Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a universal breakfast club offer for primary school age children by August 2027.

To support this offer, we are investing £15 million this financial year to enable the phased expansion of breakfast clubs across Scotland and a recurring investment of £44 million from next financial year to fund national provision.

Decisions have not been finalised on funding distribution. Work is ongoing with COSLA, Local Government and wider partners to agree a fair and proportionate distribution model for funding across financial years 2026-27 and 2027-28.

In line with Getting It Right For Every Child and The Promise, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that any child or young person who cannot live at home must be able to stay in a safe, stable and caring environment.

Last year the Scottish Government ran a national recruitment campaign to increase the number of foster carers and we are providing an additional £22.2 million investment to support foster carers and kinship carers. To help ensure more places are available for local authorities in Scotland, new legislation was brought forward in March 2026 to regulate cross-border placements in residential care. Earlier this year the National Social Work Agency was launched, to strengthen and support the social work profession.

Chief Social Work Officers have overall responsibility for ensuring quality and oversight of decisions, ensuring effective governance arrangements for the management of the complex balance of need and risk to children and social workers, in accordance with professional standards. The National Social Work Agency regularly meets with Chief Social Work Officers to understand what appropriate care arrangements are available for children and that professional supports are available for the social workers that surround them.

I met with Chief Social Work Officers, Social Work Scotland and COSLA representatives on 16 June to discuss the challenges around child placements. There was broad agreement that solutions do not lie solely with one organisation and require coordinated action across national and local government. I will co-chair a cross-sectoral roundtable alongside Councillor Buchanan, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People in early August, to consider what short, medium and long term actions are required to address these challenges.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01276 on 14 July 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a universal breakfast club offer for primary school age children by August 2027.

Many primary schools across Scotland already deliver breakfast offers using a range of delivery models. Work is underway with delivery stakeholders to assess existing models, explore how these can be expanded and enhanced, and identify how best to establish provision where none currently exists. This work is informing national delivery plans including recognising the importance of elements of local flexibility for individual schools.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01290 on 14 July 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers .

The Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Data Short Life Working Group has met four times so far since being formed in January 2026. At each meeting, updates were given on progress made on each of the three workstreams. You can find these updates in the minutes on here: National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group - gov.scot.

The group is planning to publish an interim report on its findings by the end of 2026, with a full report being published in summer 2027.

We welcome the publication of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 5 report focusing on the procurement and distribution to end-users across the four nations of the United Kingdom of key healthcare related equipment and supplies, including PPE, ventilators and oxygen during the Covid-19 pandemic. A copy of the report is available online at: https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/reports/

During the pandemic, the Scottish Government’s foremost priority was to protect the public from the novel Covid-19 virus. Ministers sought to be open, transparent and accountable in respect of the decisions made. We extend our sincere and deepest condolences to the many thousands who have lost loved ones and who continue to experience the profound impacts of Covid-19. We recognise the loss, hurt and suffering experienced by people across Scotland and the rest of the UK, and we would like to again acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices of our health and social care workforce during the pandemic.

Progress continues with implementing the accepted recommendations of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report which covers pre-pandemic planning and preparedness. Six recommendations from the report have now been delivered, with our third progress report due to be published in July.

Our response to the Covid Inquiry’s Module 2 report into government decision-making was published in March. That response set out the steps we are taking in response to the Chair’s recommendations, and was informed by stakeholder engagement, including from the Covid Inquiries Response Engagement Group, chaired by the former Deputy First Minister, comprising organisations representing those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and those furthest from decision-making.

Work on recommendations set out by the UK Inquiry in its subsequent reports is under way, and will be responded to within the timescale set out by the inquiry Chair.

We recognise that there is further work to be done. The Scottish Government will now take the necessary time to fully and carefully consider the findings and recommendations set out in the Inquiry’s Module 5 report, and will provide a detailed response to the report’s recommendations in due course.

It is unacceptable for anyone’s mail to be delayed unnecessarily, and such delays are especially concerning for patients awaiting hospital appointments.

We want all patients to receive reasonable appointment offers, allowing sufficient time to plan for their appointment or treatment.

As part of the updated Waiting Times Guidance patients now receive a period of at least 10 calendar days for an offer of appointment. Patients may also consent to different methods of communication for this offer, for example receiving a phone call.

Officials met with representatives from Royal Mail in June and July 2026 and continue to be in discussions exploring all options to ensure that there are minimal delays to NHS correspondence.

Between 2017 and 2018, a multidisciplinary group of subject matter experts (SMEs) worked to define the requirements for a future GP clinical system. This group included GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, and specialists in IT and information governance.

We recognise that many people are facing significant challenges due to the rising cost of living, with households across Scotland finding it increasingly difficult to afford healthy and nutritious food. The final list of items to be covered by the legislation will be determined by consultation and engagement.