Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government continues to develop policy and legislation to reduce marine litter pollution and grow our circular economy by reducing waste which can become litter.

We know that a lot of our marine litter comes from single-use products and we are building on previous legislation to tackle more of these items in the future. We are working across the four nations towards legislation that will ban businesses from supplying and selling wet wipes containing plastic, with exceptions for medical or industrial use. We remain committed to the delivery of a successful deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, working closely with industry and the rest of the UK to launch this in October 2027. In addition, we have also consulted on proposals to introduce a minimum 25 pence charge on single-use drinks cups, with the aim of incentivising the use of reusable alternatives.

To reduce packaging waste an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme is being implemented in 2025 across the UK. It will move the full cost of dealing with packaging waste from households to the producers. It will also incentivise businesses to reduce excess packaging and to design packaging that is more easily recycled.

Since its inception, excluding staff costs, 2.1% of the Techscaler budget spent to date has been invested in international activity, spotlighting Scotland’s growing reputation as a leading tech hub. This is helping our startups secure investment and compete in the international marketplace. Multiple export contracts have been secured, six participants have secured £5.4m of investment and several other firms are in dialogue with investors.

There has been no direct assessment made about the impact of early release of prisoners on knife crime rates.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation of the Techscaler programme following my committee appearance in 2024. EKOS were formally appointed in December 2024 to carry out this evaluation. The findings will be published in full and made publicly available by early 2026.

The Scottish Government has invested £33 million in specialist staff and £11.3 million on facilities to deliver thrombectomy treatment since the financial year 2020-21.

This is a matter for Public Health Scotland who collate and manage this data.

Where residents are notified that their home may contain RAAC, we expect their local authority to provide advice on the next steps they can take. It is the responsibility of local authorities to deal with these matters.

Clackmannanshire council assessed the status of RAAC in the blocks and its decision was to decant three of the blocks affected by RAAC.

I recognise that would have been a stressful time for residents. However, Clackmannanshire Council’s primary concern is the safety of all those affected.

Scottish Government officials were and have been in contact with the council as it takes forwards the support it was providing to residents. The Council have recently completed an options appraisal for the affected buildings which are currently subject to dangerous building notices. They are engaging with owners with the outcome of that options appraisal and on the next steps regarding remediation of their properties, which includes repairs or voluntary acquisitions. In the meantime, we expect the local authority to keep those affected up to date, provide them with advice and where possible, facilitate access to allow residents to collect personal belongings.

I convened the first meeting of the RAAC in Housing Leadership Group on 4 September 2025 which brings together senior leaders and officials of local authorities and registered social landlords that are affected by RAAC.

I refer the member to the answers provided for S6W-39724 and, S6W-39726 on 14 August 2025, S6W-39725 on 20 August 2025 and S6W-39723 on 21 August 2025.

To reiterate again we are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Boards and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way. This includes retaining staff in specialist roles and prioritising staff wellbeing, as evidence shows that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention and engagement, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care.

With regards to the medical workforce specifically, since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties, including in haematology.

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.

We're gathering insights from doctors, residents, and senior clinicians through a series of focus groups. These are open to doctors at all career stages, from trainees to consultants, including Haematologists. The invitation to join focus groups has been open to all doctors in Scotland so we would expect that British Society for Haematology members will have had the opportunity to sign up through their employing boards and will also have the opportunity to respond to a survey which will be shared imminently.

The project’s Call for Evidence aims to understand the innovative approaches, both technological and non-technological – that can support the delivery of high-quality, equitable, and future-ready services. We will invite the British Society for Haematology to provide a submission to this call for evidence.

Social Security Scotland does not hold information regarding the financial cost of conducting reviews of awards at this level.