Chamber and committees

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund has a budget of up to £37 million between April 2021 to March 2028. The Fund was extended in Programme for Government 2025 to applications to March 2028 and the National Islands Plan, published in February 2026, confirmed an overall budget of up to £37 million.

As of 31 December 2025, 307 homes have been delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund across 12 Local Authority areas(Angus, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Moray, Orkney, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Western Isles) with over 40 homes on-site and estimated to complete in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

It is the project promoters, Winchburgh Developments Limited and West Lothian Council, who are currently responsible for setting the project delivery timeline for a new station at Winchburgh.

The funding application for capital construction costs submitted to the Scottish Government by West Lothian Council is under review and, as stated in our Budget 2026-27 statement, we are committed to working with partners to support delivery of a new station at Winchburgh.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00208 on 02 June 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.

The Scottish Government values the contribution of the NHS Scotland workforce and is committed to supporting those who choose to pursue a career in healthcare. Scottish Ministers have overseen 14 consecutive years of growth in the NHS Scotland workforce, invested in the terms and conditions of staff and continue to deliver activity flowing from both the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce and the Future Medical Workforce Project to support these professions. The Scottish Government is committed to building on this progress and will set out further detail on the proposed job guarantee in due course.

The Scottish Government has allocated £9 million over three years to the Mossmorran industrial site, with £3 million planned for each of 2026–27, 2027–28 and 2028–29. Funding in later years remains subject to the outcomes of the Scottish Spending Review and annual budget processes.

In 2026–27, up to £1.3 million has been allocated for a Mossmorran Skills Intervention, delivered by Fife College. This funding will support the workforce in gaining critical training support to transition to other labour market opportunities including training needs assessments, targeted reskilling aligned with labour market demand, progression into employment, and measurable uptake, completion and employment outcomes. It is disappointing that, to date, the UK Government has chosen not to join us in providing this critical support to the workforce.

Funding for 2026–27 will also support activity to identify and develop future opportunities for the site. ExxonMobil has committed to working collaboratively with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to explore viable future options for the site. Scottish Enterprise are also utilising the breadth of their experience to attract new investment and secure sustainable alternative uses for the site.

Further detail on our plan to expand mobile health services, as set out in the 2026 Manifesto, will be set out in due course. As decisions regarding the planning and delivery of services – including the use of mobile units – rest with individual Health Boards officials continue to meet regularly with NHS Boards across all policy areas to understand local provision and identify necessary actions to address emerging challenges.

Scottish Government recognises the value of ensuring high-quality and sustainable health services in all communities, and remains committed to the actions set out in the National Islands Plan and other strategic documents, such as the Service Renewal Framework, to deliver access to services across Scotland.

Local authorities are encouraged to consider any specific housing requirements relating to key workers in the area. The definition of key workers is determined by individual local authorities based on local priorities. Local Housing Strategy Guidance sets out how local authorities are expected to take the needs of Key workers into account including through specific policies, including allocations. There is no one size fits all approach and it is for local authorities to set their own policies. Key workers can include doctors, nurses, teachers and police officers but also extends to private sector businesses, both temporary and permanent staff.

The Scottish Government would expect to see support for key workers set out in a local authority’s Local Housing Strategy and Strategic Housing Investment Plan, including any projects to be delivered through the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund.

The complexity of rail network management and maintenance would not currently allow night-time ScotRail operations on Scotland’s railway network, including between Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The Scottish Government provides a range of schemes to support GP, dentist and consultant recruitment and retention in rural and island communities. This includes:

• The Rediscover the Joy project, which recruits experienced GPs to provide support to island and rural practices who require short-term GP cover.
• Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS) offer a Credential in Rural and Remote Health, focused on unscheduled and urgent care. The programme establishes a clear career pathway into remote and rural medicine and aims to support flexible career development and help attract and retain clinicians by providing formal recognition for their skills.
• The PSDS Rural Fellowship in General Practice offers qualified GPs the opportunity to develop the generalist skills required for rural and island areas through working in a range of clinical settings.
• ScotGEM is a four-year graduate entry medical programme, tailored to meet the current and future needs of the NHS in Scotland and focuses on rural medicine and healthcare improvement.
• Working with stakeholders to develop a national strategy for the dental workforce in Scotland, to ensure we can deliver sustainable access to dental services into the future.
• The Centre for Workforce Supply (CWS) and the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care (NCRRHC) have developed a sustained model of direct support to provide rural and island health and social care employers with the help they need to improve recruitment success.

In 2025, the Buchan Sustainable Transport Study was commissioned by the Campaign for North East Rail and the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Just Transition Fund.