Chamber and committees

In January 2026, Ferguson Marine’s CEO formally wrote to the previous Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport (NZET) Committee advising the target delivery date for MV Glen Rosa has been further delayed to Q4 2026.

The yard remains firmly committed to delivering the vessel to the highest standard and their letter to the NZET committee in January also confirmed their confidence in this updated timeline and cost forecast.

The Scottish Government will continue to hold the yard to account for delivery, cost control, and full transparency as the project moves towards completion, while also ensuring Parliament is kept updated through formal reporting to the Committee.

Transport Scotland continues to work with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Glasgow City Council and other regional partners in the development of Clyde Metro. The ongoing stage of the development process, known as the Case for Investment, is being led by SPT, with Transport Scotland providing a project assurance role.

As part of its project assurance role on Clyde Metro, Transport Scotland engages with Glasgow City Council on a regular basis. Most recently, Transport Scotland officials attended the Clyde Metro Programme Steering Group on 23 April 2026, and senior officials met with the Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council on 11 May 2026 to discuss Clyde Metro.

MyCare.scot was rolled out nationally across Scotland from April 2026. It is accessible via a web browser. A downloadable mobile app will also be available through app stores from early summer.

The Scottish Government is delivering the strongest package of winter support in the UK.

Winter Heating Payment replaced the UK Government's Cold Weather Payment in February 2023. The payment is made automatically and provides stable and reliable support to help low-income households with winter heating costs, regardless of the temperature.

Official statistics published on 19 May 2026 shows that as of 31 March 2026, over 472,000 Winter Heating Payments were made to eligible clients, with the vast majority paid automatically in December 2025. The information requested for April 2026 is not yet published.

Further details are available on Social Security Scotland’s website at: Winter Heating Benefit Statistics.

The initial cost model to establish a full lung screening programme prepared by the Scottish Expert Advisory Group (SEAG) estimated £36.7 million in implementation costs, followed by recurring costs of between £28.6 million and £39.7 million per annum (dependent upon uptake levels).

It is essential to note that full roll-out of lung screening will take between 7-10 years; this mirrors the experiences and plans of the other UK nations, and reflects the inherent challenges of establishing a programme of this size and complexity. Based on the cost model, the first phase will require at least £3.5 million, although this will be refined as planning progresses.

The Private Jet Tax will be implemented as higher rates of Air Departure Tax (ADT)which will apply to the carriage of passengers by air on private jet flights from Scottish airports.

The Scottish Government is working with Motability Operations to understand how any changes stemming from UK Government tax changes in its November 2025 Budget might affect its customers in Scotland who use the Accessible Vehicles and Equipment (AVE) Scheme.

We are aware of the upcoming changes announced by Motability to new and renewing lease customers elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Motability will separately set out in due course how any changes will apply to its future provision in Scotland under the AVE Scheme.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the AVE Scheme and ensuring that eligible clients get the right vehicle to meet their needs and to allow them to remain independent.

Qualifications Scotland is responsible for its own operational decisions, including whether individuals can access their exam scripts.

An exemption to the right of access via subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 2018 applies to exam scripts. The application of this exemption is in line with Qualifications Scotland’s policy that the organisation does not provide marked exam scripts.

In 2024 a trial of providing access to marked exam papers was conducted for a selected number of subject and levels. Alongside identified benefits, the evaluation report also noted challenges with scalability. This included workload implications for practitioners, and the need for specific digital requirements to ensure the service can be delivered fairly and equitability for all learners and subjects. As such Qualifications Scotland has paused any further roll out.

The Scottish Government unequivocally condemns any form of hatred, prejudice or intimidation, including anti-Protestant incidents or attacks. It is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Therefore, we must all play our part to challenge it.

Scotland is a diverse, multi-cultural society and this diversity strengthens us as a nation. That is why we work cooperatively with a range of organisations throughout the country to tackle all forms of hatred and prejudice.

The former Minister for Victims and Community Safety met with representatives of the Loyal Orange Institution of Scotland, with engagement continuing at both ministerial and official level throughout 2025 and into early 2026.

We want all women and girls to be able to access the best possible care and support and to benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put women at the centre of their care.

Endometriosis continues to be a priority for this Government, and we are determined to see diagnosis times reduced for all women and girls across Scotland.

Through Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan, we are taking action to transform gynaecology services and reduce diagnosis times for all menstrual health conditions, including endometriosis. The Endometriosis Care Pathway has already been updated to align with the most recent NICE guidance so that NHS Boards can ensure that women and girls with endometriosis and endometriosis like symptoms have access to holistic and timely care.