Chamber and committees

Service delivery, including managing hospital capacity, is a local responsibility for territorial health boards.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative to host the National Scottish Mesothelioma Network. This network is comprised of clinicians from across Scotland working to share best practice and to provide for high quality clinical care, information and support to all patients wherever they live in the country and ensure all patients have equitable and efficient access to care.

The Scottish Government provides Grant in Aid Funding to SEPA to undertake monitoring and, where necessary, investigations at designated bathing waters.

Bathing waters are designated, for the purpose of protecting public health, in areas where we expect a large number of bathers. SEPA undertakes routine monitoring of designated bathing waters during the bathing season (typically 1 June to 15 September).

We will continue to support SEPA to help deliver improvements to the water quality at Kinghorn bathing water in response to the ongoing localised pollution pressure affecting the Kinghorn Burn.

As part of the response to the significant wildfire in the Cairngorms two commercially hired helicopters were in use for water bombing the fire. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) assessed that additional aerial support to drop water on the fire could aid the response. The Scottish Government sought to explore every available avenue of support and that included requesting military assistance in the form of aerial support to drop water on the fire from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supplement the existing aerial resources that were in place. The response was that the MoD did not currently possess aerial firefighting assets stationed within the UK.

The MOD did offer Chinook helicopters for the movement of people, troops and logistical support. However, the Scottish Government received assurance from SFRS that it had sufficient firefighters and volunteers along with logistical support to deal with the fire and therefore the offer of this other military support was not taken up.

Transport Scotland has reviewed the Detailed Options Appraisal Report for the Newburgh Transport Appraisal produced for SEStran and the Newburgh Train Station Campaign.

I expect to receive official advice soon, which will determine further action and next steps.

The development of 39 affordable homes on West Road, Saline, West Fife was granted planning permission by Fife Council in April 2023, with funding support from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Hing Supply Programme. Development is estimated to be completed in Spring 2027.

Scotland’s approach to attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs is set out in Scotland’s Inward Investment Plan, published in 2020.

Alongside our enterprise agency partners, we are always looking to improve our approach to attracting inward investment focusing on priority markets, pipeline development, investor aftercare and support for major investment projects. This will ensure Scotland remains an attractive destination for businesses looking to establish, expand or grow their operations, building on Scotland's position as the UK's top performing location outside London for inward investment for the eleventh consecutive year. We will continue to engage regularly with the UK Government on matters relating to investment, economic development and business growth.

As the Covid 19 UK Inquiry Module 5 report sets out, the figure of £9.9 billion relates to PPE written off by the UK Government alone. The report also notes that the Scottish Government wrote off £8.35 million of PPE and other items in the period from 2020-2023.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS), has a range of measures to reduce wastage of PPE in any future health emergency. The national stockpile consists of a wide range of PPE items, aligned to the requirements of NHS Scotland and rotated into NHS usage to help prevent and reduce wastage.

During a future health emergency, we will work in partnership with PSDS and other stakeholders to ensure stock is procured and deployed based on assessed need, clinical guidance, and demand intelligence; while providing only items of PPE which meet the relevant product standards.

We are also working on a project which aims to support Health Boards to move to using more re-usable PPE products where appropriate.

The Scottish Government recognises that alcohol-specific deaths and drug related deaths can share a range of underlying social, behavioural and health-related risk factors. Understanding these interconnected factors is important to informing effective prevention, treatment and support services.

We continue to support and commission research and analysis on the causes and drivers of alcohol and drug-related harms through a range of programmes and partnerships with academic institutions, Public Health Scotland, Scottish Alcohol Research Network, Drug Research Network Scotland and other public sector organisations. This includes research examining severe and multiple disadvantages and the links between substance use, mental health, deprivation, trauma, social isolation, and patterns of help-seeking behaviour among different population groups, including men.

There are currently no specific plans for a standalone research programme focused exclusively on the interlinked sociobehavioural factors associated with male alcohol and drug deaths. We will, however, continue to support and encourage research that improves understanding of the complex and overlapping factors contributing to substance-related deaths and informs actions to reduce harm and save lives.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of supporting children and families where a parent is recovering from substance use and where reunification is in the best interests of the child. Support is available through a range of national and local services, including alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services, family support organisations, and children and family social work services. These services can help parents sustain recovery, strengthen family relationships and address any practical or emotional challenges that may arise during the reunification process.

Through the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund the Scottish Government is supporting organisations such as Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, Relationships Scotland and The Spark. These organisations deliver services such as family mediation, relationship counselling, and family support, which can help families strengthen relationships and navigate challenges that may arise during recovery and reunification. We also provide funding to Shared Parenting Scotland, who provide advice, assistance and other support to separated parents experiencing difficulties in having contact with their children.