Chamber and committees

It is for NHS Boards to make decisions with regards to the introduction or roll out of service changes or new treatments.

The Scottish Government understands that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence does not recommend focal therapy for routine use for prostate cancer treatment.

The standards of care for cancer treatment are rightly developed independently of Scottish Government by those with the relevant clinical expertise.

The NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative’s Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs) define national standards of care for cancer treatment. The CMP for breast cancer has incorporated the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) Council’s 2023 independent recommendation on the use of commercial multigene assays for breast cancer patients across Scotland. SHTG have criteria and processes in place to judge whether new evidence is sufficient to revise its existing recommendations of these commercial tests. NHS genomic testing, delivered within our laboratory service, is nationally commissioned by NHS National Services Division to ensure equitable access across Scotland.

The Tax Advisory Group (TAG), which was chaired by the previous Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, met from July 2023 and concluded with the previous parliamentary session.

Engagement remains an important part of policymaking, and I plan to engage with Parliament and wider stakeholders on tax policy including as part of Budget processes.

We have a strong record of engagement on tax policy beyond TAG, including the first Scottish Government conference on tax in September last year, and meetings with a range of organisations as part of the Budget process. Our second Tax Conference is planned for 24 September 2026.

The Scottish Government's approach to surge and resilience preparedness is the year-round process through which health and social care services prepare for, respond to and recover from periods of increased demand and operational pressure.

As set out in the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness in Health and Social Care, there are periods when demand increases beyond the normal levels planned for by health and social care services and there is a surge in the number of people requiring care and treatment. While winter remains the most predictable period of increased demand, similar pressures can arise at other times of the year.

The Scottish Government's approach is therefore to consider winter preparedness within a broader year-round surge and resilience preparedness framework. This supports NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to plan for sustained pressures on services while ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This approach is also being supported through development of the National Flow Plan, which aims to improve patient flow, reduce delays and strengthen whole-system resilience across health and social care services.

As the Covid 19 UK Inquiry Module 5 report sets out, the figure of £9.9 billion relates to PPE written off by the UK Government alone. The report also notes that the Scottish Government wrote off £8.35 million of PPE and other items in the period from 2020-2023.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSDS), has a range of measures to reduce wastage of PPE in any future health emergency. The national stockpile consists of a wide range of PPE items, aligned to the requirements of NHS Scotland and rotated into NHS usage to help prevent and reduce wastage.

During a future health emergency, we will work in partnership with PSDS and other stakeholders to ensure stock is procured and deployed based on assessed need, clinical guidance, and demand intelligence; while providing only items of PPE which meet the relevant product standards.

We are also working on a project which aims to support Health Boards to move to using more re-usable PPE products where appropriate.

I refer the Member to the revised answer to the previous Parliamentary Question S7W-01249, published on 9 July 2026. All answers to Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Alongside our enterprise agency partners, we are always looking to improve our approach to attracting inward investment focusing on priority markets, pipeline development, investor aftercare and support for major investment projects. This will ensure Scotland remains an attractive destination for businesses looking to establish, expand or grow their operations, building on Scotland's position as the UK's top performing location outside London for inward investment for the eleventh consecutive year. We will continue to engage regularly with the UK Government on matters relating to investment, economic development and business growth.

Any changes to the approved Forth Green Freeport tax sites, or changes to the legislative framework underpinning Green Freeport tax sites, is a reserved matter for the UK Government.

However, the Scottish Government would be willing to engage constructively with relevant partners should Forth Green Freeport seek to pursue this course of action.

I refer the Member to the revised answer to the previous Parliamentary Questions S7W-01249, published on 9 July 2026 . All answers to Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Scotland’s approach to attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs is set out in Scotland’s Inward Investment Plan, published in 2020.