Chamber and committees

Information regarding ministerial engagements is available on the Scottish Government website and I would refer the member to the following pages:

https://www.gov.scot/collections/ministerial-engagements-travel-and-gifts/.

The minister with responsibility for energy met with South of Scotland Enterprise on the following occasions:

• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Chair and Chief Executive of South of Scotland Enterprise on 26 June 2024 to discuss South of Scotland Enterprise’s activity and relevant portfolio issues.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise on 8 July 2024 to discuss rural housing.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Chair and Chief Executive of South of Scotland Enterprise on 26 September 2024 to discuss South of Scotland Enterprise’s activity and relevant portfolio issues.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise on 19 September 2024 to discuss Public Service Reform.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise and a Director of Kight PowerHub BESS (Scotland) on 29 October 2024 to discuss Kight Powerhub’s work.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work met the Business Response Team Leader and Digital Transformation Specialists team of Scottish Enterprise, and the Head of Enterprise and Business of South of Scotland Enterprise, on 31 October 2024 to discuss business resilience.
• The Minister for Energy, Just Transition and Fair Work attended the South of Scotland Enterprise Natural Capital Roundtable on 4 December 2024 to discuss natural capital investment.

National Entitlement Cards produced on the grounds of disability have an expiry date, valid up to a maximum of three years, based on the individual’s evidence of eligibility.

Health conditions for individuals may change over time as can eligibility for disability benefits which passport to the scheme. Therefore, cardholders renewing their cards need to provide updated evidence to confirm they continue to meet the eligibility criteria and receive the right type of card. This also ensures that the scheme is administered properly and protects the integrity and future sustainability of the scheme.

However, I can confirm that my officials are exploring the potential to improve the alignment between the duration of National Entitlement Card entitlement and the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

There have been two meetings between the minister with responsibility for energy and representatives of the Scottish National Investment Bank since 2024.

11 January 2024: Meeting between Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy and the Bank to discuss strategic priorities.

12 March 2024: Meeting between Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy and the Bank. Introductory meeting with Chair and Chief Executive of the Bank to discuss the Bank’s progress to date and ambitions for the future.

You can find information about Ministerial engagements on the Scottish Government website at the following link:

Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot

In 2025-2026 a total of £118.426 million was spent and a total of 1,683 affordable homes were delivered through acquisitions. The following table provides a breakdown of these figures by local authority area.

Table 1: Acquisition Funding

In 2024-25 the Scottish Government announced £40 million for acquisitions and voids, followed by a further £80 million in 2025-26, bringing the total funding commitment to £120 million. This funding is being delivered through local authority Resource Planning Assumptions (RPAs). No separate allocation was made specifically for voids.

The following tables provides details on how much funding was spent on voids in each local authority area in (i) 2024 and (ii) 2025-26.

Table 1: Voids 2024-2025

Service delivery, including managing hospital capacity, is a local responsibility for territorial health boards.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative to host the National Scottish Mesothelioma Network. This network is comprised of clinicians from across Scotland working to share best practice and to provide for high quality clinical care, information and support to all patients wherever they live in the country and ensure all patients have equitable and efficient access to care.

This information is not held. Public Health Scotland (PHS) holds data on MRI and CT activity through aggregated monthly returns submitted directly by NHS Boards. As this data is not collected or held at an individual week or weekend level, PHS is unable to report the number of MRI or CT scans carried out at weekends.

PHS statistics relating to the eight key diagnostic tests are published with data up to 31 March 2026 and can be found using the following link:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/nhs-waiting-times-diagnostics/diagnostic-waiting-times-waits-for-key-diagnostic-tests-26-may-2026/.

The Scottish Government supports the safeguarding of Scotland's cultural heritage through a range of policies, funding programmes and public bodies. Through Scotland's historic environment strategy, Our Past, Our Future, partners across the heritage sector work to sustain and enhance the benefits of the historic environment for communities throughout Scotland, including rural and island communities. The strategy emphasises strengthening community participation, supporting resilient places and recognising the contribution that heritage makes to wellbeing and identity, as well as in the local economy.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment on the impact that this decision may have on this longstanding tradition in the Western Isles. The hunt is specifically provided for in section 16(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (“the 1981 Act”). This activity can only be done under licence, and in accordance with the terms of a licence issued by NatureScot.

One of the main criteria for issuing a licence under Section 16(2) of 1981 Act is that in considering an application for a licence, NatureScot gives consideration as to whether the hunt is sustainable, and by that, whether the activity would have an adverse effect on the conservation status of the species concerned, namely gannets. NatureScot took the decision to refuse a licence was based on what they believed to be the most up-to-date science available and NatureScot concluded that issuing a licence for even 500 gannet chicks this year would likely have an adverse impact on the Sula Sgeir gannet population.

The Scottish Government recognises the wide range of careers available in the horticultural sector, and the importance of effective training and educational pathways to deliver a workforce equipped with the skills and expertise demanded by the sector.

In 2026-27 the Scottish Government is investing over £2.4 bn in our post-school education and skills system, supporting the delivery of horticulture provision at education providers across the west of Scotland, including Ayrshire College, Glasgow Clyde College, New College Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire College. While colleges and universities operate independently of Government, with responsibility for their own course provision, we recognise and support collaborative work between those sectors and industry to address horticulture skills needs.

The Scottish Government also funds the 2026-27 Lantra workplan, which supports diverse and rewarding career development in the land-based sectors, including horticulture across Scotland, the UK and Ireland. Scottish Government officials continue to attend regular Horticulture Skills Group meetings, which provide an opportunity for further and higher education institutions to connect with employers, local authorities and other organisations.

While the Scottish Government does not currently offer regional specific support for horticulture education provision, we have supported and endorsed the development of Regional Economic Partnerships (REPs). These partnerships will seek to unlock new powers, and design delivery models tailored to local priorities. This could include powers in areas such as skills, further education, economic development and planning.

The following table sets out the Environment and Forestry Directorate, Strategic Research Funding provided by Scottish Government to our Main Research Providers, The James Hutton Institute, Moredun Research Institute, Scotlands Rural College and The Rowett Institute by theme for the period 2022-27: