Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02321 on 24 August 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

Scotland is the only UK-nation that currently has an active Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF). The fund provides support to the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care, regardless of their health diagnosis.

Eligible patients and authorised escorts can also claim reasonable travel costs for hospital appointments through the Patient Travel Expenses Reimbursement Scheme. Young people aged 18 to 24 are not eligible for the YPFF but may still receive support with travel costs through the Patient Travel Expenses Reimbursement Scheme, subject to local NHS Board eligibility criteria and assessment.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number or value of travel cost payments made to children and young people with cancer receiving treatment. While the Scottish Government sets the national framework for patient travel reimbursement, eligibility decisions and funding are managed locally by individual NHS Boards.

Scotland is the only UK-nation to have a dedicated cancer for children and young people.

The children and young people’s cancer strategy – The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People 2021-2026 sets clear expectations and priorities for the treatment and care of children and young people with cancer.

Scottish Government works closely with the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) who are a national network of healthcare specialists from different NHS boards across Scotland, responsible for overseeing and driving improvements in cancer care. They ensure that all children and young people’s cancer centres work together as one single, cohesive service in NHS Scotland and their work is ongoing.

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 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.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of appointments missed, cancelled, or rescheduled by residents of island communities due to ferry cancellations or disruption in the last three years. We do however engage regularly with NHS Boards on the issue through our Transport to Health Delivery Plan and associated work. We have provided funding to HI Trans through our National Islands Plan to further develop the partnership work around Health and Transport, including consideration of resilience.

During a disruption, CalMac will undertake a network wide review for a core service to be delivered to all parts of the ferry network they serve. However, it is impossible to completely remove the risk of disruption due to either inclement weather or other reasons. During times of disruption, CalMac will always aim to minimise the impact.

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.

The Intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pathway was developed in NHS Tayside and has been identified as best practice for the early detection and management of liver disease. A consortium of 12 NHS boards has procured a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Scotland and iLFT functionality is available within that system. NHS Fife was the first board to make use of this functionality through the National LIMS programme in summer 2023.

The National LIMS system is being rolled out across participating NHS boards. However, some NHS boards already have the capability to use iLFT through their existing laboratory information systems and are therefore not dependent on implementation of National LIMS to adopt the pathway.

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the date that iLFT became, or is expected to become, available in each NHS board area. Implementation is dependent on local laboratory infrastructure, digital systems and service arrangements and decisions on deployment are a matter for individual NHS boards.

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.

Scottish Government is aware of the impact that travel for health can have on an individual diagnosed with cancer and their family. Scottish Government has a number of schemes in place to support children and young people with cancer with costs incurred for travelling for treatment. Scottish Government has not assessed, nor holds data on the impact of travel distances on access to cancer treatment for children and young people living in rural and remote areas.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments, regardless of distance travelled to access cancer treatment for children and young people, or for specific Health Boards, including NHS Dumfries and Galloway, is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes.

Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts may reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending hospital appointments, subject to eligibility criteria and clinical requirements. These arrangements apply across Scotland and provide support to eligible young people and their families irrespective of condition.

Additionally, Scotland is the only UK-nation that currently has an active Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF). The fund provides support to the families of all babies, children and young people from birth to age 18 who require inpatient care, regardless of their health diagnosis.