Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not record this information. The First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland, Additional Support Needs (ASN) Jurisdiction is a separate and independent body.

Yearly statistics Tribunal Forum | First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Health and Education Chamber) (from 2016 onwards) are published on the total number of applications to the ASN Tribunal in relation to additional support needs following the annual Tribunal Forum, broken down by Education Authority and high-level reason for the hearing.

ASN Tribunal Decisions are published, providing detail of each case, and can be accessed via the Tribunal website: Decisions | First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Health and Education Chamber). Not all decisions are published, based on permission from the parent / child and the education authority concerned.

The Scottish Government routinely analyses data related to the labour market. The link between waiting times and the economy is most frequently viewed through economic inactivity due to ill-health. A 2024 Scottish Parliament Information Centre briefing, for example, examined Annual Population Survey responses alongside Accident and Emergency (A&E) performance in Scotland. They found that the correlation between A&E performance and economic inactivity due to ill health was very low but statistically significant. Similarly, the Office for Budget Responsibility in 2023 found that “the rising NHS waiting list itself is unlikely to have been a significant driver of rising inactivity due to long-term sickness in recent years”.

We are looking closely at how our health system can better support people to stay healthy in work and move back in to work, alongside actions which can be taken by government, employers and individuals.

The Programme for Government sets out action we will take in health to address the challenges faced by those who are economically inactive, and to support those at risk of becoming economically inactive. This includes:

• Creating a single point of access through Healthy Working Lives for employers and workers to access advice and support, with ongoing improvements to the site’s accessibility and navigation.
• Free NHS case management support, available through Working Health Services Scotland, is available to employees and employers, focusing on small to medium size businesses. As of January 2025, within existing budget, we have been able to expand this service to 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday with early indications showing healthy demand for these extended hours (between 80-90% of appt slots filled).
• Continued support for the Healthy Working Lives’ online platform to help employers build mentally healthy workplaces, and delivery of the Mentally Healthy Workplaces network for employers.

We are also developing a new heath and work action plan, with engagement currently taking place cross-government.

Ministers approved recommendations in July 2024 to maximise the effect of existing service provision across fair work and employability, health and local service delivery to reduce the risk of people leaving the labour market due to ill health.

Our evidence review, published September 2024, examines the evidence on supporting those with longer-term conditions and disabilities to remain in work. Its focus is on the upstream prevention of economic inactivity to ensure the protective factors for health that good work provides.

The action plan, due for Summer 2025, will reflect both the priorities of the Programme for Government and the longer-term system changes noted in the forthcoming Population Health Framework and will focus on enabling those wanting to work to enter, thrive and remain in the workforce and to tackle Scotland’s increasing rates of economic inactivity due to ill health.

Recognising reserved powers and our own levers within the Scottish Government, the plan will bring together health, mental health, employability services, social security, business representative organisations, the UK government and other organisations established in the delivery of healthy, safe and fair work.

Electrification remains an option for the entire line from Glasgow Central to Carlisle via Kilmarnock, however no timescale has been established for the decarbonisation of this route, including the section from Barrhead to Kilmarnock. Electrification of the northern section of this route from Glasgow Central to Barrhead Line was successfully completed in December 2023.

Future rolling stock options for the Glasgow to Carlisle via Kilmarnock route, including Barrhead to Kilmarnock, will be considered by ScotRail as part of the option selection process for decarbonisation of the route, subject to relevant appraisal processes and available budgets.

The Scottish Government has published the minutes of these meetings. The final National Bairns’ Hoose Governance Group meeting took place on 26 June 2024, so no subsequent meetings of the National Bairns’ Hoose Governance Group have been held since this date.

Information on teacher vacancies is not held centrally.

Muirburn is currently guided by the Muirburn Code: https://www.nature.scot/doc/guidance-muirburn-code which is a non-statutory code and sets out both the law and good practice relating to muirburn.

Section 3.3 of the current Muirburn Code clearly states that the person undertaking muirburn must not burn within 30m of a public road; create smoke that is a nuisance; and endanger anyone’s health and/or safety.

Anyone with concerns that the law is not being complied with in regards to muirburn should contact Police Scotland.

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act 2024 introduced a provision to further regulate the use of muirburn including that all muirburn will need to be carried out under licence.

A condition of the licence will be that anyone carrying out muirburn must have completed a training course. In future this will include both an online and a practical course. Currently no training is required for carrying out muirburn in Scotland.

NatureScot are also currently consulting on a new Muirburn Code that will accompany the licensing scheme, which sets out the essential considerations for muirburn, including where and when muirburn can be carried out, the required notifications before setting muirburn and necessary safety measures. The muirburn licensing scheme and revised Muirburn Code are being introduced to help ensure that muirburn is carried out safely and appropriately.

The NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 was published in August 2021 with a commitment to provide annual reports on progress through the delivery outcomes set out in the plan. These reports are published online and can be found at:

NHS Recovery Plan: annual progress update 2022 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-annual-progress-update/

NHS recovery plan: progress report 2023 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-progress-report-2023/

NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026: annual progress update report 2024 – https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-recovery-plan-2021-2026-annual-progress-update-report-2024/

In line with previous years, an further annual progress report for 2025 will be published by the end of this year.

With respect to the use of e-consultations and telephone triage, while the Scottish Government sets the strategic direction, it is for Health Boards to plan their services based on local need. What is most important is appointments are agreed through shared decision making, balancing patient choice and clinical judgement. We continue to engage with stakeholders in support of service delivery.

The Scottish Government does not collect or hold statistics specifically on sustained employment for people who register with an employment agency.

The Scottish Government collects and publishes statistics related to Scottish Government funded employability support, No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland, including data on sustained employment by participants.

The most recent statistics for Scottish Government funded employability support are available at: Scotland's Devolved Employment Services statistics - gov.scot.

Alan Gray, Director of Health and Social Care Finance, wrote to Chief Executives of NHS Scotland on 04 December 2024 to provide the details of the indicative funding settlement for NHS Boards in the Scottish Government Budget 2025-26.

The letter confirmed that brokerage would not be available for 2025-26 and that NHS Boards would be expected to work towards a break-even trajectory in their three-year financial plans.

Following submission of three-year plans, Boards who are not anticipating to breakeven have been required to submit recovery plans for 2025-26 to achieve set levels of overspend. Should these not be agreed, these boards will be required to seek authority from the Scottish Government to spend above agreed levels.

NHS Board overspends in 2025-26, up to and inclusive of the agreed levels, are not repayable and will not be included in historic cumulative brokerage levels. For NHS Boards who are forecasting breakeven positions in their financial plan, no deficit is permitted and any overspend will be included as an overspend in their financial statements.