Chamber and committees

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.

Through the Glasgow City Region Deal, £6.1 million is being provided by Scottish Government, as part of a total allocation of £12.2 million, to take forward the development of the Clyde Metro project Case for Investment – a clear sign of this government’s commitment to supporting development of Clyde Metro. This key stage, which will inform decisions around network selection, phasing and implementation, is well underway and is anticipated to be complete in 2027.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating 500 new jobs in Grangemouth by the end of this Parliament. Our investment of up to £7,732,078, announced in December 2025, in MiAlgae and Celtic Renewables will support the creation of 279 jobs at Grangemouth by 2029. Many of these roles will pay above the median salary for workers in Scotland.

My officials are working collaboratively with the UK Government via the Grangemouth Investor Taskforce to identify further such investment opportunities that would create well paid jobs across the cluster. I continue to call on the UK Government to realise their commitment of supporting Grangemouth’s transition by deploying £200 million from the National Wealth Fund.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked them to respond. Their reply is as follows:

Scottish Water teams have reviewed telemetry data, pump station monitoring and operational records and have identified no operational incidents. I am told that discharge events were recorded from one of the four Portobello (Central) combined sewer overflows (CSOs), Portobello Joppa SPS CSO, and were part of normal operations related to rainfall.

CSOs are an integral part of a sewage network and are designed to discharge highly diluted wastewater during periods of heavy rainfall to avoid overloading the sewer system, which could result in flooding of homes and businesses. Such discharges do not necessarily result in pollution incidents, and any suspected environmental pollution incidents should be reported to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publish estimates of the number of children living in workless households by region from the ONS Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. A workless household is defined as a household containing at least one person aged 16 to 64 in which all persons aged 16 and over are either unemployed or economically inactive.

The latest available estimates are for January to December 2024.

The estimated number of children living in workless households in Scotland was 112,200 in 2024, 12.7% of children living in all households in Scotland.

Source: Annual Population Survey Household dataset, ONS

Office for National Statistics (ONS), published 29 October 2025, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Children living in long-term workless households in the UK: 2024

The date for this legislation going live has yet to be decided. Our consultation on the approach to implementation closed on 22 May and we aim to publish a report on responses within 12 weeks.

Preparation for implementation is being supported by the Right to Breaks Implementation Steering Group, involving unpaid carer representatives as well as statutory and third sector organisations.

In the meantime, local authorities already have responsibilities to promote a variety of short breaks in their areas and carers who meet local eligibility criteria can continue to access short break support in accordance with their rights under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. Additionally, we are providing £13m in 2026-27 for the voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund which enables unpaid carers to benefit from a wide variety of easy-access short breaks.

The Scottish Government has considered the risks associated with reliance on the Vision 3 service. Following the administration of In Practice Systems Limited (INPS) in December 2024, migrations were paused while contractual novation to OneAdvanced was secured, involving extensive due diligence over nine months.

Robust governance, including framework procurement rules, clinical safety assessments, and contractual safeguards, remains in place. Risk mitigation measures include ongoing oversight by the GP IT Service Management Board, a phased rollout of migrations to the Vision system, and supplier performance management. The system continues to be supported, secure, and subject to continuous review, with contingency planning reflected in the extended EMIS PCS GP IT system contract to June 2027 while the programme of migrations to the Vision system is ongoing.

The latest data shows New Outpatient waits over a year have decreased for 11 consecutive months, while over 52 week waits for Inpatient / Day case have reduced for 15 months in a row. In the quarter to 31 March 2026, activity for the 8 key diagnostic tests was also at its highest since reporting began in April 2024.

We are determined to continue to build on this momentum, and have invested an additional £100 million this year to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 Operational Improvement Plan. This funding will support additional capacity and deliver further reductions in waiting times, with a particular focus on those waiting the longest.

Our plan is working and delivering for the people of Scotland, and we expect waiting times to continue to fall as the impact of our sustained investment and reform programme is realised over the course of the parliamentary session.

Potential incidental findings from lung screening include, but are not limited to, conditions such as tuberculosis, emphysema and bronchiectasis. NHS Scotland has yet to formally agree an incidental findings policy for their planned targeted lung cancer screening programme. The Lung Screening Programme Board has, however, agreed in principle to align all clinical guidance relating to the programme with that of the other UK nations, unless there is clear justification for an alternative approach.

NHS England's Lung Screening Clinical Advisory Group developed an Incidental Findings policy in 2025. It explains the potential significance of each finding, how and when it should be reported and what action the screening programme should take in each case. A complete list of potential incidental findings along with their recommended management can be viewed here: 2502-B1647-quality-assurance-standards-prepared-for-the-lung-cancer-screening-programme.pdf

Scottish Ministers are committed to reforming the public sector to deliver high-quality services in a fiscally sustainable way. Public Service Reform is central to this, with an increased focus on accelerating change and strengthening the delivery of key services, including ferry operations.

In this context, Scottish Ministers will consider structural reforms to improve accountability, transparency and efficiency within lifeline ferry services, as part of a wider approach to better integrate publicly owned transport bodies and maximise public investment. Communities and businesses remain central to this, with an emphasis on reliability, resilience and value for money.

While no final decisions have been taken on the nature or timing of reforms, engagement will continue with CalMac, CMAL, island stakeholders and trade unions as this work 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.