Chamber and committees

Scotland’s economy remains one of the best performing parts of the UK with GDP per person in Scotland growing by 10.3%, compared to 6.1% in the UK and productivity has grown at an average rate of 1.1% per year compared to the UK average of 0.4% since 2007. Despite figures in Quarter 1 of 2025 showing GDP to be lower in Scotland compared to the UK, the pace of growth increased from 0.1% in the last quarter of 2024 to 0.4%.

The Scottish Government published its National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) in 2022, setting out a ten year transformation plan with the objective of creating a fair, green and growing economy and establishing Scotland as a world-class entrepreneurial nation and ensuring that our businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services are more innovative and productive than they have ever been. This year’s Programme for Government sets out specific actions that we will take to grow the economy over the remainder of this parliamentary term.

However, reserved powers on crucial issues such as trade and migration, and the damage of Brexit, all impact Scotland’s economic growth and can create challenging conditions for Scottish businesses. With our limited powers, we are maximising opportunities for economic growth in Scotland.

Ferguson Marine was brought into public ownership in 2019 to ensure completion of the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa vessels at Port Glasgow and to retain commercial shipbuilding on the Clyde. During that time, the Scottish Government has supported the business with £32 million of funding to support operating costs and capital investment.

The Scottish Government regularly meets with UK Government counterparts at official and ministerial levels and on a bilateral and multilateral basis, to discuss shared priorities, including economic growth. The Scottish Government continues to build on this dialogue to deliver joint action and deeper collaboration in this space. For example, the Scottish Business Growth Group, a cross-government forum jointly chaired by the Minister for Business, and Secretary of State for Scotland brings together ministers from both governments alongside business representatives. I have also recently written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and UK Secretaries of State on the importance of deepening cooperation including aligning devolved and reserved powers to accelerate delivery and maximise the impact of economic growth for Scotland and the UK

Scottish Government recognises the challenges facing oncology services and our workforce as demand increases across NHS Scotland. We are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Board and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way.

We have established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service pressures. It provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer.

We continue to take action to address workforce pressures. Actions include expanding the Clinical Oncology and Medical Oncology specialty training programmes and providing £6.6 million of additional funding to Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and Acute Oncology to increase regional working, workforce recruitment and to maximise capacity across the existing workforce.

More than £106 million has been allocated to NHS Boards in 2025-26 to address waiting times, with £21 million for imaging. We will reduce the radiology backlog so that 95% of referrals are seen within six weeks by March 2026, through expanding to seven-day services, recruitment, and utilising mobile scanning units.

This information is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland publish information on participation (contact with an NHS dentist) and this can be found at:

NHS dental data monitoring report - Quarter ending March 2025 - NHS dental data monitoring report - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The Scottish Government Cancer Quality Performance Indicators (QPI) programme are vital in ensuring people have access to safe, effective, and person-centred care across Scotland and provides regular assessments of various aspects of cancer care. We work with regional cancer networks to ensure that NHS Boards meet these national standards of quality in cancer services and address any areas of concern to ensure equitable care.

Further to this, Scottish Government established the National Oncology Coordination Group to provide a coordinated and collaborative response to immediate and foreseeable service and capacity pressures. It provides rapid real-time assessment of highest risk services and proactively develops risk mitigation proposals across regions, in line with the overall strategic aim for cancer.

The Scottish Government and its subsidiaries apply the policies and principles set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) to any procurement, as well as adhering to Scottish Procurement legislation.

I refer the Member to the answer to the question S6W-38424 on 18 June 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

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund initially ran from 2017 to 2020, and was then extended to October 2021 due to the impacts of covid-19. It was superseded by a revised funding programme: the current Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund was used to fund projects that would contribute to one or more of four outcomes:

• Discrimination against people who share protected characteristics is reduced and multiple discrimination is addressed so that barriers to participation are reduced.
• People covered by hate crime legislation experience lower levels of hate crime.
• People and communities are supported to participate in and engage with services and civic society; their contribution is recognised, and community cohesion is increased.
• Current imbalances in representation in all aspects and levels of public life, including education and employment are addressed to better reflect our communities

The Empowering, Engaging, and Connecting Diverse Communities project was funded to support the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities (SCOJEC) to improve understanding by providing public bodies and others with evidence about matters that affect Jewish people, and promoting accurate education about Jews and Judaism; and to build capacity of Jewish people by engaging them through networks, newsletters, events, mutual support, to improve resilience to hate crime, increase confidence, safety, and involvement in Scottish society. As well as to expand volunteering and empower minority communities to engage in civic society.

The specific outcomes to be achieved were:

• Improved community cohesion and safety: people with Jewish heritage feel better supported, networks are strengthened, people feel better able and more confident in reporting antisemitic hate crime, and the Jewish Community as a whole is more cohesive and resilient.
• Education and community cohesion: accurate, authoritative, and engaging educational materials about Jews, Judaism, and the Jewish Community are available for schools, teachers, and community groups; and accurate information is provided for, and accessed by, government, public authorities, other communities and the media.
• Participation and representation: Minority communities will be better informed about policy matters and better able to engage effectively with public bodies, including Government, in order to tackle racism and inequality, promote the rights and political empowerment of those communities to influence policy and service delivery, and to support the effective implementation of the public sector equality duty. Since evident that the resource is produced by a Jewish organisation, it will also engender positive feelings towards the Jewish community, and thus contribute to improved community relations and a reduction in antisemitic attitudes.

The Fund was managed on a day to day basis on the Scottish Government’s behalf by Impact Funding Partners initially and then Inspiring Scotland. You can find a Final Progress Update report for the Fund summarising its impacts here: Promoting-Equality-and-Cohesion-Fund-Final-Report-Jan-Sep-2021-for-SG-publication.pdf

Following a review of the impact of the Regional Improvement Collaboratives, I confirmed to Parliament in 2023 that funding would be tapered in 2024-25 and repurposed thereafter, including to support the establishment of the Centre for Teaching Excellence.

The following table shows funding that has been provided to support the work of each Regional Improvement Collaborative (RIC), in each of the last five financial years: