Chamber and committees

The planning and provision of local healthcare services is a matter for NHS Boards, consistent with national policies, frameworks and best practice. Core NHS services are provided free at the point of use. Some Health Boards partner with charities to deliver therapies under NHS contracts and, when accessed via referral, these are free. Information relating to charges set by third sector organisation for access to their services, where no NHS contract is held, is a matter for those organisations and is not held centrally.

MNPI (Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention) specialist services are closely aligned to maternity and neonatal services, and are focused on those parents who experience complicated bereavement after losing a baby, during their pregnancy or within the postnatal period. This includes those who are pregnant who have previously experienced baby loss and require specialist support.

Our Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland also details work to map out existing mental health services available following a pregnancy and baby loss to ensure that women can access the appropriate mental health support they require.

To further support families who have experienced pregnancy and baby loss the Scottish Government fund and support the baby loss charity Sands to develop and support NHS Boards to implement, the National Bereavement Care Pathway (NBCP) for pregnancy and baby loss in Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s ‘A Fairer Scotland for Older People: framework for action’ contains a dedicated strand focused on activity we are undertaking to ensure people can access public and other services as they age.

We provide funding of £3.2 million over three years, through the Equality and Human Rights Fund, to older people's organisations and age equality projects. This funding is delivering a range of initiatives that tackle inequality, including among older people. A copy of the fund's progress report can be found here Equality & Human Rights Fund Impact Report Final_ Oct 21-Mar25 and provides details on initiatives we are delivering with this funding.

The Scottish Government recognises that an ageing population increases demand for accessible environments and services. Our Disability Equality Plan, supported by a £3 million investment, including a £1.5 million Improving Access Fund aims to improve access for disabled people, including older individuals with mobility or sensory impairments.

We also fund Access Panels across Scotland, which work locally to promote inclusive design and planning. These panels take a pan-disability approach, ensuring older people's needs are considered in accessibility improvements.

The Scottish Government promotes good practice in completing Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs) by conducting them at the earliest stages of developing new policies or revising existing ones. This includes strategies, legislation, guidance, frameworks, training, funding, reviews, and any other activities that affect different groups of people, particularly those with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. This includes consideration of impact on different age groups.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41530 on 11 November 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. The figures recently reported in the media stem from a Freedom of Information request made to Police Scotland and relate to a single day snapshot of the situation as of
3 September 2025. Police Scotland do not publish the figures as a matter of course, given the day to day fluctuation around the number of outstanding warrants.

Police Scotland have been clear that they prioritise all arrest warrants according to threat, risk and harm, deploying national specialist resources and intelligence techniques to locate and apprehend those who pose the greatest risk to communities.

The Scottish Government firmly opposes the inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts and other non-standard types of employment that offer workers minimal job or financial security. We support the overall ambitions of the UK Government’s Employment Rights Bill and welcome changes being brought forward to strengthen workers’ rights, including the measures providing protections for workers on zero hours or low hours contracts. The gains this legislation will make for workers’ rights must be protected, and that is why we continue to advocate for the devolution of employment powers as the best way to protect workers’ rights in Scotland from any future UK Government actions that might remove these protections.

In the absence of devolved employment powers, Fair Work First criteria in procurement and grants, alongside provision of grant funding to the Real Living Wage accreditation scheme, are the tools we use to raise employment standards in Scotland. Since implementing more stringent grant conditionality from July 2023, requiring payment of at least the Real Living Wage and provision of appropriate channels for effective workers voice, between 1 July 2023 and 31 March 2025 it is estimated that over £6 billion in public sector grants was awarded with Fair Work First criteria attached. The number of accredited Living Wage employers is up from 14 in 2014 to over 3,900 in 2025, with at least 72,000 workers in Scotland getting a pay rise resulting from accreditation.

The Scottish Government has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government regarding the concentration of gambling advertising in areas of deprivation in Scotland.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) administer advertisement rules which are designed to ensure gambling advertising is responsible, supported by Ofcom for broadcast gambling adverts, and the Gambling Commission for non-broadcast gambling adverts.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government (and Welsh Government) over the distribution of the Gambling Levy, to ensure there are funds available to develop a comprehensive approach to gambling prevention, early intervention and support in Scotland.

The Scottish Government remains committed to developing a sustainable health and social care system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

The 2025-26 budget includes over £15 billion for the Local Government Settlement and almost £2.2 billion for social care and integration, exceeding our commitment to increase funding by 25% by almost £350 million. At £21.7 billion, the overall financial envelope for Health and Social Care also reached record levels.

Despite these substantial funding increases, significant challenges in service provision remain, including rising demand and workforce challenges. UK Government decisions, such as increased National Insurance costs and restrictions on international recruitment, are exacerbating these issues.

We are implementing the Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, that will strengthen rights for care home residents, support unpaid carers and social workers and improve experiences for the many people that access social care across Scotland.

The National Care Service Advisory Board will drive progress and scrutinise reform to ensure we can meet the care needs of those who require it. The Board is independent of Government and includes a diverse membership of people with lived experience of accessing care services, unpaid carers and those working in the sector.

The Care Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 and the National Care Service Advisory Board alongside other national programmes including GIRFE, Coming Home, the Self-directed Support improvement plan and Support in the Right Direction funding, are all playing a part to improve services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is aware of the decision by Maiden Life, to withdraw the Family Protection Plan, which is a commercial matter for the insurer and its broker, CMutual. We have engaged with the Financial Conduct Authority and the Association of British Credit Unions Limited (ABCUL) to understand the implications of the withdrawal and the support being provided to current policyholders. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that those affected receive clear information about their options.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41542 on 11 November 2025.

Status of major projects at outline business case stage or later – including NTC Forth Valley – is published on a 6-monthly basis in the Scottish Government’s major capital projects progress update. This is published on the Scottish Government’s website: Infrastructure Investment Plan: progress reports - gov.scot

As set out in the latest update (August 2025), the new ward continues to be delayed and an opening date is not yet confirmed for that ward. Work to agree a route to completion is ongoing. However, existing theatres (previously unused) have already been commissioned and in a phased opening, the National Treatment Centre began treating patients in October 2024.

There is an ongoing dispute with the contractor over final works required to bring the facility into appropriate condition for operational service. The final costs remain a point of negotiation and have not been finalised.

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 requires Local Authorities to estimate future housing need and demand in a report called the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA). This includes the use of National Records of Scotland (NRS) household projections and the Scottish Government also provides authorities with an Excel-based model, called the HNDA Tool, to help them do this.

The HNDA Tool includes the household projections, as well as several other data inputs, and is available on the Scottish Government website Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA): tool 2020 - gov.scot. The household projections take account of assumptions about migration into and out of Scotland.

Local Authorities also have the option to detail the housing needs of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in their HNDAs. HNDAs are completed by all Local Authorities every five years and they are used as an evidence-base to formulate local housing policies within their Local Housing Strategy (LHS) reports.