Chamber and committees

Recommendations regarding the use of tumour profiling tests such as Oncotype DX are developed independently of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) published their recommendation in October 2023, which has been implemented in full. SHTG have criteria and processes in place to judge whether new evidence is sufficient to revise its existing recommendations.

Through our flagship Fair Work First approach, we are applying fair work criteria to public sector grants, other funding and contracts where it is relevant to do so – driving fair work practices across the labour market. As part of this approach, Scottish Enterprise, of which CDS is a part, have committed to Fair Work First principles. There is currently no obligation from Scottish Government for the businesses and organisations supported through CDS to make the same commitment, as CDS does not provide grant funding.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any instances since 2021 where road or bridge repair works have been required on trunk roads as a result of improving accessibility for wind farm construction traffic. While, in some cases, third-party developers have undertaken modifications to the trunk road network to accommodate the movement of oversized wind farm construction components, these works have not involved repairs to trunk roads or bridges.

The Scottish Government is committed to sustainable and resilient food supply chains and is taking a range of actions to support local producers and increase opportunities for Scottish and locally produced food to be enjoyed.

The Scottish Government has established a Public Sector Food Procurement Taskforce, which will consider how public procurement can better support local and sustainable producers. The Taskforce will work at pace to provide recommendations to Ministers.

This work supports the ambitions of our Local Food Strategy, “Local Food for Everyone: Our Journey”, particularly Pillar Three on harnessing public sector procurement to increase the use of quality, fresh, seasonal and locally produced food.

CalMac is currently engaged with an external consultancy to provide independent analysis on the use of LNG vs MGO by MV Glen Sannox. This report is due to be finalised by the end of August. Early results confirm the volumes of CO2 produced during dual-fuel use are lower than if MGO is used as a primary fuel source. CalMac records monthly emissions of CO2 across the fleet as per their reporting obligations. However, like-for-like emission comparison between vessels is challenging due to varied vessel designs and cargo carrying capacity.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of having a Power of Attorney (PoA) in place and is currently considering implementation options for the recent Audit Scotland recommendation, regarding the promotion of PoA, published in Delayed discharges: A symptom of the challenges facing health and social care, January 2026. Implementation is expected to increase public awareness and uptake.

The Scottish Government has collaborated with NHS 24 to update relevant NHS inform content, which provides guidance on the process and benefits of setting up a Power of Attorney. Available here: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/health-rights/access/power-of-attorney-guardianship-and-intervention-orders/

The Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026, passed by the Scottish Parliament on 10 February, requires public bodies to work together and actively implement the approach more systematically across Scotland by producing local Community Wealth Building Action Plans, and reporting progress. While Co-operative Development Scotland is not a specified public body in the Act, Scottish Enterprise, of which CDS is a part, must work with local authorities and other public bodies within local ‘community wealth building partnerships’ across Scotland to produce local action plans within three years of commencement of the Act. The local partnerships also have a duty to implement the community wealth building plans and report on progress.

The Scottish Government’s consistent position is that Scotland’s onshore wind capacity should continue to play a central role in delivering a secure, affordable and decarbonised energy system.

We are continuing to engage closely with NESO and the UK Government as the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan is developed and are making the case directly that this plan should make full use of Scotland’s renewable energy resources.

The Scottish Government’s engagement is informed by a wide range of evidence, including industry analysis such as the report commissioned by the Scottish Onshore Wind Developers Forum.

Local authorities are responsible for the development and delivery of flood protection schemes in their area. Since 2016, the Scottish Government has provided £612m to local authorities to support the delivery of flood protection schemes and wider flood resilience activities.

Funding for flood resilience is provided through the local authority general capital grant. This means that decisions related to it are agreed jointly by Ministers and COSLA Leaders following principle-based recommendations from the jointly attended Settlement and Distribution Group. Through this process, a new, more flexible, funding allocation was agreed for financial year 2026-2027. This means that local authorities can invest in local needs and priorities from their local Flood Risk Management Plans.

In parallel we have funded SEPA to develop a Flood Advisory Service that will improve the governance and delivery of high value flood protection schemes across Scotland, learning the lessons from delivery over the last 10 years. Work is ongoing with COSLA to ensure a new funding model is in place to support the delivery of the next programme of high value flood protection schemes once the Flood Advisory Service is operational.

The UK’s telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, regularly publishes information in relation to full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband coverage in Scotland as part of their Connected Nations updates. The most recent update was published on 13 May 2026, showing coverage figures for January 2026.

Latest figures show that, as of January 2026, a total of 35,261 homes across Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley can access a full fibre connection, which equates to 87% of all eligible homes across the constituency.

More detailed information can be found through Ofcom’s interactive dashboard at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage-and-speeds/connected-nations-update-spring-2026#interactive-report

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the delivery timelines for commercially funded broadband infrastructure projects. However, gigabit-capable full fibre deployment is being delivered in Scotland through Project Gigabit, including within the Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley constituency. Project Gigabit delivery is currently expected to be completed by 2030.