Chamber and committees

The new Register of Ancient Woodlands is scheduled to be published in the late summer of 2027.

A national programme of work to address recommendations of the Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland (IRASS) was concluded in 2025. A final report was produced which sets out how recommendations have either been implemented and completed, or embedded in longer term work programmes within the health and social care system.

This report is available at: Implementing-the-Recommendations-from-the-IRASS-March-2025.pdf.

Our 100 days prospectus includes a commitment to convene government, NHS Heads of Service, community audiology providers and stakeholders to set out an agreed plan to enhance community audiology services. This reflects our ongoing commitment to working with partners to determine how best to shift audiology care into the community.

The number of Anaesthetic Consultants working in NHS Scotland has grown by 21.6% over the last decade and stood at 895.2 WTE as at 31 March 2026. Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in anaesthetics.

The Scottish Government’s role is to provide strategic leadership for NHS Scotland to ensure a sustainable NHS workforce. Operational matters relating to staffing including recruitment to specific specialities such as anaesthetists, are the responsibility of individual NHS Boards and will depend on service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities. Boards are required to ensure that suitably qualified and competent staff are available in appropriate numbers to support safe, high-quality care and staff wellbeing, in line with the requirements of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01252 on 23 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.

I have asked Linda Pollock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS publishes prison numbers on a quarterly basis via the Prisoner Information Page (PIP), the most recent of which can be found here: Public Information Page.

Additionally, SPS publish Prison Population Data Reports which illustrate the population in custody broken down by custody type, gender, and age, the most recent of which can be found here: Data, Research and Evidence | Scottish Prison Service.

The information requested on how many anaesthetist posts are currently vacant, broken down by NHS board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: 02 June 2026 Workforce | Turas Data Intelligence (Vacancy tab).

There are currently 472 anaesthetist training positions across Scotland. This includes posts in Core Anaesthetics and Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) Anaesthetics, as well as in Anaesthetics higher specialty training.

The £36.9 million Alcohol and Drugs Fund is not additional to the funding announced in the Scottish Budget 2026-27. When the Alcohol and Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-35 was published in March 2026, it was confirmed that delivery would be supported by funding of more than £160 million in 2026-27, including the launch of a new fund for frontline services and organisations working with people affected by alcohol and drugs.

The Fund will provide £36.9 million over the next three years, supporting prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery for people affected by alcohol and drugs.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.