Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is clear that there should be no unnecessary delays in responding to patients, regardless of their location. The Scottish Ambulance Service’s 2025-26 budget is £437.2 million. This represents increased investment of £88 million from 2024-25, including additional funding to provide for prior year pay deals as well as a range of funding to support vital frontline services, including in rural and island communities.

In its role as the statutory reporter on the National Park proposal, NatureScot made recommendations on ways in which existing structures in the South of Scotland could be further strengthened. These include:

• a stronger role and a long-term funding arrangement for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with a stronger focus on nature recovery and community wealth-building;
• a more integrated approach to the planning and management of the Galloway Forest Park, with additional funding allocated to nature restoration, recreation and tourism;
• refreshed management strategies by Dumfries and Galloway Council for the coastal National Scenic Areas, and the completion of the coastal path as a key visitor attraction for the area;
• sustained investment in access and visitor management across the area building on the existing community led approaches such as Whithorn and Loch Doon;
• progress with the implementation of the regional land-use strategy for the area; and
• on-going support for the work of the Solway Firth Partnership.

We are grateful for these suggestions and will now take time to reflect on them.

As a starting point, I undertook a visit to Newton Stewart and the Galloway Forest Park in July, where I discussed the recommendations in NatureScot’s report with the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, Forestry and Land Scotland and South of Scotland Enterprise. We will now take some time to give deeper consideration to the reporter’s recommendations and consider how best existing arrangements in the area could be strengthened.

Earlier this year, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere received a new funding package from South of Scotland Enterprise to support its important work tackling the climate and biodiversity crises and supporting sustainable development in the region.

The Scottish Government will issue a monitoring template to NHS Boards shortly asking them to report on their progress towards implementation of the priority now actions set out in the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland.

Once the NHS Board responses have been received and analysed we will consider how best to share information on progress.

The Scottish Government has not yet received feedback from NHS Boards. We will issue a monitoring template to Boards shortly asking them to report on their progress towards implementation of the priority now actions set out in the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland.

I confirmed in Parliament on 29 May that, in light of the consultation findings and the reporter’s conclusions, the Scottish Government will not proceed with the designation of a National Park in Galloway and Ayrshire.

In its role as the statutory reporter, NatureScot has made recommendations on ways in which existing structures in the region could be further strengthened. South of Scotland Enterprise has also suggested there could be benefits in exploring an alternative approach.

We are grateful for these suggestions and will now take time to reflect on them and give them deeper consideration.

We are already investing in the South of Scotland to reduce carbon emissions, enhance and restore nature, support our rural industries and deliver growth and jobs that enable the area and its people to flourish.

This includes the £85 million we have committed to the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal to drive sustainable economic growth across the south of Scotland.

Projects supported through the growth deal include the Dairy Nexus located in Dumfries which will use cutting edge technology to boost dairy sector innovation, productivity and sustainability. It also includes the River Tweed Walking and Cycling Route, which will grow the region’s tourism offer, and a range of other measures to improve places, deliver sustainable energy solutions, enable businesses to expand and create jobs and further develop the skills and talent base for current and future employers

Growing our economy is one of this government’s top priorities. Scotland’s regional economies are key to delivering the strong, dynamic and flourishing economy we all want to see.

Our dedicated enterprise agency, South of Scotland Enterprise, continues to deliver real, tangible benefits for businesses and communities in the South.

Last year, the agency invested £13.7m million in business and community enterprises and £5.7 million in 48 strategic projects, including the Chapelcross Energy Transition Zone. It helped to create or safeguard over 1,700 jobs.

In addition, we remain committed to delivering the recommendations laid out in the 2022 regional economic policy review and our 2025/26 Programme for Government further commits us to working with our regional partners to deliver both for the south of Scotland and the country as a whole.

The Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel in Scotland promotes high standards of practice in the ethical recruitment of all international staff and all health and social employers must adhere to the Code.

It provides employers of health and social care personnel with guiding principles that should be adhered to when undertaking international recruitment and states that internationally recruited staff have the same legal rights and responsibilities as domestic staff in terms of employment and conditions of work. This means high standards of induction and support is provided equal to all other employees. It must include cultural and pastoral support to help individuals settle into work and life in Scotland regardless of country of origin.

The code can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at Scottish Code of Practice for Ethical Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel

The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling retail crime was reaffirmed in our Programme for Government, which makes clear our strong support for Police Scotland’s robust approach in addressing this issue.

The Scottish Government has commenced work on developing a multi-year Scottish Spending Review, which will deliver on its priorities in a fiscally sustainable way. The Government’s core priorities will sit at the heart of the spending review process, and guide how and where we will allocate funding.

Decisions on the future of the funding for retail crime, will be taken in the context of developing the 2026-27 budget and the Scottish Spending Review.

The Scottish Government is committed to preventing violence and reducing its harm.

There are a range of options to support the mental health and wellbeing of employees, including those working in the retail sector.

Our Mental health and wellbeing strategy, published June 2023 sets out what a supportive system should look like, recognising the many different factors that can influence mental health and wellbeing, including employment.

As part of this work, we continue to work across government and with delivery partners to ensure employers are equipped with knowledge, skills and resources they need to promote and support conditions that enable good mental health at work.

Our ‘Supporting a Mentally Healthy Workplace’ employer platform, signposts employers to a range of free mental health and wellbeing resources and information. We continue to engage with employers to ensure content continues to meet the needs of employers across Scotland.

Scottish Government partners, including the Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), share best practice guidance and resources, such as the free Grocery Aid helpline, and Victim Support, for victims of violence and abuse in a retail setting.

Victim Support Scotland provide information, emotional support and practical assistance to help anyone affected by crime, including retail crime.

The Scottish Government provides funding annually to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services. The funding is provided as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget is provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes. It is up to Health Boards to decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome. The published Scottish Budget for 2025-2026 includes £72.2 million for the Outcomes Framework.

The Scottish Government provides funding annually to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services. The funding is provided as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget is provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes. It is up to Health Boards to decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome. The published Scottish Budget for 2025-2026 includes £72.2 million for the Outcomes Framework.