Chamber and committees

As set out in our recent consultation, Water services: investing in and paying from 2027, the Objectives for Scottish Water for 2027-33 require it to provide public-facing access to data on overflows from all intermittent discharges in its network, taken from monitors and supplemented by hydraulic modelling, by 2033.

Scottish Water has co-created a monitoring prioritisation methodology with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) which can be found at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/scottishwater/document-hub/key-publications/improving-urban-waters/edmmethodology.pdf.

Scottish Water currently has over 2,000 overflow monitors in place (some 50% of overflows). It publishes near real-time spill data online and has provided monitors on all its sewer overflows within 2km of a designated bathing water. During the bathing season SEPA makes daily bathing water quality predictions at selected bathing waters across Scotland. These are available online and from electronic information signs at certain bathing waters. There is also advice on How to Swim Safely in Scotland’s Outdoor Waters on NHS inform.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital role the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) plays in keeping communities safe. The 2026-27 budget provides an additional £23.8 million from the previous year, taking total funding to £436 million, demonstrating our continued support for SFRS to deliver the high standard of services required to keep Scotland safe.

The operational response and procedures relating to any fire is a matter for SFRS however, they have provided reassurances that all necessary training is provided to staff, to ensure they appropriately manage any incident, including those at waste recycling centres.

SFRS has set up a New and Emerging Risks Group that will consider, amongst other matters, lithium-ion batteries. The lithium-ion sub-group is made up of multiple internal and external partners (including Scottish Government officials) to identify any issues or concerns rising from this technology.

The Scottish Government does not hold an estimate of how many clinical breast cancer patients have undergone chemotherapy from which they derived no clinical benefit.

We are committed to ensuring that people with cancer receive the treatment most appropriate to their individual circumstances. The Scottish Government has commissioned the NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative (NSCC) to develop National Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs). CMPs outline the patient with cancer journey from diagnosis onwards and support consistent decision-making across Scotland on optimal treatment options at the various points in a patient’s pathway. They help clinicians and patients to work in partnership to consider the likely benefits and risks of treatment options and allow people to make an informed choice about their care, as well as reducing waste, potential harm and regret about treatment decisions, in line with the principles of Realistic Medicine.

The process for the development and review of CMPs has been previously described in S6W-42977 on 20 January 2026.

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering equitable access to genomic testing and precision medicines and continue to work with NHS Scotland partners to explore opportunities to expand our genomic testing provision in Scotland, in line with our strategy and resources.

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.

Scottish Ministers set the strategic objectives for Scotland's water and wastewater services and provide the policy framework within which Scottish Water operates. The Scottish Government supports investment in water and wastewater infrastructure through Government borrowing as set out in our Principles of Charging statement. Scottish Water is responsible for planning and delivering investment.

Scottish Water operates independently and is subject to oversight by independent regulators, including the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Drinking Water Quality Regulator.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) publishes information on routes to cancer diagnosis, which includes emergency presentations for brain and other central nervous system (CNS) cancers: Routes to Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Curative Treatment for Cancer Information to Support Visions from the Cancer Strategy 26 August 2026 - Routes to Cancer Diagnosis, Cancer Stage and Curative Treatment for Cancer Information to Support Visions from the Cancer Strategy - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

Given the relatively small number of brain tumour diagnoses in Scotland, publication of more detailed tumour-specific data may not be possible due to statistical disclosure risks.

Through the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 and accompanying Cancer Action Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026, the Scottish Government is working to improve outcomes for brain tumours and other less survivable cancers.

Scotland's Earlier Cancer Diagnosis Vision aims to reduce later-stage disease and health inequalities, and recognises that alternative measures, such as emergency presentations, are needed to monitor progress for cancers that cannot be conventionally staged.

Earlier and more equitable diagnosis is also supported through national clinical pathways, improved access to diagnostic imaging, the Brain Tumour Pathway within the Managed Service Network for Neurosurgery, and the National Headache Pathway.

On 2 June 2026 PSD Scotland published data on the number of Clinical Nurse Specialists across NHS Scotland for the first time since 2018, Clinical Nurse Specialists | Turas Data Intelligence. These data are published as Official Statistics in Development and PSD Scotland have a published plan to develop these into Official Statistics, New statistics on Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Through the Cancer Strategy and Cancer Action Plan, we are supporting NHS Scotland to improve access to named contacts for cancer patients, including through the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) approach. Evaluation has shown that SPoC services saved almost 4,000 hours of Clinical Nurse Specialist time over a 12-month period, enabling CNSs to focus on patients with more complex needs.

The 2024 Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey found that 93% of patients were given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other named contact during their care.

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.

Financial support for travel to hospital appointments 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.

NHS Boards are responsible for assessing eligibility and have the flexibility to consider individual circumstances and make decisions in the best interests of patient care and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government has committed to a review of the patient travel reimbursement schemes guidance; however, a start date for the review is not confirmed at this time. It is important that the review is considered within the context of wider reform on access to health care, rather than as a standalone exercise to consider and address the wider and underlying issues relating to the travel itself.

The Accounts Commission is appointed by Parliament and has statutory responsibility to secure the audit of local authorities, evaluate Best Value and oversee public financial transparency. In particular the Accounts Commission must consider reports issued by the Controller of Audit, investigate matters raised, conduct public hearings where necessary and issue formal recommendations to local councils and Scottish Ministers.

The Accounts Commission considered a special report by the Controller of Audit in relation to the continued late reporting of Clackmannanshire Council’s annual accounts at its meeting on 18 June. The Commission published its findings on 30 June and set clear expectations for the improvements it expects to see. The leader of the council has provided assurances that compliance with statutory timescales for financial reporting will be prioritised by the full council.

The Accounts Commission continues to work closely with the council to ensure the necessary improvements are made and Scottish Government officials will continue to monitor the council’s progress through ongoing engagement with the Council and with the Accounts Commission.

The vast majority of councils continue to meet their statutory obligations and almost all have now considerably improved or returned to pre-pandemic timescales for the production of their statutory annual accounts. Only three other local authorities have not yet published their 2024-25 annual accounts: Stirling Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and East Dunbartonshire Council. We expect that the Accounts Commission will be monitoring the situation with each of these authorities and alert Ministers to any concerns in line with the statutory framework.

Local authorities are independent statutory bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are separate from the Scottish Government. It is for individual councils to determine how they engage with their communities, including the design and delivery of local consultation and feedback exercises.

The Scottish Government understands the importance of age-specific cancer care for children and young people, this why we are the only UK nation to have a dedicated strategy for children and young people with cancer.

The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: cancer strategy for children and young people 2021–2026 runs until the end of 2026.

The Scottish Government is actively considering the next steps. We will engage with a range of stakeholders to inform potential futures approaches that will ensure that the voices and experiences of those most directly affected continue. This will also inform progress made through the current strategy, while identifying opportunities to further improve care, support and outcomes.