- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what the specific timeline is for the commencement and funding of section 12 (Duty to engage in release planning) and section 13 (Throughcare support standards) of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023.
Answer
Section 13 was commenced on 9 February 2026. The legislation requires that a set of standards for through care support be published within two years of that commencement date. Since commencement, officials have been engaging with the organisations named in the legislation to support the development of these standards. A full 12-week consultation on the draft standards is planned for early 2027.
Section 12 has not yet been commenced. As with the remaining provisions of the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023, commencement is being progressed in a phased and considered manner, with close engagement across relevant partners to ensure operational readiness and support effective implementation.
As set out in the financial memorandum accompanying the Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland)Bill at introduction, it is not anticipated that Sections 12 and 13 will give rise to significant additional costs for local authorities or other public bodies. The duties in these sections do not require named partners to provide new or additional services beyond those already available to people leaving custody.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding its response to the report by Environmental Standards Scotland, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, whether, it will undertake a quantified gap analysis to determine whether the measures contained in the 2025 UK Marine Strategy Programme of Measures are sufficient to deliver Scotland’s contribution to Good Environmental Status for seafloor integrity, and, should such an analysis identify a shortfall, whether it will comparatively assess the potential of new or additional fisheries management measures to contribute to Good Environmental Status, including spatial restrictions on mobile bottom-contact fishing.
Answer
Environmental Standards Scotland's (ESS) report published on 23 June 2026, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, contains ESS’ findings and recommendations relating to the Scottish Ministers’ implementation of those Regulations, including regarding the implementation of measures.
The Scottish Government is carefully considering the ESS report and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report. The Scottish Government's position on the report's findings and recommendations will be set out through that engagement and in its formal response.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to NHS boards regarding the prioritisation of patients referred to Tier 3 adult weight management services, including what consideration boards are expected to give to disability, restricted mobility, chronic pain, musculoskeletal conditions, mental health, employment and the risk of further deterioration, in determining clinical priority.
Answer
The Scottish Government and NHS national consensus statement sets out guidance regarding clinical prioritisation of obesity medicines.
Public Health Scotland’s Standards for the Delivery of Tier 2 and Tier 3 Weight Management Services for Adults in Scotland sets out the expectation that weight management services should support a consistent and equitable approach to service delivery across Scotland.
Standard 1 of those standards sets out consideration to be given to a range of groups as part of local delivery including that health boards should, “focus on engaging with and delivering services to excluded, marginalised, or otherwise vulnerable population groups who are known to be at high risk of developing obesity e.g. minority ethnic groups.”
In partnership with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and PHS work is underway to review the current Weight Management Standards to determine the next steps for the guidelines.
- Asked by: Paul McLennan, MSP for East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Alyn Smith on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ongoing review of support for part-time study, including whether it plans to reform the £25,000 personal earnings eligibility threshold and the level of Part-Time Fee Grant support available for private training provider delivery, particularly for Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) practitioners progressing to the revised Social Services (Children and Young People) Level 9 qualification.
Answer
An analysis report of the Consultation on Support for Part-Time Study and Disabled Students was published online on 12 March 2026 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/analysis-consultation-support-part-time-study-disabled-students/
The consultation provided valuable insights and identified clear areas where support is working well and is helping learners to study towards their goals. However it also highlighted that challenges and barriers remain for many learners in accessing the support they need.
The Scottish Government is considering the findings in more detail to understand the complexities of issues facing students and the sector. This includes the challenges felt by some Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) practitioners who wish to access the PTFG to study.
A progress update will issue in the Autumn.
- Asked by: Andrew Baxter, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons for the delay in NHS Highland’s launch of its Post-Infection and Associated Complex Chronic Syndrome Service, funded through the Scottish Government’s £4.5 million specialist support services allocation.
Answer
The Scottish Government remains in regular contact with NHS Boards regarding the development of specialist support services funded through the £4.5 million annual allocation for long COVID, ME/CFS, chronic fatigue and other similar conditions. NHS Boards are responsible for the planning and operational delivery of services for their local populations and are best placed to determine implementation timescales considering local circumstances and workforce considerations.
NHS Highland has advised that the development of its Post-Infection and Associated Complex Chronic Syndrome Service has taken longer than anticipated due to local implementation and workforce considerations. The Board continues to progress development of the service and Scottish Government officials remain engaged with NHS Highland regarding its plans.
The £4.5 million funding is now being provided on a recurring basis, giving Boards greater certainty to recruit and retain the skilled staff required to establish and deliver sustainable specialist support services.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the long-term effectiveness of Emergency Early Release schemes and the reduction of the automatic release point to 30% in achieving a permanent reduction in the prison population.
Answer
Scotland’s emergency early release (EER) mechanism enables Scottish Ministers to release groups of short-term prisoners within 180 days of their scheduled release, where it is considered necessary and proportionate to do so in order to protect the security and good order of prisons, and/or to protect the health and well-being of prison workers and prisoners.
EER is a temporary measure designed to mitigate acute population pressures by bringing forward the release of a limited cohort of prisoners who are already approaching their scheduled release date. As such, it is not intended to produce a sustained reduction in the prison population.
The EER process that operated between November 2025 and April 2026 was used to address the critical prison population at the time. Over this period 614 individuals were released earlier than their scheduled release date.
The change in the automatic release point for certain short-term prisoners to 30% from 40% implemented from May 2026, forms part of a wider package of measures taken to manage prison population levels over the longer term.
It is estimated that the prison population today would be around 240 to 310 higher had the change in release point to 30% not been introduced.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government when it will set out national targets and timelines for the continued rollout of insulin pumps and hybrid closed-loop systems as part of its plan to ensure person-centred treatment and equity of access for people with diabetes.
Answer
As hybrid closed-loop (HCL) systems become embedded within routine diabetes care, funding for their ongoing provision, including £14.4 million for consumable costs, has been incorporated into NHS Board baseline allocations for 2026-27 as part of the wider £17.6 billion allocated to NHS Territorial Boards.
NHS Territorial Boards are responsible for planning and delivering services in line with national clinical guidance and local need. On 29 May, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Ms Constance wrote to Boards making clear the expectation that funding transferred into baseline allocations should continue to support people with type 1 diabetes using closed-loop systems and seeking assurance that it is being used as intended.
To inform future decisions on access, the Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee to examine options for further expansion of HCL systems. This work has been completed and is being considered as part of planning for the 2027-28 Budget.
There are currently no plans to establish national targets or timelines for further rollout.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33003 by Jenni Minto on 21 January 2025, what action the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care has taken, or plans to take, to ensure that NHS boards provide continuing professional training on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) to their staff, and what the timetable is for any such future action.
Answer
The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to ensure that staff are appropriately trained and developed in line with the Staff Governance Standard and relevant professional requirements.
To support this, we wrote to NHS Boards and General Practitioners in July 2022 to raise awareness of the NICE guideline on ME/CFS and highlight key changes in practice. The Scottish Government has also funded Action for ME and partners to develop and disseminate an online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) module on ME/CFS for health and social care professionals and has supported activity to promote awareness and uptake of the resource.
Through our ongoing engagement with NHS Boards on specialist support services for long COVID, ME/CFS and related conditions, we continue to emphasise the importance of services being informed by relevant clinical guidance, including the NICE guideline on ME/CFS.
Responsibility for workforce training and professional development rests with NHS Boards as employers. While the Scottish Government continues to promote awareness of relevant clinical guidance and educational resources it does not mandate specific continuing professional training requirements for individual conditions.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the reasons why Good Environmental Status for seafloor integrity was not achieved by the statutory deadline of 2020, including any impact of (a) delays in implementing measures, (b) gaps in monitoring and (c) weaknesses in marine governance identified by Environmental Standards Scotland.
Answer
The latest assessment of Good Environmental Status in UK waters was published in 2026 in UK Marine Strategy Part One: Updated Assessment and Good Environmental Status. This assessment is published by the UK Government, working with the devolved authorities including the Scottish Government. The assessment concluded that Good Environmental Status for seafloor integrity had not yet been achieved across UK waters.
A copy of that assessment can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/marine-strategy-part-one-update
Environmental Standards Scotland's (ESS) report published on 23 June 2026, Protecting Scotland's seafloor: an assessment of Scottish Ministers' implementation of the Marine Strategy Regulations 2010, contains ESS’ findings and recommendations relating to the Scottish Ministers’ implementation of those Regulations, including regarding implementation of measures, monitoring, and governance.
The Scottish Government is carefully considering the ESS report and will work constructively with ESS to seek to agree an appropriate action plan within the timescale suggested in the report. The Scottish Government's position on the report's findings and recommendations will be set out through that engagement and in its formal response.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Fairlie on 15 September 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the view that spatial protection measures must be accompanied by the management of total mobile fishing effort in order to deliver a net reduction in pressure on the inshore seabed.
Answer
Spatial protection measures to restrict fishing activities have been introduced for different reasons including nature conservation, stock control and gear conflict. These restrictions affect a range of gears and are not limited to mobile gears.
The Scottish Government’s consultation on Fisheries management measures for inshore marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and proposed Priority Marine Feature (PMF) management areas, seeks views on proposed fisheries management measures across 76 MPAs and 90 proposed PMF management areas
There are a range of fishing gears that are under consideration by the proposed fisheries management measures, including mechanical dredge, hydraulic dredge, demersal trawl, beam trawl, static gear and pelagic seine gear. For MPAs the aim is to spatially and/or temporally avoid, remove or limit the direct and indirect pressures associated with certain fishing gears on qualifying or protected sensitive habitats and species within the areas. For the proposed PMF management areas proposed measures are for demersal mobile gears only.
Where possible two management options are given at consultation, zonal and full site closure. Measures for each site and area will be considered individually.
