until 11 April 2025. This consultation is part of our review of the ‘Good Practice Principles’ for community benefits from onshore and offshore renewable energy developments. Through the consultation and stakeholder engagement, we want to gather a wide range of views from across communities, industry and public and third sector stakeholders to ensure that our guidance supports sustainable and meaningful outcomes.

The consultation on Regulation and Licensing of Non-surgical cosmetic procedures will be published tomorrow, 20 December 2024 at 10:00. I would encourage members of the public to respond to the consultation, to help us to prepare regulations for non-surgical cosmetic procedures that are proportionate, robust and future-proofed. The consultation will close on 14 February 2025.

This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who reply in writing within 20 days.