Chamber and committees

Ensuring people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are supported is a priority for this Government. Whilst the Member will be aware that the responsibility for the content and delivery of undergraduate medical education rests with individual medical schools, the Scottish Government funded development of an educational resource on ME/CFS. The resource was reviewed by the Scottish Deans Medical Education Group (now LUMES) who advised that integrating ME/CFS learning outcomes across existing teaching better aligns with current educational approaches than introducing separate stand-alone modules.

LUMES has advised that ME/CFS learning outcomes will be incorporated within broader teaching on areas such as:

• General practice;

• Neurology;

• Chronic conditions;

• Person-centred care;

• Clinical assessment and diagnosis.

This reflects the approach used for many other conditions within undergraduate medical education. More generally the General Medical Council (GMC) sets the overarching standards and outcomes for graduates through Outcomes for Graduates. Individual medical schools determine how learning outcomes are delivered within this framework.

In 2025-26, the Scottish Government allocated more than £150 million additional funding to health boards to help tackle the longest waits for planned care. This funding delivered thousands more appointments, operations and procedures in 2025-26 compared to 2024-25 and saw waits of over a year decrease by 49% for inpatient and day-case and by 76.7% for new outpatient appointments between 31 July 2025 and 31 July 2026.

This shows our plan is working and delivering for the people of Scotland and, although demand pressures remain, we are seeing the tangible impact of our investment.

We are determined to continue building on this momentum and have invested an additional £100 million this year to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 NHS Operational Improvement Plan. In July, the First Minister also announced a further £90 million to support those waiting the longest for treatment and help to create more capacity within our wider healthcare system.

The Programme for Government (PfG), published on 1 September, outlines our intention to continue investing in elective services over the next 5 years to grow capacity as we work towards meeting the 26 week wait target by the end of 2031, ahead of recovering the 12 week Treatment Time Guarantee and New Outpatient standard.

We are transforming health and care services so that people in Scotland receive the best treatment, care and support to stay healthy, independent and connected to their communities for as long as possible.

We will simplify the NHS by replacing the current 14 territorial Health Boards with two Strategic Health Boards that will cover the East and West of the country. These two new boards will be responsible for the planning and delivery of NHS services across the whole of Scotland, with particular focus on making sure provision best represents local communities, particularly our rural and island communities. Within this planning framework, the Strategic Health Boards East and West will support and oversee planning and performance, identifying further opportunities to increase capacity, improve access to services and reduce waiting times.

Radiographers have an integral role in delivering cancer care. The number of qualified radiographers has increased by 3.5% in the last year, and 14.5% over the last five years. We recognise, however, that there are currently 141.8 WTE qualified radiography vacancies across Scotland.

The Scottish Government will work with NHS Boards and other partners in understanding where and how to increase the number of radiographers. Radiographers are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions, including cancer.

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters including the funding and location of staffing are the responsibility of NHS Boards. We expect NHS boards to plan and provide safe, effective, and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities. The Scottish Government has therefore not set targets for radiographer numbers year on year.

Scottish Government is providing record investment as set out in this year’s budget of almost £22.5 billion to health and social care in 2026-27.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, the Scottish Government will be engaging in an extensive dialogue over the next three months with partners in Local Government, across Parliament, and with stakeholders including representatives from local communities, to reach a clear shared direction about the future of local governance in Scotland. As part of this engagement, the Scottish Government will explore with Local Government partners the potential benefits of a regional model for local governance, while ensuring that decisions are taken at the most appropriate level.

The Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme team continue to support NHS Boards including NHS Forth Valley, NHS Borders and NHS Lanarkshire, with a focus on promoting best practice, supporting innovation in care pathways and advising how challenges in service delivery can be addressed.

Through the governance arrangements of the Scottish National Audit Programme, each Health Board is held to account for its performance against the stroke standards. Where performance is a negative outlier, the board is required are asked to produce an action plan which is reviewed after six months. These action plans also inform discussions during each Stroke Improvement Programme board review.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the implications for NHS Scotland of the Fifth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction published in August 2026.

The implications of updated international definitions, guidance and standards are considered, where appropriate, through established clinical governance, audit, coding and guideline development processes.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02818 of 11 September 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.

While the University of Dundee is an autonomous institution and responsible for its own strategic and operational decisions, the Scottish Government expects compulsory redundancies to be considered only as a last resort, after all other cost-saving measures have been fully explored.

Through the Ministerial Direction issued under Section 25 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) are responsible for monitoring the University of Dundee’s compliance with funding conditions published in March 2026, including in relation to meaningful engagement with staff and students, adherence to Fair Work principles and compulsory redundancy processes.

The SFC is also responsible for monitoring compliance of universities with Fair Work principles through annual reporting and accounts, and as part of their Outcomes Framework and Assurance Model and considers any appropriate interventions to support compliance.

As advised in the chamber by MSP Tom Arthur, Minister for Business and Fair Work, on 10 September, I met with Councillor Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, on 8 July. During that meeting, she highlighted the strong partnerships Glasgow and other local authorities have developed with bus operators through the Glasgow Bus Partnership, as well as plans to introduce bus priority measures on key corridors across the city.

Through our Bus Infrastructure Fund, we have provided funding to support the development of bus priority measures on Pollokshaws Road, including corridor design work and AI-enabled traffic signal improvements. The supporting business case identifies opportunities to improve connectivity, increase access to jobs and services, reduce congestion, and deliver benefits for local communities and businesses.

The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) is intended to support opportunities for home ownership by disincentivising multiple residential property ownership through the application of an additional flat rate supplement.

The Scottish Government routinely monitors property market activity, including residential transactions subject to the LBTT ADS. The supply of homes for private rent is affected by a broad range of factors, including interest rates, financing costs, construction activity, local housing demand and wider market conditions. The Scottish Government's priority remains increasing the overall supply of homes and improving housing outcomes across Scotland.