Chamber and committees

I have asked Linda Pollock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The numbers of prison officers employed by SPS at the end of each financial year from 2015-16 to 2025-26 are set out in the following table:

All consenting decisions are made on a case-by-case basis in line with the planning, consenting and assessment framework available at the time. No delays to individual project determinations have occurred because of the development timeline of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan for Offshore Wind Energy, which remains on track for adoption in Summer 2026. Due to the conclusions of the plan-level Appropriate Assessment, adoption of the Updated Sectoral Marine Plan is contingent on UK Ministerial agreement.

As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 2 June, we will launch our consultation on a legislative approach to restrictions on mobile phones in schools within the first 100 days of this government. Further development of the legislative approach will be informed by the outcomes of this consultation, including the views of local authorities who have implemented restrictions.

Implementation of many measures in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 require secondary legislation and guidance, and will therefore be subject to Parliamentary business and timetabling. The timetable for implementation of the measures is being developed. I intend to write to the Convener of the Rural Affairs Committee to set out the planned timetable for implementation.

Service delivery and patient care are the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally. Clinical decisions on the care and treatment of individual patients are always matters of professional judgement for the responsible practitioner.

In certain circumstances, NHS Boards may make limited use of alternative providers, including independent sector providers, in response to capacity constraints and to improve access to patient care.

The Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework and Population Health Framework, published in 2025, set out an ambitious vision for transforming Scotland’s public services.

To support this vision, NHS Boards are introducing a new collaborative, sub-national planning approach through Subnational Planning and Delivery Committees (SPDCs) East and West, which will drive a renewed focus on population-based planning across NHS Scotland.

This approach will shift health service planning beyond organisational boundaries and strengthen accountability for meeting the needs of local populations.

SPDCs East and West will work collaboratively to optimise capacity and ensure equitable access to services based on population need. By doing so, they will place the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s population at the heart of service design and delivery.

The Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) Cross Sector Working Group was established on a limited term basis to support the co-ordination of data collection and information sharing about RAAC across the public sector estate in Scotland. The aims and objectives of the Working Group are now met by the Cross Sector Building Safety Forum which, with a broader remit, meets to discuss a range of building safety issues with representation from across key sectors. Information about the Forum is published here: Building safety: cross sector forum - gov.scot.

As set out in the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, where a Health Board is unable to meet the Treatment Time Guarantee within its own area, it must take all reasonably practicable steps to arrange for the provision of the agreed treatment by—

(a) another Health Board;

(b) the National Health Service in England, Wales or Northern Ireland;

(c) an authorised provider; or

(d) another suitable alternative provider in the United Kingdom.

When pursuing the above options, a Health Board must have regard to the importance of securing the effective and efficient use of the health service organisation and resources.

Health Boards also have the option to agree national or regional provision for diagnostic and specialist services.

The Scottish Government position on the responsibility for addressing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has not changed. RAAC is primarily a building maintenance issue and responsibility lies with the owner of the building.

The number of Anaesthetic Consultants working in NHS Scotland has grown by 21.6% over the last decade and stood at 895.2 WTE as at 31 March 2026. Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in anaesthetics.

The Scottish Government’s role is to provide strategic leadership for NHS Scotland to ensure a sustainable NHS workforce. Operational matters relating to staffing including recruitment to specific specialities such as anaesthetists, are the responsibility of individual NHS Boards and will depend on service needs, taking account of national, regional and local priorities. Boards are required to ensure that suitably qualified and competent staff are available in appropriate numbers to support safe, high-quality care and staff wellbeing, in line with the requirements of the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.