Chamber and committees

Angela Leitch CBE, was appointed as the Chair of the independent review of Creative Scotland based on merit and the criteria set out for public appointments under section 7 of the Scottish Ministerial Code. The role was not publicly advertised due to the timing of the independent Review, which is to conclude later this year.

Angela Leitch brings significant public sector experience having worked in a number of Local Authorities and as Chief Executive of Public Health Scotland. Angela Leitch also has relevant experience as Convener of the Board of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee. She is a member of the Accounts Committee and the Scottish Police Authority. She is also Chair of YouthLink Scotland and is a Trustee of the homelessness prevention charity Cyrenians.

The Scottish Government has today (18 June) published the Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan, following a public consultation on the draft plan. The Plan sets out our vision for the Grangemouth Industrial Cluster and will act as the framework for all activity that supports Grangemouth’s transition. It identifies 21 actions which will help us achieve our vision, including short term actions in the next 12 months and longer term actions over the next three to five years.

The Plan has been developed with industry, the community, public sector partners, Unite the Union and the workforce at Grangemouth. The Grangemouth Future Industry Board (GFIB), with members from across these sectors and led by Scottish Enterprise, will take the lead on delivering the actions set out in the Plan.

The Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan is backed by our £25m Grangemouth Just Transition Fund.

An economic assessment was carried out based on the scenario of a prolonged full closure in order to inform decision making in managing these important viaducts, which indicated significant detriment to the Scottish economy if the viaducts had to be closed.

An economic assessment reflecting the current traffic management arrangements, of two lanes open in each direction, has not been undertaken.

On 9 June the UK Government announced their plans to extend the Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales to Pensioners with an individual income of £35,000 or less a year. This U-turn is welcome; the UK Government’s decision to cut the Winter Fuel Payment last winter was a betrayal of millions of pensioners.

Following careful consideration of the options available, the Scottish Government has decided to mirror the approach taken by the UK Government. We will therefore withdraw the current amendment regulations before the Scottish Parliament and bring forward amendment regulations to ensure that, from this winter onwards, all pensioners will receive £203.40 or £305.10 per household, depending on age, and we are in discussion with the UK Government to extend the proposed arrangements in England and Wales to recover payments from those pensioners with an individual income of more than £35,000 through the tax system. The intention is that the payment will be recovered automatically, and pensioners will not need to register with HMRC for this or take any further action.

In taking this decision Ministers have considered carefully the importance of prioritising the additional funding available to those who need it most. This approach ensures a higher level of support which those most in need will receive. Over 720,000 Scottish pensioners are estimated to benefit from the higher payment. Revised Impact Assessments will be updated and published alongside the updated regulations.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Public Health Scotland publishes a yearly report named the ‘Prescription Cost Analysis’ which outlines annual total expenditure on all prescriptions from community pharmacy in Scotland. British National Formulary chapter 4 includes methadone and buprenorphine (also known by its brand name Buvidal) and the cost of prescribing these drugs can be found on tab 4 of the PCA at Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Financial year 2023 to 2024 - Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

The transfer and repatriation of mother and babies is a normal component of neonatal care provision in Scotland, ensuring babies receive the most appropriate care at the correct time.

The intention with the new model of care is that mothers in suspected extreme pre-term labour are transferred before they give birth (in-utero transfer) to maternity units in the hospitals that have neonatal intensive care units. We expect that those maternity units will have planned capacity to receive those women.

It is recognised that it will not always be possible to transfer mothers before they give birth, and in that case our specialist neonatal transfer service, ScotSTAR will transfer those babies in specialist ambulances equipped to care for neonates, as this has been established practice for many years. Babies receiving care in one of the three intensive care units will be transferred back to their local neonatal unit for ongoing care as soon as possible.

The Scottish Perinatal network has developed and published guidance for all Boards across Scotland to support identification and transfer of mothers in suspected extreme preterm labour. Experiences of testing the new model of neonatal intensive care showed that the vast majority of mothers in suspected pre-term labour were identified and transferred before giving birth.

The Scottish Government is grateful to all Dispensing Appliance Contractors and community pharmacies for the service offered to stoma patients across Scotland and is committed to putting in place arrangements to best support them. Data shows that the volume of items provided by stoma suppliers has steadily increased by over two thirds (72.5%) since 2011 and suppliers are reimbursed for all items dispensed, resulting in a £2.539m increase (48%). Suppliers also benefit from a Global Sum of £3.8 million. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government recognises the requirement to keep arrangements under review and will explore whether changes are required to the fee structure and are within the affordability of the wider public sector finances.

1.New commercial arrangements were introduced in 2011 for the supply of stoma appliances to patients in the community and have been in place since. These arrangements are set up through contractual arrangements put in place by NHS Scotland National Procurement acting on behalf of Health Boards. They provide a framework which controls the cost of dispensing these items which is carried out by both Dispensing Appliance Contractors (DACs) and community pharmacy contractors who sign up to offer the service.

2.The arrangements are made up of a Global Sum for stoma appliance supply remuneration and fees for customisation and delivery. Suppliers are able to make profit on the sales and customisation aspects of the service. The Scottish Government’s Pharmacy Policy team holds meetings with the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) who represent DACs in the UK. They have called for improvements to the current arrangements and discussions are currently being arranged to hear details of these proposals.

While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering, commissioning and providing appropriate social care services at a local level lies with local authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships. This includes the responsibility to reduce the number of people being delayed in hospital unnecessarily.

Since 2015-16, the Scottish Government has provided additional funding for social care and integration. This annual investment has risen to almost £2.2 billion in the 2025-26 Scottish Budget.

However, decisions on how best to deliver services to local communities are ultimately for Health and Social Care Partnerships and locally elected representatives to make.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Public Health Scotland publishes a yearly report named the ‘Prescription Cost Analysis’ which outlines annual total expenditure on all prescriptions from community pharmacy in Scotland. British National Formulary chapter 4 includes methadone and buprenorphine (also known by its brand name Buvidal) and the cost of prescribing these drugs can be found on tab 4 of the PCA at Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Financial year 2023 to 2024 - Dispenser payments and prescription cost analysis - Publications - Public Health Scotland.