Chamber and committees

In 2018, the Fair Isle Electricity Company (FIEC) secured £1.5 million funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) and £250,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This funding helped to establish a new energy system which delivered a 24-hour supply of electricity for the first time.

FIEC has previously been offered funding to support renewable energy projects on the island through the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). CARES continues to provide support for communities across Scotland to develop their own renewable energy projects, and we encourage FIEC to engage with Local Energy Scotland, who administer the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The outcome of the regional Project Gigabit in Scotland (PGiS) procurement which covers Orkney and Shetland - also known as Lot 6 - is expected to be announced shortly after the May 2026 election.

Modest changes in contract award dates are common in complex procurements such as PGiS, which require robust due diligence and assessment to ensure all underlying funding requirements are met. We must also be cognisant of the pre-election period which takes effect from 26 March 2026.

Electric vehicles are carried by the current operator in line with standard booking requirements. Serco Northlink Ferries applies additional safety measures by identifying and segregating EVs on board, in accordance with evolving maritime regulations, and provides EV charging facilities at all terminals.

As part of the next iteration of the NIFS4 contract we will continue to ensure that the service allows those who wish to travel with an electric vehicle to do so in accordance with operational requirements and applicable safety regulations.

The Scottish Government recognises the progress being made at SaxaVord as the UK’s first fully licensed spaceport and the important role it can play in supporting Scotland’s ambition to develop a thriving space industry.

We are supporting the continued progress of the space sector through a range of levers. Our Cluster Development Programme is being established through collaboration across the public sector, academic, and industry to build excellence in areas where Scotland has strong assets such as Advanced Manufacturing within the Space sector. And through the activities of our Space Trade and Investment Envoy and Scottish Development International, we are promoting Scotland’s space capabilities to a global audience. We will also continue to work in partnership with the UK Government to leverage a greater share of available funding for space projects in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is confident that establishing sovereign launch capability from Scotland’s spaceports, including SaxaVord in Shetland, will help accelerate the growth of our space sector and strengthen Scotland’s position as a key player in the space economy.

The Scottish Government does not currently gather data specifically relating to the activity of veterans’ start-up businesses, however we know from Scotland’s Census in 2022 that around 10,000 veterans identified as self-employed.

With a new UK wide Veterans’ Strategy published in November 2025 and a Scottish Government commitment to refresh the 2022 Action Plan this year, the range of information gathered in relation to veterans in Scotland will be considered. We will, in formulating our Action Plan, be considering whether we need data to either assess whether there is any disadvantage faced by veterans in establishing businesses or in order to pinpoint success worth celebrating.

I last met with the Scottish Veterans Commissioner (SVC) on 4 December 2025 to discuss matters relating to veterans housing.

At that meeting, several actions were agreed, which are now being taken forward by Scottish Government officials. These include, updating the housing guide for service leavers on the Scottish Government website and working with the Scottish Veterans Housing Group on the top priorities for the veterans’ homelessness prevention pathway.

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.

The Scottish Government provides Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) funding on an annual basis in line with standard public finance arrangements. Any underspends are managed in accordance with the Scottish Public Finance Manual and local year-end financial processes, which provide an established mechanism for the treatment of funding across financial years.

Under these arrangements there are mechanisms for ADPs to carry forward underspends under specific circumstances where funding has been earmarked or legally committed for activity planned in future financial years.

Decisions on carry-forward rests with Integration Authorities, subject to the agreed governance and financial controls in place locally.

The Government continues to engage regularly with ADPs, Integration Authorities and finance leads to ensure that funding arrangements remain clear and support flexible delivery of Alcohol and Drug Services.