Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognise the harms that can be caused by gambling. As set out in our Population Health Framework, we are taking a Public Health approach to tackle these harms and improve the treatment services.

Through the Gambling Levy, the Scottish Government has committed to providing £7.9 million in funding to a wide range of organisations in 2026-27. This includes over £3.9 million of funding to third sector organisations. The funding is being used to increase access to prevention and treatment services to support individuals and families affected by gambling related harms across all of Scotland.

We are working closely with our delivery partners to support them to progress this work.

The Scottish Government's approach to media buying is to ensure that channel selection is driven by evidence of what most effectively reaches and engages target audiences, rather than by specifying particular media channels within contracts.

User feedback from GPs, practice managers and other primary care staff who have migrated to the new Vision system has been collected by Public Services Delivery Scotland through an ongoing lessons learned exercise. There is also continued engagement with stakeholders including GP representative groups including the Royal College of GPs and the Scottish GP Council.

Broadcasting is reserved and we believe it should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government recognises the valuable role of community radio in delivering local news and important information to our communities right across Scotland. We believe that it is vital that there is a network of radio operations to expand and enhance the service provision for Scottish listeners and we will continue to champion a stronger broadcasting sector in Scotland to ensure a diversity of voices in communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many Scottish-domiciled medical graduates did not enter employment in NHS Scotland in each year since 1999.

Discussions with Public Services Delivery Scotland and Scotland’s medical schools have confirmed that no organisation holds a complete dataset identifying Scottish-domiciled medical graduates and tracking whether they entered employment in NHS Scotland for the period requested.

Data provided by Public Services Delivery Scotland shows the number of individuals who took up a Foundation post with a Scottish Primary Medical Qualification over the last ten years:

For families in NHS Lothian, neonatal service delivery will remain unchanged with neonatal intensive care remaining at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Special Care remaining at St John’s Hospital.

I must be absolutely clear that this change is about saving babies lives. The evidence is clear, that outcomes for the smallest and sickest babies are improved when they are born and cared for in a unit with a high throughput of cases, and where support services are co-located and aligns with existing neonatal intensive care service models across the UK.

These changes will benefit a very small number of babies – those born at less than 27 weeks gestation and those very sickest babies who need multiple complex life support, or surgery.

The Scottish Government does not hold data for diagnostic waiting times and routes to diagnosis for children and young people presenting with potential cancer symptoms.

The Scottish Government has commissioned a clinically-led review of latest data and evidence to determine whether there is merit in specific, additional or alternative cancer waiting times standards for different types of cancer and cancer treatment, which is underway. This will review the benefit of including data or setting standards for children and young people.

The Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) collect a number of data performance measures across children and young people’s cancer services – see their latest published report - MSN-Children-Young-People-with-Cancer-Annual-Report-2024-25.pdf.

Understanding the unique support needs of children and young people with cancer is a priority for both the Scottish Government and the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC).

The number of children and young people diagnosed with cancer in Scotland is small compared to adult cancers, and due to small patient numbers, it is challenging to produce detailed, anonymised data. Special consideration is required for children who are under 16, because they require tailored resources to capture their unique treatment and care needs, while recognising the additional sensitivities involved for those under 16, relating to information governance requirements for children.

The MCN CYPC are continuing to work with NHS Scotland Health Boards to establish consistent national approaches for information governance and approval processes across Scotland, relating to data collection for children under the age of 16.

In July 2024, Public Health Scotland published a three-year Adverse Weather and Health Plan. With support from the Scottish Government and key stakeholders, the plan will help to protect the health of the population from adverse weather-related harm, including extreme temperatures.

To monitor effectiveness of the plan, a multi-agency steering group was developed which includes key stakeholders, the Scottish Government and third sector partners.

Public Health Scotland has published guidance on outdoor air quality and wildfires which is available on NHS Inform.

Public health messaging and preparedness plans for increasing temperatures and wildfires are the responsibility of the local emergency services and health boards with support from Public Health Scotland, if required.

The Scottish Government remains committed to improving audiology services across Scotland and we continue to work closely with partners to determine how best to move the provision of audiology care into community settings.

On 27 August 2026, I wrote to the Health, Care and Sport Committee to provide an update on my meeting with NHS Heads of Service, community audiology providers and other key stakeholders as part of this government’s 100 days prospectus. This meeting centred on a draft proposal for development of a Target Operating Model for audiology, and my letter sets out more detail on the Scottish Government’s immediate priorities for audiology services. It can be read in full here:

20260827 Minister for Community Care to Convener | Scottish Parliament Website

As this work is at an early stage and discussions with stakeholders are ongoing, a timetable for implementation will follow in due course.