Chamber and committees

The question S7W-01397 made no specific reference to Barclays Bank, and the answer set out that nine banks had been appointed to a framework to support delivery of its bond programme – with HSBC, Bank of America, NatWest, and RBC appointed as joint bookrunners for the inaugural bond issuance.

The procurement process was assessed against the relevant procurement requirements, including the applicable exclusion grounds and selection criteria.

Motion S6M-18686 calls for a package of boycotts, divestment and sanctions in relation to Israel and companies considered in certain activities. Following the vote on that motion, the Scottish Government announced in September 2025 a comprehensive package of economic and humanitarian measures, within the limits of the Scottish Government’s devolved powers. Support for defence companies involved in Israel halted - gov.scot

In February 2026, Scottish Procurement Policy Note (SPPN) 3/2026 updated guidance on the consideration of human rights and grave professional misconduct in procurement procedures. The guidance reiterates the Scottish Ministers’ view that the exploitation of assets in illegally occupied territories may constitute grave professional misconduct and could provide grounds for exclusion. However, any decision to exclude a supplier must be made on a case-by-case basis, based on all relevant evidence and in accordance with procurement law.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01802 on 14 August 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

As Scotland has some of the best universities in the world, the adoption and commercial application of their research sits at the heart of our ambitions for economic growth.

Last year we piloted a £2.9m Proof of Concept Fund to focus on strengthening the pipeline of Scottish research capable of generating economic value. Following the success of the pilot fund, a second round of the fund with a total value of £2.92m has been launched this year, with successful projects expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

This year we increased the investment in core research and innovation funding by £26.8m to £355m, signalling our ongoing commitment to research excellence and its role in boosting the economy. This includes an uplift of £30 million for the Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund which is designed to support university-business interactions.

We also continue to fund a portfolio of knowledge exchange and innovation investments to strengthen collaboration been university and academia, including a combined £15.4m this year to the Innovation Centres, Interface, Converge and Alliances for Research Challenges.

Scottish Government increased its investment in the NHS Scotland Innovation Hubs by a further £300,000 to support business development activity and aid in the delivery of Scotland's Life Sciences Strategy. These Hubs have a core remit to bring together academia, industry, third sector and the NHS to develop, test, evaluate and commercialise new technologies and treatments, and act as a part in the broader NHS innovation ecosystem with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery and the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption Pathway.

2021-22 – Forty-two

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01802 on 14 August 2026. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found athttps://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The Scottish Government is aware that the national programme to implement an NHS Scotland Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) framework is underway and is intended to connect all NHS laboratory medicine labs and hospitals across Scotland to improve the experience of patients.

A common and fit-for-purpose LIMS is vital to support Scotland’s digital strategies and is a key enabler for the delivery of consistent and connected clinical laboratory services across Scotland.

Procurement and the award of the tender to Magentus was managed by the former NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of a consortium of NHS Boards.

The consortium of twelve NHS Boards has been progressing the programme. They have chosen three NHS Boards in Fife, Shetland and Orkney as accelerator sites and these are now live. A second tranche of NHS Lothian and NHS Grampian are on course to go live in Summer 2027, with the remaining Boards scheduled to go live in a third tranche in Summer 2028 and a fourth tranche in Summer 2029.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the diagnosis and targeted treatment of disease through our continued investment in genomics.

The Genomics in Scotland strategy, published in April 2024, aims to improve access to genomic testing and build the foundations needed to allow Scotland to take full advantage of developments in genomic medicine, including data and digital infrastructure and skilled workforce requirements.

Work is ongoing in collaboration with NHS Boards in Scotland, and with academic and commercial partners on the delivery and implementation of the strategy. We will consider the publication of an interim progress report against the Genomics in Scotland strategy following publication of the 2026 Programme for Government.

We recognise that there have been some short-term disruption to services in practices that have transitioned to the new Vision system and in response, Public Service Delivery Scotland has increased post migration support to practices.

Scottish Government is committed to and has a strong record of working with a range of third sector organisations to help shape cancer services and support people affected by cancer.

The Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 and Cancer Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 set out a number of ambitions premised on third sector partnership working and delivery.

We recognise and value the important contribution of organisations such as Mesothelioma UK, the Scottish Mesothelioma Network, Action on Asbestos, the Clydebank Asbestos Group and the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce in supporting people affected by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions.

The Scottish Government supports Mesothelioma UK's Action Mesothelioma Day campaign, which plays an important role in raising awareness of mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease. In recent years, we have supported this through a parliamentary debate on mesothelioma, and by lighting up blue St Andrew's House and Victoria Quay buildings to join the campaign to 'Go Blue for Meso'.

The information requested on how many dedicated mesothelioma nurses are currently employed in Scotland, and whether this number has increased over the past 20 years is not held centrally.