Chamber and committees

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. In 2026-27 we have added £14.4 million to the record £17.6 billion of core funding to Health Boards to ensure that the ongoing costs of consumables for people currently using closed loop systems continue to be met.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care wrote to Board Chief Executives on 29 May 2026 stating her expectation that this funding is spent on closed loop system consumables as intended and asking them to confirm the steps being taken in their Boards to ensure this happens.

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group, advises all four UK nations on population health screening programmes. Officials from the governments of all four nations, including the Scottish Government, attend all meetings of the UK NSC as observers, and regular meetings are held between the four UK nations to discuss the work of the Committee.

The Chief Medical Officer for Scotland has been sighted on the evidence which has formed the basis of the recent UK NSC recommendation on prostate cancer screening. Additionally, Scotland is represented on the UK NSC by the Scottish Director of Screening, who liaises regularly with Scottish Government officials.

The Scottish Government recognises that reform of the legal aid system is needed, which is why we have committed to launching a consultation on a Legal Aid Reform Bill within our first 100 days.

Work continues at pace, including engagement with key stakeholders and consideration of options for reform.

The consultation will explore how the system could be more responsive and user-centred, while ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of publicly funded legal assistance.

We will carefully consider the responses to ensure we deliver an adaptable, flexible, affordable and sustainable legal aid system in Scotland that supports people who are facing challenging issues and problems.

That process will shape the content of the Bill and inform when it can be introduced to Parliament.

Information on how much money the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS) has spent on employment settlement agreements (taken to mean a contract entered into by employer and employee to resolve an employment dispute); associated legal advice; and settlements in relation to employment tribunals (which account for employment dispute costs) in each of the four financial years since 2022-23 can be found at the following link: FOI - Legal Counsel and Settlements | WICS

For financial year 2021-22, there were no employee settlement agreements paid by WICS. Information on costs relating to employment disputes and associated legal advice are not held centrally.

As the member will be aware, the Rail Enforcement Powers Working Group published its final report and recommendations on 11 February 2026. This contained an output which recommended that the Scottish Government explore whether primary or secondary legislation can be used to create greater protections for rail workers. Since the report was published, Transport Scotland officials have been conducting a feasibility assessment of each of the Working Group’s recommendations.

As part of this, the feasibility work regarding the proposals for specific legal protections against assaults and abuse towards rail workers has now been widened to include all public transport workers, following the manifesto commitment.

This work will inform any potential future approaches towards implementation.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to the energy sector.

As part of this approach, we commissioned and published in 2023 a package of independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial update of the baseline data underpinning the analysis was published in 2025.

Decisions on licensing, consenting and the associated fiscal regime for offshore oil and gas are all matters currently reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government will continue to support the energy workforce with the powers available to us.

Trading standards officers are appointed by local authorities in order to deliver their statutory obligations. Scottish Government does not centrally record workforce data.

Whilst it is up to each local authority to manage its own day-to-day business, including decisions in relation to the delivery of statutory services locally, the Scottish Government has a strategic interest in the effective delivery of trading standards services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting local government to meet their statutory obligations in relation to trading standards. Scottish Ministers have asked Consumer Scotland to develop recommendations that will inform the Scottish Government’s approach to supporting local authorities to deliver effective, well resourced, services.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors who are independent of central and local government and are accountable to the courts. Proposals (the first stage of the appeals system) against revaluation can be lodged with the Assessor until 31 July 2026 or four months after the valuation notice has been received, whichever is later. Proposals can then be appealed in given circumstances and timescales to the Scottish Tribunals.

Transport Scotland officials engage regularly with Network Rail Scotland to ensure that Scottish Minister’s requirements as specified here: Scottish Ministers’ High Level Output Specification (HLOS) - Control Period 7 - 2024 – 2029 | Transport Scotland are met by Network Rail.

Transport Scotland works with Network Rail to review and revise its programme of works against priorities in the context of available funding. This ensures Transport Scotland can deliver the right projects at the right time as it seeks to progress its rolling programme of decarbonisation, whilst also delivering rail passenger and freight services that meet user expectations.

The railway delivery partners will continue to review and assess suitability of railway infrastructure to ensure it continues to meet the current and future passenger demand, as much as possible and in the context of the available funding.

Responsibility for decisions about the delivery of education, including the use of digital approaches in classrooms and early years settings, rests with local authorities, who are best placed to assess the impact of local practice in light of the needs of their learners and communities. The Scottish Government recognises that the educational impact of digital device use cannot be judged on a simple assumption that more or less device use will in itself lead to better or worse outcomes. Evidence from international bodies, including the OECD and UNESCO, indicates that any benefit depends on a range of factors, including the quality of teaching, the nature of the learning activity, and how well digital tools are used to support pedagogy. Digital technology is therefore best understood as something that can enhance effective teaching practice where it is used purposefully and appropriately, rather than as a determinant of educational impact in its own right.