- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-29546 by Shona Robison on 17 September 2024, and regarding any implications for the Scottish Budget, what its position is on whether it considers "Westminster austerity" to be ongoing or to have ended, and what justification it has for such a conclusion.
Answer
Westminster austerity does continue to impact on public services. For example, the increase to employers’ national insurance without fully funding the impact of this on public service delivery has the impact of reducing the actual funding for delivery of programmes and was taken forward by the UK Government irrespective of the impact of that reduction on the outcomes of those programmes and activity.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish a full impact assessment of any new tax proposals by the end of the current financial year.
Answer
The Scottish Government recently published the Tax Strategy for Scotland, which along with Scottish Budget 2025-26 and the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, sets out the next steps in our approach to tax, identifying priorities to support economic growth and Government objectives of eradicating child poverty, tackling the climate emergency and improving public services.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether any increasing welfare costs will require higher taxation in Scotland.
Answer
Projections for social security costs in the coming years are established in the recently published Medium-Term Financial Strategy. Our approach to taxation is established in the Tax Strategy, which has already set out that we will not introduce any new bands or increase the rates of Scottish Income Tax in this parliament.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care received a formal briefing on cancer waiting time data during his recent visit to Japan.
Answer
I was informed of the publication of cancer waiting times, scheduled for 24 June 2025, and provided with pre-release access to the statistics on 19 June 2025.
- Asked by: Edward Mountain, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to consult on the proposed measures in the revised Heat in Buildings legislation before its publication.
Answer
We consulted on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill between November 2023 and March 2024, in response to which we received a wide a range of views. We recently outlined our intention to introduce a revised Heat in Buildings Bill during this Parliamentary session, which builds upon many of the issues raised in response to the consultation – including ensuring that it does not negatively affect those in or at risk of fuel poverty. There may be some elements on which we decide to seek further views; however, we will do this directly with key stakeholders to ensure that we meet legislative timeframes.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness and Nairn, Independent
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the ministerial statement on the 2024-25 provisional outturn on 24 June 2025, and the response by the Minister for Public Finance regarding whether he will report to the Parliament before making any awards under phase 2 of the Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund, which closed for applications on 27 May 2025, whether it will publish details of all the applications received, including the address of the building, a brief description of the works to be undertaken, the value of the building, the amount of the grant sought and the amount of any grant being considered, and whether it will propose the scheduling of a ministerial statement on this matter prior to any decisions being taken on the awarding of grants.
Answer
This funding supports public bodies to lead by example and take early and sustained action to achieve the priorities of the forthcoming Heat in Buildings Bill and decarbonise the public sector estate to reach net zero by 2045. It is anticipated that funding awards will be issued in August 2025 and details of successful projects – including recipient organisation, building location(s), grant awarded, and project overview – will be published later in 2025.
The value of building(s) in scope will not be published. The rateable value of a building is not the only measure of value for money and there are other relevant factors to consider when assessing options for how best to achieve a decarbonised public sector estate. It is also imperative that public bodies have quality, efficient premises which reduce energy costs and that they reside in areas which meet the needs of the essential services they provide.
The Scottish Government does not publish details of unsuccessful projects; however, all applications undergo robust technical assessment, and funding is offered only to projects that clearly meet the objectives of the scheme and have the potential to progress to deployment, driving value for money from our investment.
Parliament will be informed of the outcome of Phase 2 of Scotland’s Public Sector Heat Decarbonisation Fund once the application assessment process has concluded.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding Scotland’s participation in the nuclear energy programme, which was announced in the UK Spending Review 2025.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38932 on 22 July 2025. 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.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs it estimates have been lost in Scotland due to its policy against the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested and has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government regarding Scotland's participation in the nuclear energy programme.
The Scottish Government has been clear that it does not support the building of new nuclear power stations under current technologies due to the legacy of radioactive waste that is created and the cost of nuclear development. Regarding cost, the Seventh Carbon Budget, published in March 2025, shows that the unit cost of onshore wind capacity in 2025 is £1410/KW compared to £12920/KW for nuclear.
The Scottish Government is instead focussed on supporting the deployment of renewables, which are both cheaper and faster to deploy than nuclear. This focus is delivering benefits to Scotland’s people and economy, with the Fraser of Allander Institute Report, published in May 2025, finding that Scotland hosts a thriving renewable energy sector, which supported approximately £15.5 billion of output, £6.6 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA), and more than 47,000 jobs in 2022.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve safety in maternity settings and prevent avoidable death and injury to babies, in light of reports of NHS boards awarding £74 million in compensation in cases of baby death or injury since 2019.
Answer
The Scottish Government has commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) to develop a set of maternity standards designed to drive improvements in care at a local level, expected to publish in Spring 2026. Further to this, HIS introduced its Safe Delivery of Care in acute settings maternity inspection programme in January 2025. These inspections provide independent assessments of maternity services and can provide reassurance to all parents and families, as well as identifying opportunities for improvement and learning for NHS Boards.
In parallel, our Scottish Patient Safety Perinatal Improvement Programme continues to work with maternity services across Scotland to drive improvements in care for mothers and babies. The Programme supports NHS Boards to improve outcomes in a number of ways, including a focus on reducing stillbirth, neonatal mortality and morbidity.
In the last 20 years, our infant mortality rate has fallen by 28%, our neonatal death rate by 22% and our stillbirth rate by nearly 40%. We recognise that there is always more we can do, however, and the Scottish Government remains committed to continuous improvement in maternity services and to learning from adverse events and outcomes. We expect all NHS Boards in Scotland to use the Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT) to review all stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Undertaking robust, high quality reviews in a timely manner, in line with the standardised approach laid out in the Maternity and Neonatal (Perinatal) Adverse Event Review Process for Scotland will improve understanding at a local and national level of where improvements in care need to be made.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 22 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to implement the World Health Organization’s resolution on reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases through promotion of kidney health and strengthening prevention and control of kidney disease, particularly in relation to ensuring equitable access to psychosocial support services for people with chronic kidney disease, as highlighted in the Kidney Care UK report, 'Left to get on with it': The real impact of inadequate psychosocial support in kidney care, published in June 2025.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Chronic Kidney Disease are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.
We are running our public consultation on the Long Term Conditions Framework from 23 April to 20 July 2025. This is available at Health: Long Term Conditions Framework - Scottish Government consultations - Citizen Space.
We will take the results of the consultation into account when developing the framework which will include identifying areas where targeted condition-specific action will still be needed.
The Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors programme launched by the Chief Medical Officer in April 2025 aims to improve early identification of CVD risk factors and work with people to manage their disease. This will help people reduce or eliminate their risks, or prevent the escalation of their disease to further severity, such as the development of kidney failure.
Our shared vision is of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible. We recognise that a highly effective mental health system must address all levels of need. It means recognising and responding to the many underlying social determinants, circumstances and inequalities that can affect people's mental health and wellbeing. Actions contained in The Scottish Government’s Mental Health Delivery Plan cover a wide spectrum, from maintaining good mental wellbeing, to support in communities, to ensuring those experiencing physical ill health, such as kidney disease, are supported.
