Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the significant impact of liver disease, which affects at least two million people across the UK and is often associated with harmful alcohol consumption and poor diet. Improving population health, tackling health inequalities and increasing healthy life expectancy remain key priorities, and we are committed to taking forward a range of evidence-based actions to address health harms associated with alcohol and less healthy food products.

Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan, published in March 2026, included a commitment to publish an Alcohol Harm Prevention Plan, which will set out the next steps to address alcohol-related harm in Scotland.

Alongside preventative measures, the Scottish Government is working with Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and NHS Boards to develop a nationwide model for the early detection of alcohol-related liver disease. This builds on the learning from the innovative intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pilot pioneered by NHS Tayside. In addition, through the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, we have established a Specialty Delivery Group for Liver Disease to support improvements in care and outcomes.

The Food (Promotion and Placement) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will come into force on 1 October 2026 to restrict volume price and location promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS), both in-store and online. The Regulations deliver a key action under the Population Health Framework and seek to make the balance of products on promotion healthier, reduce overconsumption of HFSS foods, and contribute to reducing population levels of overweight and obesity and their consequent health harms.

Scottish Government also recognises the link between liver disease and an increased risk of liver cancer. Cancer remains a national priority, and the forthcoming ten-year Cancer Strategy will place a strong emphasis on prevention, including action on cancers with poorer survival rates, such as liver cancer. Supported by an initial three-year action plan, the strategy will take a comprehensive approach to improving outcomes, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

As indicated in the answer to question S7W-01612 on 5 August 2026, the offence of abuse of a partner or ex-partner is designed to respond to the many different forms of coercive and controlling behaviour that can arise in an abusive relationship. As such, the Scottish Government is not aware of any gaps in the law that would prevent the prosecution of abusive behaviour that could be described as a smear campaign or reputational abuse where it occurs in the context of domestic abuse. However, the Scottish Government keeps the criminal law under continual review to ensure that it remains effective. 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 supports efforts to encourage voluntary participation in the democratic process and has not assessed the merits or otherwise of compulsory voting.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes information on routes to cancer diagnosis, which includes emergency presentations for brain and other central nervous system (CNS) cancers: Routes to Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Curative Treatment for Cancer Information to Support Visions from the Cancer Strategy 26 August 2026 - Routes to Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Curative Treatment for Cancer Information to Support Visions from the Cancer Strategy - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Given the relatively small number of brain tumour diagnoses in Scotland, publication of more detailed tumour-specific data may not be possible due to statistical disclosure risks.

Through the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 and accompanying Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026, the Scottish Government is working to improve outcomes for brain tumours and other less survivable cancers.

Scotland's Earlier Cancer Diagnosis Vision aims to reduce later-stage disease and health inequalities, and recognises that alternative measures, such as emergency presentations, are needed to monitor progress for cancers that cannot be conventionally staged.

Earlier and more equitable diagnosis is also supported through national clinical pathways, improved access to diagnostic imaging, the Brain Tumour Pathway within the Managed Service Network for Neurosurgery, and the National Headache Pathway.

On 2 June 2026 PSD Scotland published data on the number of Clinical Nurse Specialists across NHS Scotland for the first time since 2018, Clinical Nurse Specialists | Turas Data Intelligence. These data are published as Official Statistics in Development and PSD Scotland have a published plan to develop these into Official Statistics, New statistics on Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Through the Cancer Strategy and Cancer Action Plan, we are supporting NHS Scotland to improve access to named contacts for cancer patients, including through the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) approach. Evaluation has shown that SPoC services saved almost 4,000 hours of Clinical Nurse Specialist time over a 12-month period, enabling CNSs to focus on patients with more complex needs.

The 2024 Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 93% of patients were given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other named contact during their care.

Scotland is the only UK-nation that currently has an active Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF). The fund provides support to the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care, regardless of their health diagnosis.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts may reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending hospital appointments, subject to eligibility criteria and clinical requirements. These arrangements apply across Scotland and provide support to eligible young people and their families irrespective of condition.

NHS Boards are responsible for assessing eligibility and have the flexibility to consider individual circumstances and make decisions in the best interests of patient care and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the patient travel reimbursement schemes guidance; however, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time. It is important that the review is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care, rather than as a standalone exercise to consider and address the wider and underlying issues relating to the travel itself.

The Scottish Government understands the importance of age-specific cancer care for children and young people, this why we are the only UK nation to have a dedicated strategy for children and young people with cancer.

The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026 runs until the end of 2026.

The Scottish Government is actively considering the next steps. We will engage with a range of stakeholders to inform potential futures approaches that will ensure that the voices and experiences of those most directly affected continue. This will also inform progress made through the current strategy, while identifying opportunities to further improve care, support and outcomes.

Turnout at the most recent Scottish Parliament election in May 2026 was 53.2%, down 10% on 2021. The Scottish Government has sought to remove barriers to voting by improving accessibility, focusing in 2026 on those with sight loss. Through the Scottish Elections (Representation and Reform) Act 2025 we have created opportunities to pilot improved registration of voters, and to improve democratic engagement with the overall aim of increasing turnout.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00937 on 25 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 has had no specific discussions with the UK Government regarding extending eligibility for the Youth Guarantee or the Jobs Guarantee to unemployed people aged over 24.

Employment support is a shared area of interest across reserved and devolved responsibilities, and Scottish Government officials engage regularly with UK Government counterparts on labour market issues and employability policy.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering a joined-up, person-centred employability system that supports people of all ages to progress towards and into fair, sustainable work. Through No One Left Behind, local authorities and delivery partners are empowered to provide tailored support that responds to individual circumstances, strengths and ambitions, including for people aged 25 and over who face barriers to entering, re-entering or progressing in the labour market.