Chamber and committees

This is a matter for NHS Boards and Central Legal Office, the Scottish Government does not hold this information. I would encourage Mr Johnson to contact NHS National Services Scotland to request this information.

Transport Scotland conducts machine-based based surveys of the trunk road network each year using specialist vehicles to gather information on the surface integrity of the road; the friction characteristics of the surface; and the structural capacity (strength) of the underlying road construction. This is similar in nature to the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey conducted by Scottish Local Authorities and it provides an annual snapshot of the road condition across the network. Output from these condition surveys is published each year in the National Transport Statistics

The Performance Audit Group (PAG) is employed to audit, monitor and report on the performance of the Operating Companies who manage, maintain and operate Scotland’s trunk roads. PAG continues to monitor Operating Company performance, deliver an annual programme of audits and publish annual reports.

National Audits on road maintenance are the responsibility of Audit Scotland on behalf of the Auditor General for Scotland (for Scottish Government bodies) and the Accounts Commission (for Councils and local government). The Auditor General for Scotland (AGS) is a Crown appointment and both the AGS and Accounts Commission are independent of both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. More information including their Corporate Plan and their planned audit work can be found on their website: Our work programme | Audit Scotland

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43303 on 5 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.

The most recent assessment of the condition of Scotland’s road network is contained in Chapter 4 of the 2024 National Transport Statistics document, which was last published in March 2025 (National Transport Statistics).

Scottish Canals is sponsored by Transport Scotland and operates within a well-established governance and accountability framework that ensures robust oversight of its performance, delivery and use of public funds.

This includes compliance with its Framework Document, regular sponsorship meetings and Ministerial engagement, scrutiny of corporate and business plans, monitoring of performance data, oversight of financial management and annual accounts in line with the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Officials also attend Board meetings. In my Ministerial capacity, I also meet with Scottish Canals’ Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board regularly to discuss and review performance.

Together, these arrangements provide continuous assurance over Scottish Canals’ governance, delivery and stewardship of public funds.

Scottish Canals receives annual grant funding from the Scottish Government to support the delivery of its statutory duties, which include the safe operation, maintenance and stewardship of Scotland’s inland waterways and associated heritage assets. Over the last five years, this funding has enabled Scottish Canals to maintain essential canal infrastructure, support navigation and water management, undertake safety-critical repairs, protect historic structures, and contribute to wider regeneration, active travel and placemaking objectives along the canal network.

Scottish Canals sets out its corporate priorities through its annual Business Plan, with the 2026-27 plan to be published in due course.

The funding provided in 2026-27 will support Scottish Canals’ core statutory responsibilities, ensuring the network remains well maintained, navigable and safe for the public. It will protect essential infrastructure, strengthen long-term resilience, and support the thousands of people who use the waterways every day — whether boating, walking, wheeling, cycling or enjoying the surrounding public spaces. This investment will enable priority maintenance and asset management work, and help deliver activity that maximises the public, community and environmental benefits of Scotland’s canal network.

The Scottish Government remains committed to continued investment in new vessels and supporting infrastructure at our ports and harbours across the ferry network. Full detail on the Scottish Governments ambitious vessel renewal and port upgrade programmes was published in May 2025 as part of the Islands Connectivity Plan – Vessels and Ports Plan.

This includes 13 new vessels across the CalMac fleet. Major infrastructure investment has also been achieved with the Islay enabling works and the Little Minch Infrastructure Programme: Tarbert (Harris), Lochmaddy (South Uist) and Uig (Skye) along with other smaller projects. Work also continues on major projects including Port Ellen Terminal Development, Ardrossan and Gasay works.

The MV Glen Sannox entered service in Jan 2025 and the MV Isle of Islay has been handed over to CalMac and is enroute to Scotland. In addition, CMAL purchased the MV Loch Frisa in 2021 and works recently commenced on the Cumbrae Slipway Replacement Project.

Our new four-year Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline which was published in January, contains projects over £5 million and programmes over £20 million which have agreed outline business cases (or equivalent) and agreed funding. These include a number of vessels, ports and harbours inclusions and we will report on the progress of delivering these every six months following the Scottish parliamentary election in May.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43633 on 18 February 2025. 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 does not hold this information centrally.

Local authorities and independent fostering agencies are responsible for foster care recruitment. The Care Inspectorate is the official body responsible for registering, inspecting, and publishing national statistics regarding fostering services in Scotland. It publishes annual statistics on fostering services and foster carer numbers, with the latest report published on 28 October 2025. Fostering_and_adoption_statistical_bulletin_2024-2025.pdf