Chamber and committees

The Minister for Victims and Community Safety said during Stage 1 of the Prostitution (Offences and Support) Scotland Bill on 3 February, that work to establish an independent Commission would commence immediately. I am pleased to announce that Fiona Taylor QPM has today been appointed to Chair the Independent Commission on the Criminalisation of the Purchase of Sex in Scotland and will begin work straight away.

Fiona Taylor brings significant experience to the issues and challenges engaged in this important area of work, having had a distinguished career including serving as Deputy Chief Constable and Interim Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

The Commission will provide recommendations to Ministers on how to safely and effectively criminalise the purchase of sex in Scotland with particular focus on ensuing any new offence is operationally effective and enforceable and identifying the requirements of a deliverable and sustainable support package for those who wish to exit prostitution. The Commission will report to Ministers within 12 months of commencing.

Recognising the value and importance of lived experience will be at the heart of the Commission. The Chair will be supported by expert members who will be appointed in due course.

Social Security Scotland does not measure the average processing time for accepting a power of attorney, and does not have a target for this.

I am pleased to announce that following a positive evaluation from Transport Scotland, I have agreed that free rail travel for companions accompanying blind NEC + 1 cardholders can be made permanent from 1 April 2026.

The evaluation found that a significant majority of surveyed cardholders who used the free companion offer, increased their number of journeys on rail, experienced a range of benefits from increased activity and indicated they are less likely to require dedicated staff assistance as a result of travelling with a companion. The final evaluation report can be found at Transport Scotland’s website at;

https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/blind-companion-free-rail-travel-pilot-evaluation-report/

Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans have received overwhelmingly positive feedback to the free companion rail travel pilot scheme. Cardholders and their companions have consistently highlighted the profound impact it has had on their independence, confidence and quality of life.

NEC + 1 cardholders and their companion will continue to have the convenience of being waved onto rail services by displaying their card. Free travel is available on all ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper services at stations within Scotland and to Carlisle or Berwick Upon Tweed.

The 8,000 NEC + 1 cardholders and their companion can now travel free on bus, ferry and rail services across Scotland, this concession is only available in Scotland and not replicated in other parts of Britain, reflecting the choices we can make through public ownership of our own railway.

The regulation of veterinary medicines is a reserved matter for the UK Government. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for market authorisation of antibiotics and undertaking appropriate monitoring. It also publishes sectoral antibiotic sales and usage figures annually in its Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance Sales and Surveillance (VARSS) Report.

VMD works in partnership with various animal sectors to develop, facilitate and coordinate antibiotic usage data collection systems. These data are reported on a voluntary basis and, for salmon farming, cover both freshwater and marine production. Data is collected by Salmon Scotland representing 100% of the salmon farming sector. Recently Salmon Scotland discovered an error in their 2024 return which was swiftly corrected and is now reflected in the VMD’s 2024 report.

For the purpose of environmental protection, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) places licence conditions on marine fish farm operators to record and report antibiotic treatments to SEPA, including the product and volume used. Figures for 2024 remain unchanged.

Figures published by SEPA and VMD are inherently different as they each report on different phases of production.

Scottish Government confirmed that Salmon Scotland identified an error in its 2024 antibiotic usage figures submitted to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and that it would correct the public record and in future introduce additional verification of their antibiotic usage data collection and reporting system.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44092 on 11 March 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44072 on 11 March 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

Funding for this Service has not been withdrawn. As the Scottish National Pain Management Programme (SNPMP) is now an established national specialist service, it is now funded in the same way as all other national specialist services, with money top sliced from NHS Boards’ core funding allocations to contribute to the service.

NHS Boards began to contribute to covering the cost of the SNPMP through top slicing from 2024-2025, with the Scottish Government providing the remainder of the funding. As of 2025-2026, the service is funded entirely through top slicing, in line with other national specialist services.

The Scottish National Pain Management Programme is a designated national specialist service. This means that anyone resident in Scotland who meets the criteria can be referred to the Programme and seen by the Programme. This ensures equity of access to all patients across Scotland.

The Service is now funded in its entirety through this national funding mechanism. There are no additional costs to NHS Boards or to individual patients to access this service.

Reducing endometriosis diagnosis times continues to be a priority for the Scottish Government.

This year we have invested £13 million in additional funding to Health Boards to target long waits for gynaecology.

We are beginning to see the impact of that investment, with waits coming down. Gynaecology waits of more than a year were down 44.6% for new outpatients and down 21.8% for inpatient and day-case procedures between July 2025 and January 2026.

We have also funded free endometriosis training resources for healthcare professionals.

Phase Two of our Women’s Health Plan, launched this January, sets out the action we will take to respond to the concerns of women across Scotland. This includes a commitment to transform gynaecology services, ensuring the timely provision of high-quality gynaecological care. Phase Two also includes a set of actions which contribute to our overarching aim to reduce diagnosis times for all menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis.

The Scottish Government is committed to sustaining the objectives of the Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan (the Plan) and associated funding commitments beyond 2026. The Plan sets out our long-term strategic direction for alcohol and drugs policy through to 2035.

The Plan is a key component of our broader health and social care reform frameworks including the Service Renewal Framework (SRF) and Population Health Framework (PHF), both of which also run until 2035.

Funding for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships is already provided on a multiyear basis to ensure long term delivery. Budget requirements to deliver on the commitments contained in the Plan have been considered in the Scottish Spending Review covering the period 2026-2029.

To ensure delivery and continuity across parliamentary sessions, governance and oversight – as set out in the Plan – will be aligned with the SRF and PHF.

We are disappointed to see the results of the Endometriosis UK survey and are clear action is needed to address endometriosis diagnosis times. That is why we have invested £13 million in additional funding to Health Boards this year to target long waits for gynaecology.

Reducing diagnosis times for endometriosis continues to be one of the key aims of the Women’s Health Plan. Phase Two of our Women’s Health Plan, launched this January, sets out the action we will take to respond to the concerns of women across Scotland. This includes a commitment to transform gynaecology services, ensuring the timely provision of high-quality gynaecological care. Phase Two also includes a set of actions which contribute to our overarching aim to reduce diagnosis times for all menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis.