Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has been working closely with Heath Boards to ensure a wide range of actions are in place to reduce waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This includes increasing funding over recent years to expand service capacity and provide over 320 additional staff, increasing capacity for cases by over 10,000. We are also continuing to support NHS Boards to redesign their services to improve efficiency and access.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of CAMHS teams across Scotland, we have now met the waiting times standard of Boards seeing 90% of those referred within 18 weeks for over a year and one in two children and young people referred to CAMHS start treatment within 5 weeks. The majority of Health Boards have now eliminated their longest waits of over a year and we are continuing to work with Boards to improve that further.

The Government is also investing in early intervention and community-based supports, such as school counselling and third-sector services, to support children and young people and their families to address mental health issues earlier in order to reduce demand for specialist CAMHS.

Reporters, appointed by Scottish Ministers to consider applications for electricity transmission infrastructure are guided by the statutory framework of the Electricity Act 1989 and the associated Code of Practice for inquiries.

In all cases where Scottish Ministers are responsible for deciding applications made under the Electricity Act 1989, submissions made by all parties are fully considered. Weight is not accorded to representations on the basis of the status or identity of the person who made them.

The decision-making process takes into account matters including Scottish Government policy, UK Government policy on reserved matters, National Planning Framework 4, environmental information, consultation responses, views of affected communities and representations made by members of the public, as well as any public inquiry report.

The merits of each proposal are considered on a case-by-case basis, and a careful balance must be struck between the potential impacts of the development and the associated policy, environmental, economic, renewable energy and climate change benefits as well as other local community effects. This ensures that the right developments are planned and approved in the appropriate locations.

£14 million was originally allocated to the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) in 2025-26, as the Scottish Government piloted delivering up-front capital funding to support farmers and crofters to deliver the Scottish Government’s Vision for Agriculture. In response to high application rates, it was announced on 23 October 2025 that £7 million additional funding would be made available and a total of £21.4 million was allocated to successful applicants in 2025-26.

In 2026-27, capital funding continues to be under significant pressure, with Scotland’s capital block grant due to reduce in real terms by 0.3% per annum by 2029-30. Despite these pressures, it has been possible to allocate £14.25 million to a second round of the FFIS, slightly exceeding the level of funding initially proposed in 2025-26. This is part of the £26 million Agricultural Modernisation Fund budget, which will also fund vital support for our food production and food processing sector, small producers and agritourism.

The wellbeing of our health and social care professionals, including nurses, is vitally important to this government, and is fundamental to ensuring they can deliver high-quality, compassionate care to individuals and communities.

Scottish Government continues to engage with NHS boards, professional bodies and wider stakeholders on issues affecting the health and wellbeing of the nursing workforce, including burnout, stress and retention.

Following publication of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce (NMT) recommended actions in February 2025, the Scottish Government are working with health and social care staff, staff-side organisations, health boards and higher education institutions to deliver lasting positive change for our nurses in Scotland.

There are 44 recommended actions to deliver, with consistent and widespread consistent engagement across health and social care to support their delivery. This collective effort is focused on improving retention of our nurses and welcoming more people into this rewarding profession.

We recognise that throughout their career, employees, including nurses, will face differing demands on their time and energies at home as well as at work. That is why we developed the national Supporting Work Life Balance workforce policies. These are designed to provide staff with a range of flexible working options, to help them to balance their daily life, whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service to our patients and service users.

The Scottish Government, along with the other nations of the UK, follows the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group, when setting screening policy.

The UK NSC does not currently recommend a universal screening programme for prostate cancer. However, on 28 May, the Committee recommended two yearly screening for men aged 45-61 who have both a BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. The Committee concluded that there is sufficient evidence in this group to determine that the benefits of screening outweigh potential harms. The Scottish Government will set out how we will implement this recommendation in due course.

The UK NSC did not recommend screening more widely because they have concluded that there is not yet sufficient evidence to show that the benefits for other men would outweigh the risks. Evidence shows that current methods of screening can miss some cancers and are not accurate enough at identifying which men with prostate cancer will require treatment. This can lead to the detection of cancers that would not have caused harm in a person’s lifetime, resulting in unnecessary tests and treatments with potentially serious, long term side effects.

Research into alternative screening methods is ongoing, including the use of MRI and blood tests. Of particular note is the TRANSFORM study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Prostate Cancer UK, which will run over ten years and recruit hundreds of thousands of men. Early findings will be shared with the UK NSC to inform future decisions, and the Scottish Government will monitor progress of the trial closely.

Local authorities participating in inquiries are required to provide all financial, legal and technical support required to support their participation. No additional funding is provided by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government has reformed the consenting process for major electricity infrastructure through the Planning and Infrastructure (Scotland) Act 2025 by replacing the automatic requirement for a public inquiry with a reporter-led examination. This allows procedures such as written submissions, hearings or inquiries to be used only where appropriate, making participation more proportionate, and focussed on key issues relating to the case. By enabling reporters to scope examinations to the issues in dispute, the new approach allows authorities to participate effectively addressing cost and resourcing issues required for full inquiries.

Changes to the automatic Public Local Inquiry trigger for energy consent applications were consulted on by the UK Government in October and November 2024 as part of preparations for the then Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Details of the consultation outcome can be viewed at: Electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland - GOV.UK. This included engagement with local authorities and opportunities for input from local communities through formal public consultation processes.

The Scottish Government intends to consult later this year on additional measures enabled by the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 which are intended to further improve the efficiency of application processing and minimise resourcing challenges for local authorities. The Scottish Government has no plans at present to establish a dedicated funding mechanism to support local authorities.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the pain and distress experienced by people impacted by Mr Eljamel’s practice. That is why we established the statutory public inquiry into the actions of Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside to ensure patients obtain answers to their questions and that lessons are learned.

The Scottish Government has awarded a contract for trauma-informed support for individuals involved in the public inquiry, recognising that for some individuals the process of participating in the Inquiry could cause distress. The award of this contract was published on the Public Contracts Scotland portal in line with Scottish Government policy. Please refer to the link View Notice - Public Contracts Scotland.

The Eljamel Inquiry has also established a dedicated Support Hub to provide information and assistance to individuals affected by, or participating in, the Inquiry. This includes former patients, family members, witnesses, and others who may engage with its work. The Inquiry recognises that many individuals have experienced trauma and is therefore committed to conducting its work in a trauma-informed manner, with the aim of minimising the risk of further distress.

The Support Hub outlines a range of assistance available to those involved. This includes emotional support, including during hearings; participant support for those directly engaging with the Inquiry process; legal support; assistance related to participation in the Independent Clinical Review; and signposting to external organisations offering additional support services.

Furthermore, the Independent Case Note Review (ICR) team also provides dedicated support for former patients and their families. While this service does not directly relate to the operational matters concerning delayed hearings, it represents an additional avenue through which individuals can seek assistance. Through emailing the mailbox, individuals are able to submit requests for support, which are then directed to the appropriate team best placed to provide help. For ease of reference, a link to this information is provided below.

Eljamel Independent Clinical Review: December 2025 update - gov.scot.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the pain and distress experienced by people impacted by Mr Eljamel’s practice. That is why we established the statutory public inquiry into the actions of Mr Eljamel and NHS Tayside to ensure patients obtain answers to their questions and that lessons are learned. The First Minister and former Cabinet Secretary for Health have met on several occasions with affected individuals and have been clear that the Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to ensure they get the answers they are seeking.

The work of the Inquiry is continuing. The Scottish Government accepted that the decision to postpone the hearings scheduled in April and May was one for the Chair, Lord Weir. The work with core participants continues to enable progress to be made on the Inquiry.

It is important that this process takes place, allowing core participants and members of the Inquiry to come together to fully address the issues.

Most recently, Scottish Government officials met with Lord Weir, on 16 April 2026 to discuss various operational matters including those relating to Waverley Gate. Following that meeting, regular action reporting was established, with officials providing weekly updates to the Inquiry, via the Inquiry Secretariat, on progress against actions relating to the hearing suite and impact on the inquiry timeline.

The Inquiry Chair held a virtual Procedural Hearing on 14 May 2026, during which Lord Weir and Counsel to the Inquiry, further examined issues relating to Waverley Gate as well as updating Core Participants on the Inquiry plans for the next scheduled hearings in September 2026. At that hearing, the Scottish Government committed to continue to provide detailed updates on progressing the resolution to the Waverley Gate building issues.

The Scottish Government has since then continued to progress actions arising from that hearing with urgency and have provided the most recent update to the Inquiry Chair which will allow him to consider options to ensure there is no further delay to the Inquiry hearing schedule.

The Inclusive Parliament Review has various workstreams including a Facilities Review and a review of our Dignity at Work arrangements. The Clerk/Chief Executive commissioned the Dignity at Work Review in light of strengthened statutory duties from the Worker Protection (Amendment of the Equality Act 2010) 2023 and forthcoming requirements within the Employment Rights Act 2025. Information about the Inclusive Parliament Review is available on the Intranet.

As part of the Dignity at Work Review, all SPCB staff and Members’ staff were invited to take part in an internal survey. We also consulted with staff, trade unions, staff forums, external equalities groups and MSPs, and undertook a benchmarking exercise looking at the approach taken in other parliaments. In addition, our Independent Support and Advocacy Service invited people to give feedback on their experiences. The results from the internal survey and associated work were published on 12 March 2026 and its recommendations were endorsed by the Presiding Officer and leaders of all the political parties in Parliament on 13 March 2026.

We have made progress on a number of recommendations including:

• Updated zero-tolerance statement of all forms of unacceptable behaviour, including bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment.
• An Employers’ Pledge will be introduced in June to set shared expectations of dignity, courtesy and respect across all employers in Parliament. All Members and contractors will be invited by the Clerk/Chief Executive to become signatories, and it has already been highlighted in new Members’ induction sessions.
• A refreshed “Safe to Speak up” campaign has been designed and implemented to support and encourage individuals to come forward and report any unacceptable behaviour they have experienced or witnessed. Further activity is planned over the coming months.
• Introduction of a risk assessment framework to support SPCB as an employer to identify and mitigate risks of bullying, harassment, and sexual harassment, including third-party harassment, in June.
• Development of a toolkit for Members as employers to allow them to carry out risk assessments, which will be introduced by September.
• Review and update of key behavioural policies, including the development of a Prevention of Bullying and Harassment policy, which will be published by November.

In March 2026 we commissioned a Facilities Review survey to help us consider the provision, designation, and accessibility of toilets, changing rooms, and showering facilities across the Holyrood estate. Findings will be published in June. They will be used to help us identify any improvements and ensure we create a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all, while also meeting our legal obligations (in terms of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, relevant building regulations and the Equality Act 2010, taking account of guidance published from the statutory regulator, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).)

The delivery of the agreed actions will be planned over the session and will be prioritised based on available resources and staff time. Further updates on progress made towards the recommendations will be published on the Intranet over the same period.

Ministers are at the early stages of taking forward the commitment to introduce a Rural Renewal Bill. Further details on stakeholder engagement will be available in due course.