Chamber and committees

Scottish Government Officials have met with colleagues in the UK Government Department for Health and Social Care once since May 2026, to discuss progress on their proposals for a travel fund for children and young people with cancer. It will be for the UK Government to determine the eligibility criteria for this fund.

To help ensure that the integrity and impartiality of the consenting process is maintained, it would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on or debate the merits of a decision once it has been issued.

Public Services Delivery Scotland are obtaining the requisite clinical, planning, financial and staffing information from NHS Boards to understand what would be required to make 24/7 thrombectomy available across Scotland.

We expect this financial case for expansion to be produced by the end of October. We will then work at pace to produce a delivery plan with timescales for service expansion.

The regulation of the electricity market, including the financing arrangements for new nuclear power stations, is reserved to the UK Government. Assessment of the impact of the regulated asset base model on consumers is a matter for the UK Government and Ofgem.

The Scottish Government does not support the construction of new nuclear power stations under current technologies. It is not acceptable that consumers in Scotland are being asked to pay towards nuclear power years in advance of any electricity being generated and bear the risks of cost overruns.

Families continue to successfully claim for the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) and the Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence to suggest that the application form acts as a barrier to eligible families accessing this support.

To help make the fund as accessible as possible, the YPFF claim form and Terms and Conditions have been translated into a range of languages to support families who may find it challenging to read information in English.

Information leaflets are available across all Health Boards, and staff are encouraged to ensure that eligible families are made aware of the support available.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the cost of extending eligibility for the Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF) to children and young people with cancer who receive day-patient treatment. YPFF continues to be offered to families of in-patients only, regardless of diagnosis.

In addition to support available under the YPFF, financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

The Scottish Government collects yearly data on the number of Educational Psychologists in Scotland via the Pupil Census but does not collect data on their employment status. Local Authorities are responsible for the employment of educational psychologists and any data about their employment status is held locally. However, we continue to work closely with the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP) on workforce planning to ensure a sustainable supply of educational psychologists to meet future demand.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role Educational Psychologists play in supporting learners, raising attainment, promoting inclusion and equality, and helping those who are most vulnerable. That is why we continue to invest in the training of educational psychologists, in partnership with COSLA.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact waiting times for a tribunal hearing can have on parties.

The scheduling of tribunal hearings is a matter for the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and the Scottish Government continues to engage with them in respect of wait times. There are multiple factors which can impact the timescales for cases to be heard, such as the volume and complexity of legal issues, evidence to be considered, or the availability of tribunals members.

The Scottish Government continues to work with Judicial Office and the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland to ensure the scheduled and planned recruitment of tribunals members. A larger pool of members will enhance overall scheduling capacity and reduce wait times.

Scottish Government officials meet with the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) every six weeks, to discuss a range of issues relating to children and young people with cancer. In addition to these scheduled meetings, we have additional, adhoc, meetings.

The current children and young people’s cancer strategy – The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People 2021-2026, runs until the end of 2026. Scottish Government works with the MCN CYPC to consider approaches that best support improved outcomes for children and young people with cancer.

The Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan was developed with industry and key public sector partners and sets out 12 initial actions over the next two years. The plan is jointly owned by partners - public bodies, education providers and sector skills organisations - who have committed to taking these actions forward.

Five actions in the Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan have been completed, and seven actions are underway. Six of these actions are on track to be completed by, or ahead of, their respective delivery dates. The Offshore Wind Skills Programme Board approved revisions to the delivery dates of three actions, two of which have been completed, with the third on track for delivery.

The Scottish Government and delivery partners remain committed to implementing the Offshore Wind Skills Priorities & Action Plan in full.