Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not request this information from hospitals regarding their individual systems and therefore does not hold it.

Both Ministers and Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with senior representatives of all NHS Boards, including NHS Grampian.

The Scottish Government has been working very closely with NHS Grampian in relation to the recent pressures on local services. I attended a meeting with the Board leadership team, including the Chair and Interim Chief Executive, and local elected representatives on 29 November 2024 to discuss the Board’s operational resilience plan and cover the actions underway to resume business as usual at the earliest opportunity.

The Green Heat Finance Taskforce met on 16 July 2024 and 9 October 2024. The Taskforce’s next meeting is scheduled for 15 January 2025 when it will seek to finalise its Part 2 report.

The Scottish Government considers that, if one or more juror is excused during a trial, that should not place the accused person at a disadvantage or an advantage: the majority required for a conviction should not fluctuate depending on the number of jurors who remain. The Scottish Government therefore considers that the requirement for at least a two thirds majority should remain constant in cases where the jury reduces in size. Specifically, the Government's proposal is that:

• in the case of a jury consisting of 14 or 15 jurors, at least 10 jurors must be in favour of a guilty verdict for a conviction,
• in the case of a jury consisting of 13 jurors, at least 9 jurors must be in favour of a guilty verdict for a conviction, and
• in the case of a jury consisting of 12 jurors, at least 8 jurors must be in favour of a guilty verdict for a conviction.

The Government will be bringing forward Stage 2 amendments to the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill which, if passed, would set these thresholds for conviction.

To address delayed discharge and reduce waiting lists, £200 million has been allocated in the 2025-26 Budget. Funding will be targeted at specialties with long waits to ensure that by March 2026, no patient will wait longer than 12 months for a new outpatient appointment or inpatient / day case treatment.

Scottish Ministers are currently considering all the available information on bovine EID and technology and any potential impacts it may have, including on trade. This includes the results and analysis of the Consultation on Cattle ID and Traceability held earlier this year.

The Scottish Government officials are in regular discussions with the other UK administrations on bovine EID. Furthermore, The Scottish Government supported a meeting with NFUS and DG Sante on this matter held earlier this year. No concerns were raised by EU officials on the use of UHF in Scotland.

The draft 2025-26 Budget, which is subject to Parliamentary approval, has funding allocated to provide free bus travel for asylum seekers in the 2025-26 financial year. Further information on delivery will be provided in due course.

We are committed to exploring if we can extend free bus travel to all people seeking asylum on a longer term basis before the end of the current parliamentary session, subject to the successful passage of a Scottish Budget containing this issue and an agreed way forward on the policy in terms of practical delivery.

People seeking asylum in Scotland who are currently eligible for free bus travel through the statutory National Concessionary Travel Schemes, including those under 22, aged 60 and over and those with disabilities, will continue to be able to make use of their entitlement.

The draft 2025-26 Budget, which is subject to Parliamentary approval, has allocated funding to provide free bus travel for asylum seekers in the 2025-26 financial year. Further information will be provided in due course.

People seeking asylum in Scotland who are currently eligible for free bus travel through the statutory National Concessionary Travel Schemes, including those under 22, aged 60 and over and those with disabilities, will continue to be able to make use of their entitlement.

The supply of sharps boxes and management of their return is linked to prescribing practice and contract arrangements between the health board and its contractors. Therefore, specific arrangements in any health board area would require to be requested from the local health board or, for patients, their prescribing physician would advise as to arrangements.