Chamber and committees

(a) The following 14 contracts were awarded to ‘The Lines Between’ by the Scottish Government in Fiscal Year 2024-25:

• Research on Fishers Behaviour towards Compliance & Enforcement.
• Adult Disability Payment Review.
• Options Study for Developing a Mental Health Patient Experience Survey for Scotland.
• Consultation Analysis: UEFA Euro 2028 – Commercial Rights Protection.
• Analysis of Responses to Crofting Consultation 2024.
• Analysis for Annual Procurement Reports.
• Analysis of responses to a consultation on proposed changes to energy and environmental standards of the Scottish Building Regulations.
• 'Moving On' Consultation Analysis Evaluation.
• Single-use cups charge consultation analysis.
• Review of Charity Regulation – Consultation Analysis.
• Universal Definition of 'Care Experience' Consultation Evaluation Analysis.
• Analysis of Consultation Responses to the Scottish Government Equality and Human Rights Mainstreaming Strategy.
• Future of Foster Care Consultation Analysis.
• Carer Benefits Evaluation: Case Transfer and Carer Support Payment.

Further information on the contracts can be found on Public Contracts Scotland https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/

(b) 'The Lines Between' have not yet received any funded commissions for FY 2025-26. However, they were successful in bidding for the Social Research and Analysis Framework contract and were added on 1 May 2025.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

The Cabinet Secretary set out in the NHS Scotland operational improvement plan published on 31 March of this year that we will work to ensure people receive the right care in the right place. There are many benefits that home dialysis can offer to both NHS Boards and patients as to whether home dialysis is appropriate for the patient. However it is a matter for NHS Boards to determine the situations when home dialysis is the best option.

The spend on contracts awarded to ‘The Lines Between’ by the Scottish Government is set out in the following table. We do not hold information on spend related to specific projects.

This information is not routinely collected by Scottish Government. Information on patients receiving home dialysis is held by NHS Boards.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Local authorities make their own decisions about how to prioritise the provision of holiday clubs based on local need.

Although there is currently no statutory duty to provide school age childcare to all families during the school holidays, we have committed to building a system of school age childcare in Scotland to provide support around the school day and during the holidays, and we want that future system to be accessible to all.

We have been investing in a range of early delivery projects within targeted communities across Scotland which are better informing us about the change needed to deliver a more accessible and affordable system in the future. This includes our Early Adopter Communities in 6 Local Authority areas, our ‘Extra Time’ Programme in partnership with the Scottish Football Association, and our Access to Childcare projects.

In the 2025 Programme for Government, we have also committed an additional £1m to support the provision of holiday playschemes for disabled children across all local authority areas.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The decision to offer home dialysis to patients is primarily a matter for NHS Boards. Last year, we agreed a national policy to reimburse patients for the additional electricity costs of home dialysis so that patients are not exposed to the impact of high energy prices. It also removes the financial disincentive to making a choice for home dialysis over in-centre treatments, allowing personal choice in where and how to receive treatment.

The SQA is actively addressing issues in respect of unauthorised use of AI in assessment by providing centres and candidates with guidance on appropriate use of AI in assessment: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in assessments - SQA.

While any reports of malpractice are concerning, the number of occurrences identified from National Qualifications candidates are relatively low when compared to the numbers of candidates taking these qualifications. We will continue to monitor any issues as they evolve and work with partners to respond as appropriate.

Education Scotland have also produced guidance on the appropriate use of AI in schools: Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Resources | Education Scotland

The Scottish Government is actively working with local government and teachers’ representatives to develop a set of AI guidelines to support learning and teaching.

The Scottish Government has the utmost sympathy to the women who were prescribed diethylstilbestrol (DES) and the impact it had on them and their families.

However, Scottish Ministers have no plans to establish a working group on this issue as the regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with long term conditions including Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.