Chamber and committees

While CalMac continue to monitor the performance of new and older vessels, a direct comparison is not available at this time. This is due to MV Glen Sannox operating on different routes/timetables compared to existing vessels while actions are progressed to enable the redevelopment of Ardrossan Harbour.

Consideration of changes to the Lord Advocate’s roles engages significant issues relating to prosecutorial independence, ministerial accountability, the rule of law and the effective operation of government. Given the legal and constitutional implications it is appropriate that our approach is considered carefully and thoroughly, and Ministers are giving it active consideration.

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Training for prisons officers is designed and taken forward by the SPS.

SPS recognise the importance of supporting neurodivergence within the prison population, and although there is no standalone training for supporting neurodivergence in prisons, Officer ‘core to role’ training does cover areas which support trauma-informed practice.

SPS continue to engage with their partners, including Supporting Offenders with Learning Disabilities (SOLD), who together with Association for Real Change (ARC), are developing a framework of principles for inclusive justice which will in turn allow SPS to develop standards to improve support to help neurodivergent people in custody.

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.

Cross-portfolio working across directorates and policy areas is a key priority for this Government and there are existing governance structures which support this work. Specifically in relation to the national Good Food Nation Plan, we have committed to establishing mechanisms that enable working at government official as well as ministerial level. Specific accountability mechanisms will be established once the legal duty for Ministers to have regard to the national Good Food Nation Plan when exercising certain functions is in force. These mechanisms will include internal reporting requirements to record how regard was had to the national Good Food Nation Plan.

We want patients to be treated as soon as possible. However, we recognise too many are facing unacceptable waits and we are determined to do more.

That is why we have invested an additional £100 million this year to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 NHS Operational Improvement Plan and have just announced a further £90 million to support those waiting the longest for treatment and help to create more capacity within our wider healthcare system.

This investment will benefit health boards across Scotland, including NHS Grampian. We will continue to target resources to reduce waiting times, particularly for those waiting the longest for treatment, through maximising productivity and additional resources.

Condition and Functional Suitability assessments are undertaken and recorded for individual buildings within the NHS estate. However, the Scottish Government does not routinely hold information on the number of buildings assessed as category C or D for either Condition or Functional Suitability.

Based on the latest available NHS estate data, 34% of the estate by floor area was assessed as being in Condition C or D, while 26% of the estate by floor area was assessed as having Functional Suitability rated C or D.

Backlog maintenance within the NHS estate is assessed and reported at the level of individual maintenance items rather than buildings. Consequently, individual buildings are not assigned an overall risk rating, as they may contain multiple backlog maintenance items with different risk ratings.

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.