- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it did not inform the Scottish Parliament or patients that it had stopped funding Scotland’s national residential service for chronic pain in Glasgow after 10 years, in light of this service being created following a unanimous, cross-party vote of the Parliament in 2013, leading to its opening in 2015.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-44072 on 11 March 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
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has withdrawn funding from Scotland’s national residential service for severe chronic pain, which it funded since its opening in 2015 and until 2025, to support areas such as the islands and rural areas, which are still without pain services for outpatients.
Answer
Funding for this Service has not been withdrawn. As the Scottish National Pain Management Programme (SNPMP) is now an established national specialist service, it is now funded in the same way as all other national specialist services, with money top sliced from NHS Boards’ core funding allocations to contribute to the service.
NHS Boards began to contribute to covering the cost of the SNPMP through top slicing from 2024-2025, with the Scottish Government providing the remainder of the funding. As of 2025-2026, the service is funded entirely through top slicing, in line with other national specialist services.
The Scottish National Pain Management Programme is a designated national specialist service. This means that anyone resident in Scotland who meets the criteria can be referred to the Programme and seen by the Programme. This ensures equity of access to all patients across Scotland.
The Service is now funded in its entirety through this national funding mechanism. There are no additional costs to NHS Boards or to individual patients to access this service.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 March 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 10 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what audit of non-functioning community CCTV cameras has been undertaken by Police Scotland.
Answer
Since the publication of the research report, Public Space CCTV in Scotland, the Scottish Government has been engaging with COSLA and Police Scotland to consider what the next steps in relation to public space CCTV should be. This includes consideration of whether there needs to be an updated National Strategy for Public Space CCTV. This work is ongoing and any work undertaken on auditing of community CCTVs will form part of this plan.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the budget for the Young Patients Family Fund being reduced by almost £2 million since its launch, what action it will take to ensure that sufficient resources are available to expand the fund’s eligibility criteria to include all children and under 25s, as proposed by the charity, Young Lives vs Cancer, and the UK Government accepting the charity’s proposal for a £10 million young cancer patient travel fund.
Answer
The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland, regardless of diagnosis.
The YPFF is a demand-led fund and the Scottish Government has ensured full funding against demand in each year since its launch on 26 July 2021. The 2025-26 budget has been set based on expected demand levels and the Scottish Government remains committed to provide full funding for the YPFF in 2025-26.
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.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 24 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Young Lives vs Cancer regarding the charity's proposal to expand the Young Patients Family Fund's eligibility criteria to include all children and under 25s with cancer, and whether steps will be taken to expand the criteria for the fund, in light of the UK Government's recent announcement of a £10 million travel fund, based on Young Lives vs Cancer’s proposed model.
Answer
The Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) is designed to support the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care in Scotland, regardless of diagnosis.
I met with the charity Young Lives vs. Cancer on 25 September 2024 to discuss their Running on Empty Campaign.
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.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 February 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 20 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34551 by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2025, whether it will provide (a) the same information for 2024-25, and (b) real-terms average Additional Support for Learning (ASL) spend per pupil for each year from 2012-13 to 2024-25.
Answer
Spending data on Additional Support for Learning (ASL) is collected from local authorities via the 2024-25 Local Financial Returns (LFR). These figures show that almost £1.1bn was spent on ASL by local authorities in 2024-25.
Local authorities are asked to record all centrally funded ASL expenditure under Special Education, irrespective of where it is delivered. Decisions about prioritisation and budgets, including those for the provision of services for pupils with additional support needs, are a matter for individual councils. It is important to note when making comparisons between local authorities and years that there may be variations in local accounting practices.
Table 1 shows gross revenue expenditure on (ASL) education for 2024-25, split by Pre-Primary, Primary, Secondary and Special Education.
Table 1 – 2024-25 ASL expenditure by Local Authority (£000)
Local Authority | Pre-Primary Education | Primary Education | Secondary Education | Special Education | Total |
Aberdeen City | 1,063 | 6,800 | 7,536 | 21,184 | 36,583 |
Aberdeenshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60,955 | 60,955 |
Angus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18,696 | 18,696 |
Argyll and Bute | 846 | 5,009 | 5,710 | 4,246 | 15,811 |
City of Edinburgh | 4,722 | 26,378 | 15,770 | 62,006 | 108,876 |
Clackmannanshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16,924 | 16,924 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26,033 | 26,033 |
Dundee City | 186 | 7,688 | 3,442 | 11,331 | 22,647 |
East Ayrshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24,729 | 24,729 |
East Dunbartonshire | 341 | 2,542 | 2,070 | 15,783 | 20,736 |
East Lothian | 0 | 3,296 | 2,330 | 14,648 | 20,274 |
East Renfrewshire | 1,035 | 1,816 | 1,608 | 12,895 | 17,354 |
Falkirk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31,115 | 31,115 |
Fife | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50,181 | 50,181 |
Glasgow City | 6,907 | 21,452 | 28,335 | 103,723 | 160,417 |
Highland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52,884 | 52,884 |
Inverclyde | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17,167 | 17,167 |
Midlothian | 61 | 4,103 | 3,424 | 21,404 | 28,992 |
Moray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21,561 | 21,561 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6,442 | 6,442 |
North Ayrshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18,675 | 18,675 |
North Lanarkshire | 245 | 13,281 | 5,586 | 62,367 | 81,479 |
Orkney Islands | 148 | 964 | 1,279 | 3,900 | 6,291 |
Perth and Kinross | 686 | 6,852 | 5,642 | 12,982 | 26,162 |
Renfrewshire | 1,842 | 6,949 | 3,848 | 17,947 | 30,586 |
Scottish Borders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15,493 | 15,493 |
Shetland Islands | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,204 | 10,204 |
South Ayrshire | 2 | 2,831 | 1,829 | 19,224 | 23,886 |
South Lanarkshire | 0 | 12,285 | 10,993 | 35,353 | 58,631 |
Stirling | 0 | 1,726 | 2,954 | 11,352 | 16,032 |
West Dunbartonshire | 691 | 4,594 | 2,456 | 14,257 | 21,998 |
West Lothian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31,833 | 31,833 |
All local authorities | 18,775 | 128,566 | 104,812 | 847,494 | 1,099,647 |
Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Table 2 shows the percentage of total gross revenue expenditure on education which was accounted for by spending on additional support for learning in 2024-25.
Table 2 – 2024-25 share of education expenditure accounted for by ASL
Local Authority | ASL Spend as a share of Education Spend |
Aberdeen City | 13% |
Aberdeenshire | 14% |
Angus | 11% |
Argyll & Bute | 10% |
City of Edinburgh | 18% |
Clackmannanshire | 19% |
Dumfries & Galloway | 12% |
Dundee City | 11% |
East Ayrshire | 13% |
East Dunbartonshire | 10% |
East Lothian | 13% |
East Renfrewshire | 10% |
Falkirk | 13% |
Fife | 9% |
Glasgow City | 18% |
Highland | 14% |
Inverclyde | 14% |
Midlothian | 16% |
Moray | 15% |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 10% |
North Ayrshire | 9% |
North Lanarkshire | 15% |
Orkney Islands | 12% |
Perth & Kinross | 12% |
Renfrewshire | 11% |
Scottish Borders | 9% |
Shetland Islands | 16% |
South Ayrshire | 14% |
South Lanarkshire | 12% |
Stirling | 10% |
West Dunbartonshire | 15% |
West Lothian | 11% |
All local authorities | 13% |
Source: Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
All figures in tables 1 and 2 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. This means they have not been adjusted for inter/intra authority transfers.
Table 3 provides total spend per primary and secondary school pupil in 2024-25 at the national level. Rather than focusing on ASL spending alone, this calculation shows total gross revenue expenditure in primary and secondary education from the local financial returns, divided by the number of pupils attending primary and secondary schools recorded in the Pupil Census.
Table 3 – Average spending per pupil (£)
Year | Primary Education | Secondary Education |
2024-25 | 7,880 | 9,651 |
Primary and secondary education figures are adjusted to exclude inter-authority transfers. However, this breakdown is not available for ASL spending, therefore ASL figures in Tables 4 and 5 are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis.
Sources:
1.Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2.Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Table 4 shows average spending on ASL per ASL pupil by local authority in 2024-25. More precisely, this calculation shows gross revenue expenditure on ASL in primary, secondary and special education from the local financial returns, divided by the number of pupils identified as having additional support needs recorded in the Pupil Census.
Table 4 – 2024-25 ASL spending per pupil (£)
Local Authority | ASL Spend per ASL Pupil |
Aberdeen City | 3,233 |
Aberdeenshire | 3,546 |
Angus | 3,745 |
Argyll and Bute | 3,942 |
City of Edinburgh | 4,195 |
Clackmannanshire | 6,767 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 3,180 |
Dundee City | 2,921 |
East Ayrshire | 4,989 |
East Dunbartonshire | 4,354 |
East Lothian | 3,551 |
East Renfrewshire | 3,202 |
Falkirk | 3,816 |
Fife | 2,724 |
Glasgow City | 4,124 |
Highland | 4,125 |
Inverclyde | 4,292 |
Midlothian | 4,809 |
Moray | 4,385 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 5,483 |
North Ayrshire | 2,785 |
North Lanarkshire | 4,743 |
Orkney Islands | 4,930 |
Perth and Kinross | 3,661 |
Renfrewshire | 3,340 |
Scottish Borders | 2,628 |
Shetland Islands | 7,470 |
South Ayrshire | 4,056 |
South Lanarkshire | 3,654 |
Stirling | 3,352 |
West Dunbartonshire | 3,921 |
West Lothian | 2,963 |
All local authorities | 3,804 |
Sources:
1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2. Pupil Census – published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Table 5 provides real terms average spending on ASL per ASL pupil at the national level between 2012-13 and 2024-25. The figure below does not represent all spending benefitting ASL pupils, who also benefit from spending incurred in delivering the wider school system.
Table 5 – Average ASL spend per ASL pupil in real terms (£)
Year | ASL Pupils at Primary, Secondary and Special Schools |
2012-13 | 6,322 |
2013-14 | 5,803 |
2014-15 | 5,504 |
2015-16 | 5,060 |
2016-17 | 4,662 |
2017-18 | 4,440 |
2018-19 | 4,195 |
2019-20 | 3,994 |
2020-21 | 4,007 |
2021-22 | 4,115 |
2022-23 | 4,122 |
2023-24 | 4,005 |
2024-25 | 3,804 |
ASL spending figures are based on gross expenditure on a funding basis. Note that because figures in Table 5 are based on 2024-25 prices, they are not comparable to the figures based on 2023-24 prices provided in S6W-34551.
Sources:
1.Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Local government finance statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
2.Pupil Census - published annually - for further details go to: Pupil census: supplementary statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
3.GDP deflators at market prices: GDP deflators at market prices, and money GDP - GOV.UK.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 February 2026
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent announcement that the freeze on council housing allocation in Edinburgh will continue until March 2027, what support it is providing to the City of Edinburgh Council to address the housing crisis.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 February 2026
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 12 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many devices have been distributed to young people through the Connecting Scotland programme in 2025-26 to support digital inclusion amongst school-aged children, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the total number of devices issued to learners by local authorities.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 10 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what review it will undertake into the use of the newborn heel prick blood test to screen for childhood dementia.
Answer
Scotland relies on advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which informs decisions across the UK on national screening programmes. Only when it considers whether to recommend screening for a particular condition, the UK NSC has to consider a range of criteria, appraising the viability, effectiveness and appropriateness of a population screening programme. Only once it is satisfied that screening for a particular condition meets its criteria, and the evidence shows that the benefits of screening outweigh any potential harms, will the committee announce a positive recommendation.
The UK NSC has previously considered some genetic conditions, including Metachromatic leukodystrophy, that may lead to severe neurodegeneration in children, often referred to as ‘Childhood Dementia’. A full list of considered conditions, and whether screening for them is recommended, can be found here. To date, the UK NSC has not recommended screening for the genetic conditions that can cause ‘Childhood Dementia’. However, should the UK NSC make a positive recommendation for screening for one or more of these genetic conditions the Scottish Government will take advice on how best to implement any recommendations.
The UK NSC also welcomes proposals to consider new conditions for screening. These can be submitted to the UK NSC during their annual open call for topics. The next open call will be between 1 July 2026 to 30 September 2026, and guidance regarding submitting a proposal can be found here.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 10 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many households will be included in the new council tax bands, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43399 on 10 February 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.
