Chamber and committees

It is unacceptable for anyone’s mail to be delayed unnecessarily, and such delays are especially concerning for patients awaiting hospital appointments.

We want all patients to receive reasonable appointment offers, allowing sufficient time to plan for their appointment or treatment.

As part of the updated Waiting Times Guidance patients now receive a period of at least 10 calendar days for an offer of appointment. Patients may also consent to different methods of communication for this offer, for example receiving a phone call.

Officials met with representatives from Royal Mail in June and July 2026 and continue to be in discussions exploring all options to ensure that there are minimal delays to NHS correspondence.

Between 2017 and 2018, a multidisciplinary group of subject matter experts (SMEs) worked to define the requirements for a future GP clinical system. This group included GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, and specialists in IT and information governance.

We recognise that many people are facing significant challenges due to the rising cost of living, with households across Scotland finding it increasingly difficult to afford healthy and nutritious food. The final list of items to be covered by the legislation will be determined by consultation and engagement.

As announced in the 2026-27 Scottish Budget, we will continue to invest £3 million to fund breakfast clubs through the Bright Start Breakfasts Fund alongside additional investment of £15 million to phase delivery of a national breakfast club offer.

From 2027-28 we will invest £44 million each year to deliver breakfast clubs for all children in primary school across Scotland from August 2027.

Decisions have not been finalised relating to funding distribution. Work is ongoing with COSLA, Local Government and wider partners to agree a fair and proportionate distribution model for funding across financial years 2026-27 and 2027-28.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring families can access the support they need. Support that is joined up, easy to navigate, and shaped around the needs of the whole family. Since 2022, we’ve invested over £154.5 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to support local areas transform holistic whole family support.

Our Third Tackling Child Poverty Delivering Plan, Bringing Hope, Building Futures, places whole family support at the heart of our approach. In 2026-27 this includes:

• £50 million through the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme to continue the transformation of local whole family support;
• £15 million (per year) of baselined funding to local authorities for community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families;
• £6 million through the Fairer Futures Partnership programme to further test and embed improved delivery of holistic support for families in or at risk of poverty;
• £1.9 million across 2026-2028 through our Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund to strengthen approaches to child poverty; and
• £20 million through a new Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund to provide more support that wraps around families in their communities, making connections to public services and helping to break the cycle of poverty.

These measures are complemented by £15 million through the Childcare Support Fund, for short-term, flexible childcare support to help low-income families manage the cost of childcare and overcome barriers to employment, training and learning. In addition, the significant investment through the Scottish Attainment Challenge and Pupil Equity Funding, is working collaboratively across a range of local services and partners to best meet the needs of pupils and their families impacted by poverty.

Looking ahead we are bringing together the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme, Fairer Futures Partnerships, and the Whole Family Support Early Adopter areas into one integrated system change programme from April 2027. This will streamline and strengthen our approach to systems change, providing a clear offer to local areas that supports the implementation of whole family approaches that best meet the needs of local communities.

While ministerial responsibility for delivery is shared across portfolios to ensure alignment with Scottish Government’s wider economic strategy and climate commitments, overarching responsibility lies with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport. Link: Green industrial strategy - gov.scot.

Supporting more businesses to scale and anchor in Scotland is a key economic priority for this Government and this is reflected in our commitment to establish a High Growth Unit focussed on helping our best companies to achieve their full potential.

The Scottish Government is currently considering a range of models for how the High Growth Unit might be implemented, including its remit and priorities, as well as the structures, skills and capabilities that will be required to maximise its impact. As part of that work, we are also considering where the Unit can best be located to optimise its value and effectiveness, including the role that Scottish Enterprise may play.

These considerations are being informed through close engagement with private sector partners , including the Chief Entrepreneur, Ana Stewart. We will set out further details on the High Growth Unit, including its final structure and location, in due course.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists' 2025 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census Report. The findings will be considered as part of ongoing workforce planning processes. 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 radiology. Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Radiologist workforce by 24% (from 325.4 WTE as of March 2016 to 403.8 WTE as of March 2026). Over the last five years, a total of 162 Clinical Radiology specialty training places were advertised for recruitment in Scotland, of which all posts were filled successfully.

A skilled workforce is essential for achieving economic growth, through supporting increased productivity and innovation, and positioning Scotland to benefit from inward investment opportunities, our energy transition and future technological advances. Equipping people with the skills they need to engage in a changing labour market also helps more people enter or remain in good jobs, contributing to higher incomes and reduced economic inactivity.

Therefore, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport will have a pivotal role in the delivery of apprenticeships and skills and workforce development, working across government with other portfolios. This collaborative approach aims to build a responsive skills system that meets the needs of Scotland’s economy, its businesses and its workers.

The Scottish Government works with medical schools and Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) (previously NHS Education for Scotland) through the Scotland Deanery, to ensure that medical students and foundation years doctors receive appropriate exposure to oncology as part of a balanced medical curriculum and training programme.

Oncology is embedded within undergraduate medical education across Scotland and forms an integral part of the curricula delivered by medical schools. Universities design and deliver their programmes in line with the General Medical Council’s Outcomes for Graduates and the UK Medical Licensing Assessment. This ensures graduates develop the knowledge, skills and professional capabilities required to recognise, investigate and contribute to the management of cancer across a range of clinical settings.

Medical education is designed to prepare graduates for the management of cancer across a wide range of settings and specialties, rather than concentrating on increased exposure to any one specialty in isolation. This ensures graduates are equipped to recognise, investigate and contribute to the management of cancer as part of holistic patient care in a wide range of clinical contexts.

Students are introduced early to the scientific basis of cancer, including genetics, pathology and tumour biology, before developing clinical knowledge and skills through integrated teaching across specialties where cancer is a major component of practice. This is complemented by clinical placements in oncology, haematology, palliative care and general clinical settings, alongside training in communication, multidisciplinary working and patient-centred care.

Following graduation, foundation training is managed by PSDS through the Scotland Deanery. Foundation doctors typically gain exposure to oncology through rotational placements as well as through general medical and surgical placements where cancer care is a significant component. Where oncology is not included in a rotation, doctors are able to undertake taster days or short placements aligned to their interests. There has been sustained and increasing interest in oncology, with growing uptake of these opportunities.

The most recent specialty training recruitment cycle has been the most successful to date, with over 98% of posts filled across Scotland. Performance within Clinical Radiology has consistently achieved a 100% fill rate between 2023 and 2025, while Clinical oncology has risen from a 33.33% in 2023, to 50% in 2024 and 92.86% in 2025.