Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the role that journalism plays in supporting democratic participation, informing communities and holding public bodies and institutions to account.

That is why in 2021, the Scottish Government established the Public Interest Journalism Working Group to consider the long-term sustainability of public interest journalism in Scotland.

Following this, a Steering Group was established with the aim of transitioning into a Scottish Public Interest Journalism Initiative, with a remit to support and grow the sector. The Initiative has now been registered at Companies House, enabling it to commission research, develop partnerships and explore potential funding opportunities. The Group's membership comprises representatives from across the public interest news sector and is supported by a Scottish Government secretariat.

While there are currently no plans to establish a Scottish equivalent of the UK Government's Local News Fund, the Scottish Government remains committed to supporting a diverse, sustainable and representative media landscape and will continue to engage with the sector on opportunities to strengthen and support public interest journalism in Scotland.

The Scottish Government recognises that socioeconomic deprivation is associated with poorer cancer outcomes, including higher mortality. Through the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023–2033 and the initial three-year Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023–2026, the Scottish Government is focused on tackling inequalities. We are working to reduce inequalities in cancer incidence, access to services, experience and outcomes, so that treatment and care are equally good wherever someone lives and whoever they are.

A key part of this work is our Earlier Cancer Diagnosis Vision, which aims to reduce later-stage cancer diagnoses by 18 percentage points by 2033, with a specific focus on narrowing the health inequalities gap. Through programmes such as Detect Cancer Earlier and the Be the Early Bird campaign, we are targeting communities in areas of deprivation to improve awareness of symptoms and encourage health seeking behaviours to support earlier diagnosis as treatment is more effective when cancer is diagnosed early.

We are also taking action to improve access to services. Our Inclusion Health Action in General Practice programme supports longer consultations, outreach activity and targeted resources for people with the greatest health needs, including those living in deprived, rural and remote communities. In addition, all NHS Boards are implementing Equity Strategies for Screening, backed by £1 million of investment in 2025-26 to improve uptake and reduce inequalities in access to cancer screening.

More broadly, we recognise that health inequalities are driven by wider social and economic factors. That is why our cancer-specific actions are complemented by cross-government measures to reduce underlying cancer risks, including action on smoking, alcohol harm and obesity, with a particular focus on supporting those communities experiencing the greatest levels of deprivation.

We have undertaken evidence reviews of health inequalities in cancer care and will consider learning as we develop the next Cancer Action Plan to ensure that we deliver on the Cancer Strategy ambitions.

The Scottish Government has already taken steps to acknowledge, measure and address the impact of the court backlog in Scotland, including the impact on victims of crime.

Our Improving victims’ experiences of the justice system consultation, in 2022, sought views on balancing a trauma informed approach to court scheduling with the need for continued action to address the court backlog, and the impact that can have on victims. Responses to the consultation helped to shape the provisions in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, including those in Part 2 requiring the Lord President to take trauma-informed practice into account in scheduling court business.

The Audit Scotland Criminal courts backlog report in May 2023 highlighted the impact that the backlog has had on victims. In its follow up report of May this year, Audit Scotland recognised the significant progress that had been made in reducing the court backlog, reflecting targeted investment from the Scottish Government and positive collaboration across justice partners.

The Victims Taskforce, co-chaired by the Lord Advocate and I, has heard directly from victims and support organisations regarding the impact of the backlog. The work of the Taskforce is informed by lived experience via the Victim Survivor Advisory Board. There is also regular engagement at both ministerial and official level with support organisations to facilitate feedback and knowledge exchange on the issues affecting victims in the justice system.

There are no current plans to commission further research given the existing evidence. We will continue to focus on improving efficiency, reducing delays and freeing up court capacity for the most serious cases and on implementing measures in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

We are grateful to community councils for the role they played in responding to the wildfire and we have committed up to £3m of support to Highland Council to provide direct financial support to businesses affected by the Cairngorms wildfire. The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with local partners on what further support may be required for the area in the longer term.

Community councils and other community-led organisations played an important role in supporting local residents and emergency responders during the Cairngorms wildfire, helping to strengthen the overall response.

In addition to the specific funding for those recovering from this incident, the Scottish Government supports all of Scotland's approximately 1,200 community councils through funding provided to the Improvement Service, which delivers practical advice and assistance. The Scottish Government also provides guidance and resources through the Ready.scot website and works with the Improvement Service to deliver webinars and communications to community councils to support preparedness and incident response at the local level.

Highland Council is leading the multi-agency recovery effort following the Cairngorms wildfire. On 4 August 2026, Scottish Ministers also agreed to Highland Council's request to activate the Bellwin Scheme, which provides emergency financial assistance to local authorities to help meet the cost of immediate action in response to major emergencies.

The Scottish Government funds Crisis Grants through the Scottish Welfare Fund to support individuals to meet immediate short-term needs when an emergency or a disaster has happened, and there would be a risk to wellbeing without a grant. Applications are administered by local authorities, including Highland Council and those impacted by the wildfire, aged 16 years or over, on a low income and have no access to other suitable financial support can apply at www.highland.gov.uk.

A national monitoring and evaluation framework is being developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Public Health Scotland and NHS Boards. This will assess cost, activity, patient experience, workforce impact, health inequalities, clinical safety and wider system effects. The walk-in services are designed to provide an additional route for patients to access same-day care for minor illnesses. Itis hoped that this will free up capacity within GP practices to focus on patients with complex, longer term conditions which require continuity of care.

To date £18,007,797.50 has been allocated to boards for the walk-in pilot with opportunities to draw down further funding later within the financial year. Funding for next year will follow usual Budget processes.

The Scottish Government does not currently intend to introduce formal regulation for NHS managers and leaders in Scotland.

Scottish Government officials are in regular discussion with counterparts in the Department for Health and Social Care on a wide range of topics relating to the ongoing modernisation of health professional regulation, including the UK Government’s intention to introduce a new form of regulation for senior NHS managers through a statutory barring mechanism operated by the Health and Care Professions Council. This work is at an early stage but is expected to gather momentum in the coming months. Only once the full details of the scheme’s operation are available will it be possible to conduct a thorough assessment of its potential impact on devolved health services.