Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to provide financial support in connection with applications for exhumation.

However, we are committed to simplifying the process as much as possible. Officials are developing regulations under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 which will remove applications for exhumation from the courts, making the process more straightforward and less expensive for applicants.

The Scottish budget for 2025-26 includes £5 million of investment to support independent hospices to provide pay parity with NHS levels. Officials are working with a variety of colleagues across the health directorates to explore mechanisms for providing this funding to hospices, while respecting existing commissioning arrangements with Integration Joint Boards (IJBs).

The Scottish Government strongly supports the production of accurate statistics, based on the transparent recording of information. In terms of crime-related Official statistics in Scotland, it is a matter for relevant public bodies that collect information on sex to establish the best approach in their individual institutional settings. For all Official statistics, producers are required to follow the Code of Practice for Statistics, which states that organisations should commit to releasing their statistics in an open and transparent manner that promotes confidence. In 2021, the Office of the Chief Statistician published guidance on the collection of data on sex and gender for public bodies in Scotland. This guidance recommends that statistics producers should collect and publish data that best serves the needs of users in their specific context, an approach that aligns with the guidance published by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2024. The Scottish Government has committed to reviewing its guidance on collecting data on sex and gender by the end of 2026 as part of the Non-Binary Equality Action Plan.

Scottish Government officials continue to consider the issue of ownership at Tarbolton Moss, engaging with partners, including South Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

There are provisions in the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2012 and the Landfill (Scotland) Regulations 2003 to require companies to make adequate financial provisions for landfill aftercare, and this requirement will also be included in the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025. However, in the case of Tarbolton Moss the company was dissolved without any such funds remaining.

Officials continue to work with SEPA to understand how this occurred to ensure that the risk for similar future scenarios is minimised.

Furthermore, to minimise risk of further site abandonment, we continue to work closely with local authorities and commercial operators to examine challenges faced before the commencement of the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste on 31 December 2025.

There are no delays with the implementation of Scotland’s mandatory remote electronic monitoring requirements for fishing vessels. The scallop requirements are in force, and the pelagic requirements are due to come into force as planned on 7 March 2026.

Under existing legislation fishing vessels are required to record and land all quota species of fish unless subject to a permitted exemption. Our Future Catching Policy is intended to improve on the current requirements and we will be consulting on relevant improvements to technical standards later this year. Fishing vessels are subject to a wide range of rules and regulations which support them to fish responsibly and sustainably and which help to safeguard Scotland’s reputation in the international marketplace.

Recovered monies from confiscation orders are remitted to the Scottish Consolidated Fund which goes towards the Cashback for Communities Programme.

The Scottish Government has committed £156m to the Programme since 2008, which supports young people at risk of entering the criminal justice system and the communities most affected by crime through various projects, including youth work, employability support, creative arts, and sports projects.

The Programme prioritises young people living in the bottom 20% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) or with protected characteristics which may increase risk of being drawn into anti-social or offending behaviour.

Where payment is not made within the time permitted by the Court the case will be brought back before the Court at which time further enforcement to recover the outstanding balance will be considered. That may include, for example, the appointment of an administrator who will undertake the ingathering and management of realisable property.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs it can access high-quality palliative care that is right for their circumstances.

Jenni Minto: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have and are continuing to take action to simplify scheduling of these complex cases. They have advised that achieving surgery within three cycles of chemotherapy for this patient group remains a Board priority. There is an improvement plan in place to achieve this, with actions being closely monitored.

Ongoing improvement work includes:

• Early access to radiology scanning
• Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting one week after scan results
• Efficient scheduling of colorectal input for joint surgery cases
• Additional colorectal surgical time being allocated to work with gynaecology oncology team
• Maximum use of protected 14 weekly theatre sessions

NHSGGC has advised that the number of patients receiving more than three cycles of chemotherapy while waiting surgery has significantly decreased.

The number of consultants employed by NHS Scotland has increased by 71% since September 2006 and now stands at 6,217.5 whole time equivalents (31 March 2025).

Despite this increase, NHS Scotland’s medical workforce remains under pressure due to steady, long-term increases in demand. This increase in demand is strongly linked to Scotland’s aging population profile and increasing epidemiological rates for some health care conditions.