Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has been working with NHS Boards to improve the consistency and effectiveness of staff banks across Scotland. This is supported through regular engagement with those tasked with management of staff banks within Boards. Guidance has been developed to support organisations in adopting a consistent approach to the recruitment of bank staff whilst steps have also been taken to standardise the statutory and mandatory training which staff are expected to undertake.

Whilst there are currently no plans to implement a national staff bank, we welcome the steps taken by Boards such as NHS Lothian and NHS Borders who work together on bank staff deployment. Moving forward, we will continue to consider how we can deliver services on an increasingly Once for Scotland basis in line with the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework.

SEPA has committed to increasing the number of samples of PFAS collected in 2026 to 500 which is fully funded through SEPA’s existing Grant in Aid arrangements. SEPA has stated that outcomes from its 2025 Water Quality Monitoring Report will be used to inform this extended programme of monitoring and investigation where necessary at specific sites.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing the changes that the EU recently made to its list of Priority Substances for the Water Framework Directive, which includes the introduction of an environmental quality standard for 25 PFAS.

NHS Scotland Health Boards may make use of external teleradiology providers or commercial imaging companies based elsewhere in the UK to deliver remote diagnostic imaging interpretation.

The use of the alternative providers to deliver additional capacity is not a new development. As is the case across the UK, in certain circumstances limited use of external providers may be required in response to capacity constraints.

This approach supports diagnostic waiting times performance and enables the continuation of vital diagnostic services while longer-term initiatives to increase NHS capacity are implemented.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the frequency of which Health Boards make use of alternative providers.

At present, there are no plans to review the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) eligibility rules. The delivery of PAWHP relies on data received annually from the Department for Work and Pensions and Ministry of Defence. The qualifying week is set out in regulations and supports the efficient delivery of automatic payments by ensuring eligible individuals can be identified ahead of winter period.

People who reach State Pension age after the qualifying week are not entitled to PAWHP for that winter and will become eligible from the following year. We recognise that the increase in State Pension age means some people will not reach pensionable age by the end of the qualifying week and therefore not qualify for a payment that year.

The 2026 – 27 Scottish Budget provides a further real-terms increase in funding for both the Local Government Settlement and Police Scotland.

The Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently and the vast majority of funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets, and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities. This includes decisions on how they and police resource the antisocial behaviour strategies which they are required, by law, to have for their respective areas.

We expect all women giving birth in Scotland, including those living in rural and island communities, to be supported and safe. The recent Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspection of acute maternity services at the Balfour Hospital in NHS Orkney showcased many areas of good practice and highlighted the resilience and adaptability of island boards.

On the 11th of June, the Cabinet Secretary for Health & Care made a statement to Parliament setting out the plan for an independent Review of Maternity Services. The principles of this Review include a focus on: maternity services in rural and island areas across Scotland and the experiences of women living there. This review will be fast paced and forward looking.

I have also commissioned a survey of all remote, rural and island maternity services earlier this year. The responses from this, alongside national audit data, will form part of the Review and ensure future service provision takes into account the needs of those living in rural and island communities.

These questions relate to the procurement, specification, quality assurance, performance monitoring and contract management of hearing aid batteries supplied through National Procurement arrangements. This is a matter for Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) and NHS Boards and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Prior to 1 April 2026, these functions were undertaken by National Services Scotland and now sit within PSDS. While the Scottish Government sponsors PSDS and provides strategic oversight, operational responsibility for procurement and contract management rests with PSDS, while the delivery of audiology services is a matter for NHS Boards.

PSDS has advised that NHS Boards may raise supplier or product performance concerns through National Procurement's complaints process where products supplied under the framework do not meet the required standards. PSDS has also advised that it holds no record of a formal complaint relating to hearing aid battery performance under the current framework agreement that has resulted in contractual remedies being exercised since the commencement of the contract.

These questions relate to the procurement, specification, quality assurance, performance monitoring and contract management of hearing aid batteries supplied through National Procurement arrangements. This is a matter for Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) and NHS Boards and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Prior to 1 April 2026, these functions were undertaken by National Services Scotland and now sit within PSDS. While the Scottish Government sponsors PSDS and provides strategic oversight, operational responsibility for procurement and contract management rests with PSDS, while the delivery of audiology services is a matter for NHS Boards.

PSDS has advised that NHS Boards may raise supplier or product performance concerns through National Procurement's complaints process where products supplied under the framework do not meet the required standards. PSDS has also advised that it holds no record of a formal complaint relating to hearing aid battery performance under the current framework agreement that has resulted in contractual remedies being exercised since the commencement of the contract.

These questions relate to the procurement, specification, quality assurance, performance monitoring and contract management of hearing aid batteries supplied through National Procurement arrangements. This is a matter for Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) and NHS Boards and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Prior to 1 April 2026, these functions were undertaken by National Services Scotland and now sit within PSDS. While the Scottish Government sponsors PSDS and provides strategic oversight, operational responsibility for procurement and contract management rests with PSDS, while the delivery of audiology services is a matter for NHS Boards.

PSDS has advised that NHS Boards may raise supplier or product performance concerns through National Procurement's complaints process where products supplied under the framework do not meet the required standards. PSDS has also advised that it holds no record of a formal complaint relating to hearing aid battery performance under the current framework agreement that has resulted in contractual remedies being exercised since the commencement of the contract.

These questions relate to the procurement, specification, quality assurance, performance monitoring and contract management of hearing aid batteries supplied through National Procurement arrangements. This is a matter for Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) and NHS Boards and the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Prior to 1 April 2026, these functions were undertaken by National Services Scotland and now sit within PSDS. While the Scottish Government sponsors PSDS and provides strategic oversight, operational responsibility for procurement and contract management rests with PSDS, while the delivery of audiology services is a matter for NHS Boards.

PSDS has advised that NHS Boards may raise supplier or product performance concerns through National Procurement's complaints process where products supplied under the framework do not meet the required standards. PSDS has also advised that it holds no record of a formal complaint relating to hearing aid battery performance under the current framework agreement that has resulted in contractual remedies being exercised since the commencement of the contract.