Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the wide range of careers available in the horticultural sector, and the importance of effective training and educational pathways to deliver a workforce equipped with the skills and expertise demanded by the sector.

In 2026-27 the Scottish Government is investing over £2.4 bn in our post-school education and skills system, supporting the delivery of horticulture provision at education providers across the west of Scotland, including Ayrshire College, Glasgow Clyde College, New College Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire College. While colleges and universities operate independently of Government, with responsibility for their own course provision, we recognise and support collaborative work between those sectors and industry to address horticulture skills needs.

The Scottish Government also funds the 2026-27 Lantra workplan, which supports diverse and rewarding career development in the land-based sectors, including horticulture across Scotland, the UK and Ireland. Scottish Government officials continue to attend regular Horticulture Skills Group meetings, which provide an opportunity for further and higher education institutions to connect with employers, local authorities and other organisations.

While the Scottish Government does not currently offer regional specific support for horticulture education provision, we have supported and endorsed the development of Regional Economic Partnerships (REPs). These partnerships will seek to unlock new powers, and design delivery models tailored to local priorities. This could include powers in areas such as skills, further education, economic development and planning.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting the development of sustainable planned care services across Scotland.

As set out in the answer to question S7W-00352 on 8 June 2026, NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside have a joint intention to develop high-volume, single-procedure lists at Stracathro Hospital, although these arrangements are not yet in place.

In 2025, the Sub-National Planning and Delivery Committees (SPDCs) for Scotland East and Scotland West were established under ministerial direction to strengthen regional planning and improve integration of services around the needs of local populations.

SPDCs East and West will work collaboratively with NHS Grampian and NHS Tayside to optimise capacity across all NHS estates, including the Stracathro Regional Treatment Centre

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.

As set out in the answer to question S7W-01822, the Scottish Government is currently improving its understanding of the issues that have been raised regarding the delivery of factoring services and considering what action may be required. The views and experiences of homeowners and property factors will be an important consideration as that work progresses, and the approach to stakeholder engagement will be developed alongside it.

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.

There has been no interruption to the payment of grants awarded through the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS). Funds can only be released once the successful applicants have completed the works and submitted their claim, which is then assessed by scheme officials.

Payments to CAGS claimants are issued once a week. The most recent payments were made on 18 August 2026.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02259 on 20 August 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.

This is an operational matter for NHS Tayside. The Scottish Government has not conducted an impact assessment on this matter.

Scottish Government is continuing to work with Defra on the UK wide PFAS Plan, published on 3 February 2026, which adopts an evidence-led approach based on understanding PFAS sources, tackling pathways and reducing exposure. It specifically recognises the potential environmental and human-health implications of PFAS and other emerging contaminants in sludge.

The Plan records existing Chemicals Investigation Programme monitoring of PFOS, PFOA and PFBS in treated sludge and provides for further work on the fate of contaminants, improved analytical methods, treatment options and wider evidence gaps. Findings from the current phase of the Chemicals Investigation Programme are expected from 2027.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01653 and S7W-02048 on 20 August 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 Scottish Government has supported and used modelling to inform planning across the wider Trauma and Orthopaedic specialty.

This includes modelling undertaken through the Performance Management and Assessment Tool (PMAT), which considers demand and capacity across the full Trauma & Orthopaedic waiting list to support delivery planning and Scottish Government targets. However, this modelling is not undertaken specifically for hip and knee replacement services.

In addition, work has been undertaken with the University of Strathclyde through the Centre for Sustainable Delivery to model aspects of orthopaedic demand and capacity. This work was conducted at whole-specialty level rather than at the level of individual sub-specialties such as hip and knee replacement surgery.

Separately, the Golden Jubilee National Hospital, which is the largest hip and knee replacement centre in the UK, employs a Clinical Fellow who undertakes modelling relating to arthroplasty demand through the Scottish Arthroplasty Project.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges associated with emerging contaminants, including microplastics and pharmaceuticals, and intends to keep pace with developments in EU regulation.

Regulation of the practice of applying sewage sludge to land in Scotland was reviewed and amended with the introduction of the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2025. No change to the list of regulated contaminants (“Potentially Toxic Elements”) was made at that time as evidence produced for the review did not support it. However, with the wider environment in mind, the Scottish Government is reviewing changes that the EU has recently made to the EU Priority Substance list under the Water Framework Directive; the contaminants PFAS, microplastics, bisphenol A and pharmaceutical products have all been added to the EU list for the regulation of the water environment.