Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01261 on 9 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/written-questions-and-answers.

Work is underway to progress the appointment of the Land and Communities Commissioner. The appointment is subject to Parliamentary approval, and we will engage with the Rural Affairs Committee as part of this process. We anticipate launching the formal recruitment stage later this year.

Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in clinical and medical oncology and key surgical specialties. Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Oncologists workforce by 46% (from 97.5 WTE as of March 2016 to 142.2 WTE as of March 2026). The number of consultants working in surgical fields relevant to cancer care stood at 1,096.1 WTE as at 31 March 2026. This is an increase of 28%, or 242.3 WTE, over the last decade.

In 2025 Scotland experienced the driest start to the year in more than 60 years, prompting enhanced monitoring and assessment activity by the Scottish Government, SEPA and Scottish Water.

This is an operational matter for Crown Estate Scotland. I have asked their Chief Executive, Ronan O’Hara, to respond to you directly.

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019 places duties on Health Boards to ensure that at all times suitably qualified and competent individuals are working in such numbers as are appropriate for the health, wellbeing and safety of patients, the provision of high-quality care and the wellbeing of staff.

Whilst the Government's role is to set the strategic policy direction, operational matters such as staffing, including recruitment of newly qualified nurses is a matter for the individual health boards as they are the employer. The Scottish Government expects Boards to make recruitment decisions in line with their duties under the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019.

We are fully engaging with health and care providers to understand their position in relation to posts for graduates. Whilst it is hoped that all nursing graduates secure a post in Scotland upon graduation, this is not always immediately possible as vacancies can, due to many factors, fluctuate significantly each year.

Supporting transparency of who owns and controls land in Scotland is at the heart of our land reform objectives.

We are working with relevant partners, including Registers of Scotland, to explore options for further supporting transparency of land information.

Whilst the Scottish Government expects ScotRail to allocate its rolling stock in a manner that maximises operational efficiency and meets passenger needs, responsibility for these operational decisions rests with ScotRail as the train operating company, drawing on its in-house expertise.

Scotland has 16 registered product names with the UK’s protected food and drink scheme. This protection is called a Geographical Indication (GI) and is protected as intellectual property. Geographical Indication protection guarantees a product’s characteristics or reputation, authenticity, and origin. It protects the product name from misuse or imitation. The UK GI schemes protect registered product names when they are sold in Great Britain and in some international markets. Northern Ireland is covered by the EU GI scheme. Each product registered with the scheme is subject to rigorous audit on an annual basis by an independent body, most commonly the relevant local authority.

The UK register of protected food names is found here - https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01400 on 9 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/written-questions-and-answers.