Chamber and committees

This is a matter for the UK Government.

Ministers are in the very early stages of considering how to take forward this commitment and will provide details in due course.

I will be holding discussions with my Officials in the coming months to determine how best to organise and evaluate additional funding for local roads maintenance. As with all areas of Local Government funding, substantive details around funding allocations and accountability will be considered through the joint COSLA and Scottish Government Settlement and Distribution Group (SDG) prior to recommendations being provided to COSLA Leaders and Scottish Ministers.

In the meantime, local authorities have a duty under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain local roads in their area and duties under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic. The Scottish Government does not hold specific information on any maintenance backlogs on these roads, though this will be discussed with local authorities and COSLA as part of the work on the additional funding.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00174 on 5 June 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 Rural and Islands Housing Fund has a budget of up to £37 million between April 2021 to March 2028. The Fund was extended in Programme for Government 2025 to applications to March 2028 and the National Islands Plan, published in February 2026, confirmed an overall budget of up to £37 million.

As of 31 December 2025, 307 homes have been delivered through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund across 12 Local Authority areas(Angus, Argyll & Bute, Dumfries & Galloway, Highland, Moray, Orkney, North Ayrshire, Perth & Kinross, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and Western Isles) with over 40 homes on-site and estimated to complete in 2025-26 and 2026-27.

It is the project promoters, Winchburgh Developments Limited and West Lothian Council, who are currently responsible for setting the project delivery timeline for a new station at Winchburgh.

The funding application for capital construction costs submitted to the Scottish Government by West Lothian Council is under review and, as stated in our Budget 2026-27 statement, we are committed to working with partners to support delivery of a new station at Winchburgh.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00208 on 02 June 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 values the contribution of the NHS Scotland workforce and is committed to supporting those who choose to pursue a career in healthcare. Scottish Ministers have overseen 14 consecutive years of growth in the NHS Scotland workforce, invested in the terms and conditions of staff and continue to deliver activity flowing from both the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce and the Future Medical Workforce Project to support these professions. The Scottish Government is committed to building on this progress and will set out further detail on the proposed job guarantee in due course.

The Scottish Government has allocated £9 million over three years to the Mossmorran industrial site, with £3 million planned for each of 2026–27, 2027–28 and 2028–29. Funding in later years remains subject to the outcomes of the Scottish Spending Review and annual budget processes.

In 2026–27, up to £1.3 million has been allocated for a Mossmorran Skills Intervention, delivered by Fife College. This funding will support the workforce in gaining critical training support to transition to other labour market opportunities including training needs assessments, targeted reskilling aligned with labour market demand, progression into employment, and measurable uptake, completion and employment outcomes. It is disappointing that, to date, the UK Government has chosen not to join us in providing this critical support to the workforce.

Funding for 2026–27 will also support activity to identify and develop future opportunities for the site. ExxonMobil has committed to working collaboratively with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to explore viable future options for the site. Scottish Enterprise are also utilising the breadth of their experience to attract new investment and secure sustainable alternative uses for the site.

Further detail on our plan to expand mobile health services, as set out in the 2026 Manifesto, will be set out in due course. As decisions regarding the planning and delivery of services – including the use of mobile units – rest with individual Health Boards officials continue to meet regularly with NHS Boards across all policy areas to understand local provision and identify necessary actions to address emerging challenges.

Scottish Government recognises the value of ensuring high-quality and sustainable health services in all communities, and remains committed to the actions set out in the National Islands Plan and other strategic documents, such as the Service Renewal Framework, to deliver access to services across Scotland.