Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government commitment to ‘carrying out a clinically led review of latest data and evidence to determine whether there is merit in specific additional or alternative cancer waiting times standards for different types of cancer and cancer treatment’ is underway.

A project steering group is being established which will support the review, determining if any amendments to the standards would enhance patient experience and meet the needs of the NHS for the future.

Evidence review commissions were shared with key partners in April with the full clinical consensus review expected to conclude with recommendations within 18- 24 months.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02175 on 18 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.

It is the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s responsibility as the independent professional registration and regulatory body for teachers in Scotland, to ensure teaching standards are upheld. GTCS, local authorities and professional associations, operate with appropriate independence, which the Scottish Government respects. This autonomy is an important feature of a balanced and credible system. It sits alongside clear responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires public authorities to exercise their functions in a way that advances equality, eliminates discrimination and fosters good relations between communities.

Responsibility for regulation and enforcement of health and safety requirements rests with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) while the Scottish Funding Council retain oversight of the college sector on key issues of accountability and compliance. The Scottish Government engages regularly with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) on their oversight. The SFC expects colleges to comply with their legal obligations and seeks assurance on this through its ongoing monitoring, and engagement with institutions.

As a result of the measures established by the SFC, the Scottish Government remains assured that appropriate governance and compliance arrangements are in place across the sector.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-01336 on 17 of July 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 does not hold data on pupil’s eligibility for free school meals (FSM). However, data on pupils eligible for, and in receipt of, free school meals are held.

The following table sets out the percentage of secondary school pupils each year where data was available who were persistently absent, by their free school meal registration status.

Table 1. Percentage of secondary school pupils persistently absent by free school meal registration, 2018-19, 2020-21, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

The UK Government has not advised Scottish Ministers that it has any plans to replace the ECO4 Flex scheme when the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme closes in December.

The Scottish Government continues to supports local councils to provide ECO Flex declarations and work with retrofit installers as part of our Area Based Schemes (ABS). In most cases, households that have been provided with a declaration of eligibility through ECO Flex will continue to be eligible for improvements delivered through local ABS schemes; national Warmer Homes Scotland or Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan schemes.

The Scottish Government would encourage households in this instance to get in touch with Home Energy Scotland to determine which scheme they are eligible for.

When submitting their proposal for the walk-in service, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde estimated that the Cardonald walk-in service would have capacity for 483 appointments per week. This is a new service, rolled out cautiously and carefully for patient safety. Lower patient numbers in the early stages are not unexpected and should not, on their own, be seen as a measure of success or failure.

The SCDS updates make clear the level of projected spend in the Scottish supply chain is very substantial. These projects will spend millions of pounds throughout their development, through activities such as surveys, engineering and construction, which will support jobs across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

We expect developers to help build the resilience of our domestic supply chain and deliver on their SCDS commitments. Failure to do so can trigger remedies ranging from financial penalties to an inability to progress to a seabed lease.

The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Economics recently published a report showing Scotland’s net zero economy contributes £10.2 billion GVA and supports more than 105,000 jobs, accounting for 4.9% of Scotland’s economic output and 3.9% of employment (The Scottish Net Zero Economy in 2025, CBI).

ScotWind projects have already delivered over £750 million in revenues to the public purse.

Our approach to expansion will be informed by the lived experience of parent carers of disabled children, including those with complex additional support needs. We recognise that understanding the experiences of families is essential to ensuring that future childcare provision is accessible, inclusive and responsive to children's individual needs, and supports families to access the services they require.