Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has supported the development of Men’s Sheds across Scotland for over a decade, recognising their important role in improving health, wellbeing and social connection. We have invested more than £1 million in the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association (SMSA) to support the growth and sustainability of the movement, which has helped expand the network from a small number of Sheds to over 200 groups across all 32 local authority areas, with new Sheds continuing to form.

As part of this overall investment, the SMSA received £72,264 from the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund to support the development of Sheds in the Highland area.

The SMSA provides guidance, and advice on all governance and infrastructure matters to both new and existing Sheds. The SMSA also helps Sheds secure appropriate insurance, health and safety compliance, develop sustainable funding models, and access training, resources and peer support networks. In addition, it offers practical assistance to allow Sheds to operate effectively and remain viable over time.

Individual Sheds are however responsible for securing their own funding and, collectively, have received £452,819 through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults in the first four years of the Fund.

The Scottish Government has confirmed funding of £75,000 for financial year 2026-27 to the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association in Scotland.

The 2025-26 budget and Programme for Government set out current infrastructure investment commitments for acute sites, and this was reconfirmed in the Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline published on 13 January.

The financial position is expected to remain challenging and to ensure that available capital funding can be directed to best effect, we are currently working with all health boards to develop an NHS whole system infrastructure plan for Scotland. This will support continued safe and effective use of existing facilities as well as informing future investment priorities based on assessment of need across the whole of Scotland.

The first phase, Business Continuity Planning, is focussed on priority investment in the existing estate to support service continuity. Boards have already completed their risk-based assessments and received confirmation of items which can be progressed with additional funding from the Scottish Government.

The second phase is focussed on the longer-term development of the estate to meet national, regional and local needs. All health boards have been asked to undertake strategic needs assessments for three local investment priorities. Returns will then be considered on a whole of Scotland basis.

This approach aligns with the Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework, which was published in June. You may also find DL(2025) 15 helpful, which provides further information on NHS whole system infrastructure planning (DL 2025-15).

In addition, NHS Boards have full delegated authority to allocate funding from within their annual capital allocation budget towards maintenance, equipment and other items of capital outlay. Any requests for capital funding outwith their annual capital allocation must follow the governance process and be approved by the appropriate Scottish Government official as outlined in the Annex to DL (2025) 15.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the lease arrangements for Shettleston Police Station.

The management of the Police Scotland estate is an operational matter, and is the responsibility of the Chief Constable under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

The 2026-27 Scottish Police Authority budget is over £1.7 billion. This includes £86.3 million capital budget, an uplift of £16.3 million compared to the published 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision budget, which will ensure that Police Scotland can continue to invest in essential infrastructure and to deliver its Estates Masterplan.

From April 2007 to December 2025, the Affordable Housing Supply Programme has supported the delivery of 23,634 homes in Glasgow City Council area with 16,237 being for social rent.

A table showing the number of social and affordable approvals, starts and completions by local authority area can be accessed using the following link (note: this will be updated shortly with latest housing statistics up to 31 December 2025):

Affordable Housing Supply Programme: quarterly updates on approvals, site starts and completions by local authority

Homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme comprise homes for social rent, for mid-market rent and for low cost home ownership. These homes take various forms including; new build homes, rehabilitation projects, conversions and off-the-shelf purchases of both new and second hand homes.

The full PEF allocations for Glasgow schools in the last five years are set out in the following table. 2026-27 PEF allocations will be published in due course.

The Scottish Government has accepted the findings of an Independent Review of Audiology Services in Scotland and we published our response to implementing the recommendations of the review in May 2025, which can be found here: Independent Review: Scottish Government report on implementation of recommendations – Audiology Services in NHS Scotland- all-ears.nhs.scot –

NHS Audiology has been re-categorised as a clinical priority area, and work to implement change is being progressed through National Planning and Delivery arrangements. While management of audiology services are the responsibility health boards, the Scottish Government remains focused on bringing down long waits and the 2026-27 Budget provides a record £22.5 billion for Health and Social Care.

As indicated in our 100 days prospectus, the Scottish Government also remains committed to working with its partners to determine how best to shift care into the community, alleviating hospital pressures and better supporting the people of Scotland through development of an integrated and community-based hearing service.

GP practices are funded to provide cervical screening services as part of their contractual arrangements with NHS boards, and are responsible for ensuring that services are accessible to patients, including those with disabilities.

Practitioners working with physically disabled patients should be confident and experienced in taking cervical samples, and should consider reasonable adjustments based on a patient’s needs. This can include providing longer appointments, using accessible examination equipment, or arranging for screening to take place in alternative settings, such as clinics with hoisting facilities.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is responsible for ensuring that GP practices and wider services meet these requirements and that appropriate arrangements are in place to support patients requiring additional assistance.

Global events continue to reinforce the impact of high energy prices such as Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East. However, other factors are at play such as the UK’s disastrous decision to leave the European Union. This has meant an increase in energy bills.

In an energy-rich nation, no one should struggle to pay their bills.

The Scottish Government continues to support vulnerable households, including those in Glasgow, through our winter heating benefits, with a forecast investment of £205 million in 2026-27. Since 2015, our Warmer Homes Scotland Scheme has invested around £440 million and helped over 51,000 households to live in warmer homes which are more affordable to heat.

We continue to invest in free income maximisation support, welfare and debt advice and have maintained investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund, providing vital support to those in crisis.

It is clear that high energy prices must be addressed. The UK Government must take their responsibility for energy pricing seriously by putting in place robust and effective consumer protections for all fuel users and introducing targeted energy bill discounts to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty.

The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities as set out in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (“the 2015 Act”), Part 9.

Section 111 of the 2015 Act requires local authorities to maintain a waiting list of persons who ask to lease or sublease an allotment. Section 112 then requires local authorities to take steps to manage the number of persons on that list.

In accordance with section 121 of the 2015 Act, local authorities report annually on the provision of allotments in their areas. The legislation clearly defines the mandatory information to be included in the annual allotment reports which includes;

• the location and size of each allotment site,
• the number of allotments on each allotment site,
• the rent payable,
• the number of people on the waiting list and how many have been waiting 5 years or more,
• the number of allotments on each allotment site that are accessible by a disabled person,
• the number of allotments adjusted to meet the needs of a tenant who is a disabled person,
• the income received, and expenditure incurred, by the authority in connection with allotment sites,
• such other information as may be prescribed.

Annual Allotment Reports are available online from the Glasgow City Council website. Those reports are required to include information on the demand for and supply of allotments in Glasgow. The Scottish Government does not collect this information centrally and does not hold historic data on allotment provision.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to promote menopause resources and support, including Menopause Cafes.

For example, Menopause Café, the charity, are promoted on the Women’s Health Platform on NHS Inform and the then Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health attended a Menopause Café in October 2025 in support of World Menopause Day.