- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S7W-01924 and S7W-01925 by Maree Todd on 13 August 2026, whether it accepts the Scottish Health Technologies Group recommendation that NHS Scotland continue to offer NHS specialist chronic pain relief treatments for outpatients experiencing severe chronic pain, and if so, for what reason there has been a delay since 27 February 2026 in reaching a decision on implementing this recommendation.
Answer
As outlined in the answers to questions S7W-01924, NHS Scotland is required to consider recommendations made by the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG). That remains unchanged. It is not for the Scottish Government to consider or accept those recommendations made by the SHTG for NHS Scotland.
NHS Boards are responsible for designing and delivering services to meet the needs of their local populations.
We continue to support NHS Scotland partners to develop their approach to build on these recommendations to inform sustainable, consistent and effective service delivery across Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 24 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been referred to eating disorder services in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold or collect this data centrally. While Public Health Scotland publishes the total number of patients referred to specialist mental health services, it does not hold detail on the reason for referral, such as an eating disorder. The publications on waiting times for both CAMHS and Psychological Therapies each quarter can be found at Publications - Public Health Scotland. This includes information on referral activity across services.
We are continuing to deliver the recommendations from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services published in 2021, including publishing a National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland in November 2024.
The Scottish Government asked NHS Boards in May 2025 to complete a self-assessment tool, scoring their delivery and implementation of the Specification across CAMHS and adult services. The responses provided further information on data collection and reporting. Officials are working with boards to understand how best to support them in this area of work.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the projects that have received funding through the £30 million Invest to Save Fund, and how much funding has been allocated to each project.
Answer
Decisions regarding the £30 million Invest to Save Fund for 2026-27 have been made and successful applicants have been notified. Funded organisations are currently considering and confirming acceptance of their awards, including the associated terms and conditions. As this process remains ongoing, details of individual projects and funding allocations have not yet been finalised for publication.
The Scottish Government intends to announce the successful projects and associated funding allocations once the funding award process has been fully concluded.
The funded projects for 2025-26 Invest to save fund is outlined below.
Invest to Save fund 2025-26
Scottish Canals |
Scottish Canals Transformation Programme. To establish a ‘Routemap’ for a new operating model for canal operations and service provision for all boating customers and visitors. |
£300,000 |
Scottish Government (SG) Directorate for Environment and Forestry (EnFor) |
Multi Agency Co-ordinated Fish Farm Consenting. The project will design and deliver a digital platform to support efficient, effective and transparent marine fish farm regulation, including the roll out of streamlined and integrated consenting of marine fish farm developments. |
£261,250 |
SG Directorate for Justice |
National Victim and Witness Gateway. To create a website where victims and witnesses can access information about their case which will incorporate live information from across the justice system. |
£1,050,000 |
SG Directorate for Justice |
Transcription Technology. To understand how new technology can be used across the justice system to more efficiently transcribe and translate information. Making the Scottish Criminal Justice the beacon of technology adopters and a justice system fit for now and generations to come. |
£350,000 |
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) |
Jury Management Transformation Project. To support the transformation of how SCTS engage, communicate and encourage the Scottish public to serve as jurors and uphold the integrity of the Justice System. |
£901,000 |
SG Directorate-General (DG) Corporate |
Scaling AI Automation. Scaling of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automation as a transformation enabler across the Scottish Public Sector to deliver higher productivity and efficiency. |
£4,929,713 |
Disclosure Scotland |
Safeguarding Reform through Automation. To develop and implement automation software that will significantly reduce administrative and manual casework requirements, increasing throughput of protection services. |
£898,458 |
Highland and Island Enterprise |
The Factory, Machrihanish. The demolition of Buildings A and C at The Factory site will allow the remediated development sites to be returned to and actively marketed for potential economic re-use and community benefit purposes. |
£246,400 |
Local Government
Aberdeen City Council |
To address the increasing demands and pressures from an ageing population with complex care needs, by developing advanced digital tools to enhance care efficiency and quality, ensuring services are flexible, comprehensive, and person centred. |
£1,238,627 |
Clackmannanshire council |
Transformation Space. Under the Fairer Futures Partnership banner, developing the approach of locally driven, targeted tests of change. |
£1,000,000 |
Glasgow City Council |
Connected care-smart care homes. A Smart & Connected Social Places Programme exploring connected digital solutions to enhance public services and deliver efficiency gains in Housing and Health & Social Care. |
£,100,000 |
Perth and Kinross Council |
Delivery of Recurring Cost Savings through Improved Energy Management. To reduce energy costs and deliver a reduction in environmental impact by generating actionable insights into where waste energy is being consumed. |
£529,125 |
Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils |
Work to identify and explore opportunities for financial and non-financial benefits from closer collaboration. |
Amount requested £2,000,000 |
Local Government Single Authority Model-multiple LA’s |
To ascertain the costs of delivery of integrated public services across a number of LA’s. |
Amount requested £1,400,000 (£900,000 offered) |
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of potential pension shortfalls resulting from its proposed public sector reforms.
Answer
Pension liabilities and future funding requirements are subject to a range of factors, including scheme membership, actuarial assumptions and workforce changes. Any pension impacts arising from workforce changes would be considered as part of the development and implementation of specific reform proposals.
Public Service Reforms are intended to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public services and do not in themselves alter the pension benefits available through existing public sector pension schemes therefore the Scottish Government has not made an estimate of potential pension shortfalls arising from its proposed public sector reforms.
The Scottish Government will assess the workforce implications of reform proposals as they are developed.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2026
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to strengthen partnerships between Police Scotland and other public sector bodies to improve multi-agency approaches to community policing.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2026
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 23 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many compensation settlements have been signed by NHS Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer
The following table provides the number of NHS Scotland compensation claims managed through the Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS), and the amount reimbursed in relation to those claims, from 2015-16.
Earlier reporting recorded the number of reimbursements rather than claims. As a claim can result in more than one reimbursement, the two measures are not directly comparable.
| | Number of Claims | Value £m |
Financial Year | Clinical | Non-Clinical | Total | Clinical | Non-Clinical | Total |
2015-16 | 200 | 56 | 256 | 49.57 | 3.23 | 52.81 |
2016-17 | 297 | 89 | 386 | 37.46 | 2.79 | 40.25 |
2017-18 | 219 | 42 | 261 | 31.87 | 1.88 | 33.74 |
2018-19 | 218 | 37 | 255 | 35.80 | 3.94 | 39.73 |
2019-20 | 202 | 52 | 254 | 34.32 | 3.65 | 37.96 |
2020-21 | 242 | 35 | 277 | 59.94 | 1.66 | 61.59 |
2021-22 | 320 | 81 | 401 | 105.97 | 3.27 | 109.24 |
2022-23 | 294 | 102 | 396 | 52.58 | 2.99 | 55.56 |
2023-24 | 250 | 75 | 325 | 43.67 | 3.66 | 47.33 |
2024-25 | 187 | 58 | 245 | 56.87 | 5.99 | 62.86 |
Total | 2,429 | 627 | 3,056 | 508.04 | 33.05 | 541.08 |
CNORIS operates a £25,000 deductible, with individual NHS Boards responsible for claim costs up to this amount. The figures presented therefore reflect amounts reimbursed through the Scheme above the applicable deductible.
The information is presented at an aggregate level to protect claimant confidentiality and is broken down between clinical and non-clinical compensation in line with established reporting arrangements.
The number and value of claims in any one year do not necessarily relate to incidents that occurred in that year, as claims can take a number of years to conclude. A small number of high-value claims can also significantly affect the amount paid in any one year.
Further information on claims made through CNORIS is available in the CNORIS Annual Reports published by Public Services Delivery Scotland:
https://www.nss.nhs.scot/legal/clinical-negligence-and-other-risks-indemnity-scheme-cnoris/access-annual-reports-for-the-scheme/.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Alison Thewliss on 23 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the contribution of independent and voluntary sector care at home providers to local economies and local employment, given that the sector consists of primarily small and medium-sized enterprises, and how this will be considered in the forthcoming reform of social care commissioning.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the significant contribution that independent and voluntary sector care at home providers make to Scotland's social care system and to local communities. As at 31 December 2025, there were 77,080 people employed in housing support/care at home services in Scotland, three quarters of whom were in the voluntary (41%) and private (33%) sectors, supporting local employment and the delivery of care and support in communities across the country.
Independent and voluntary sector providers play an important role in delivering care and support services, contributing both to local economies and to the resilience and sustainability of community based care.
As set out in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will undertake a period of intensive dialogue with local government and other partners to inform consideration of future social care reform options. The Scottish Government is approaching this work with an open mind and no decisions have been taken on specific reform proposals. Any future proposals will be developed in consultation with relevant partners, including providers and people with lived experience.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Alison Thewliss on 23 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made regarding any impact on small and medium-sized, community-rooted care at home providers of pursuing economies of scale through social care reform, and what safeguards it will put in place to prevent reform consolidating provision toward larger organisations at the expense of local employers.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no active policy of pursuing economies of scale through social care reform and therefore has not undertaken an assessment of the impact on small and medium-sized, community-rooted care at home providers.
The Scottish Government recognises the important contribution that small and medium-sized providers make to delivering high-quality care and support in communities across Scotland. A diverse and sustainable provider landscape is important in supporting choice, continuity of care and strong local connections.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 23 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals for treatment outwith Scotland have been made to (a) NHS providers and (b) private healthcare providers in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Public Health Scotland (PHS) releases statistics, as part of the monthly Stage of Treatment (SoT) publication, covering waits for new outpatient appointments under the 12-week standard, and for inpatient and day case admissions covered by the 12-week Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG). The latest statistics are published up to 31st July 2026 and can be found using the link below:
https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/stage-of-treatment-waiting-times/
Quality assured data relating to the number of additions and removals to the waiting list outside of Scotland for a new outpatient appointment, or for inpatient and day case admission, have been published since 31 December 2012 onwards and can be found using the links below.
https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/40088/newop_jul26-data-file-up-to-30-june-2026.xlsx
https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/40087/ipdc_jul26-data-file-up-to-30-june-2026.xlsx
It is important to note that there are minimal data quality checks carried out on the location of treatment. Neither Scottish Government or PHS hold accurate information on the number of referrals to NHS commissioned independent sector providers outside of Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Edinburgh and Lothians East, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Alison Thewliss on 23 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what specific measures within the social care reform process will support entrepreneurship and business sustainability among independent and community sector care at home providers.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the vital role that independent and community sector care at home providers play in delivering high-quality care and support across Scotland.
As social care reforms are developed and implemented, we will continue to engage closely with providers, people with lived experience, local government and other partners to explore opportunities to create a more cohesive, sustainable and effective social care system. The Scottish Government is approaching this work with an open mind and no specific measures have been ruled in or out at this stage.
Consideration of how best to support a diverse, sustainable provider landscape, including independent and community sector providers, will be considered as part of this ongoing work. Any specific measures will be considered as reform proposals are developed.
