Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00406 on 2 June 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.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing support to the City of Glasgow to complete the refurbishment of the People’s Palace and Winter Gardens to see them reopened to the public. We are currently awaiting an update regarding the restoration project which will inform a decision on what support is needed, as well as a revised timescales for reopening.

Through Scotland’s Rare Disease Action Plan, we are taking forward actions to improve support for people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and related conditions, including hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). This includes work to support earlier diagnosis, increase awareness among healthcare professionals, and improve coordination of care and access to services. The Rare Disease Action Plan Progress Report, published on 27 February 2026, provides an update on progress to date.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, the delivery of healthcare services is the responsibility of local NHS Health Boards, in line with national guidance and population needs.

Through Scotland’s Rare Disease Action Plan, we are taking forward actions to improve support for people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and related conditions, including hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD). This includes work to support earlier diagnosis, increase awareness among healthcare professionals, and improve coordination of care and access to services. The Rare Disease Action Plan Progress Report, published on 27 February 2026, provides an update on progress to date.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, the delivery of healthcare services is the responsibility of local NHS Health Boards, in line with national guidance and population needs.

(a) As noted in our 100-day commitment, we will launch a public consultation on a display ban of vapes and nicotine pouches as part of our on-going implementation of the 2026 Tobacco and Vapes Act (the Act). We also continue to work with the 4-nations on policies concerning restrictions on the packaging and device appearance of vapes using powers in the Act. Decisions on further legislative restrictions on displays, packaging and device appearance of vapes will be dependent on the outcome of consultations. As a result of the Act a free distribution and nominal pricing offence comes into force for vaping products on 29 October 2026 and from 1 June 2027 a comprehensive ban on advertising vapes will come into force.

(b) There are currently no plans to introduce regulations regarding the storage of lithium-ion batteries. However, the storage of lithium-ion batteries, which are used in a range of products, should be informed by a fire risk assessment carried out by a competent fire risk assessor. Fire risk assessments are already a legal requirement for duty holders of all relevant (non-domestic) premises.

There is currently no fully established national clinical pathway for Ehlers–Danlos Syndromes (EDS) or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders (HSD) specifically commissioned by NHS Scotland.

The development and implementation of clinical pathways is led by NHS under established clinical governance arrangements and informed by clinical evidence and service needs.

Where proposals are put forward for pathway development, these are considered through established, clinically led processes by NHS and relevant national delivery partners.

As outlined in my response to question S6W-44015, audit recommendations regarding this decision will be implemented by Glasgow City Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) officers, who are accountable to the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board (IJB) Finance, Audit and Scrutiny Committee.

All of the audit recommendations were accepted by Glasgow City IJB management, with implementation completion dates of 31 January 2026 to 30 June 2026.

The HSCP has advised that wider organisational learning will also be applied as an outcome of this implementation process.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Health Boards and Local Authorities and it is ultimately for local partners to agree a joint, integrated budget which will enable them to meet the needs of local people in line with their Strategic Objectives. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to intervene in relation to specific local decisions.

While we cannot intervene in decisions made by IJBs, we have facilitated engagement between health boards and HSCPs around the commissioning of support services for Huntington’s Disease. We continue to encourage all partners to work together to find solutions that put the needs of local people at the centre of decision making.

Throughout 2025-26, all Boards were expected to incrementally ramp-up activity as the capacity provided by the £22 million additional funding operationalised, with some high volume initiatives commencing in the latter part of the year.

All Boards are making every effort to achieve this target.

The Scottish Government works with Health Boards through planning to make best use of existing NHS resources and capacity, it is for Health Boards locally to determine how they use the private sector and to agree any contractual arrangements. The Scottish Government no longer provides direct funding to private providers for planned care, therefore, this information is not held.

The Scottish Government monitors wider trends across all sectors, including the print industry, through Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

As our national skills body, SDS has operational responsibility for managing apprenticeship funding and delivery, and regularly monitors demand across all sectors, including print related frameworks.

We will continue to work with key stakeholders to assess sectoral skill needs across the economy and ensure that all sectors, including those in the print industry, can access appropriate support where required.