Chamber and committees

There is no evidence of any misuse of public funds. On the contrary, a number of business leaders who took part in the programme have publicly refuted these claims.

As has been made clear, the costs of flights, accommodation and workspace were covered in line with international best practice for programmes of this nature.

We continue to work closely with CodeBase to review expenditure and ensure all spending is appropriate and aligned with the objectives of the Techscaler contract. Robust governance and assurance processes are in place to oversee the contract and associated payments. On the basis of these processes, and feedback from participants and senior figures internationally, we are confident that public funds have been used properly and in ways that deliver clear benefit to Scotland’s economy.

The eligibility criteria for Techscaler’s international programmes continue to evolve as the initiative matures. A formal, open, and competitive application process is now in place, with cohorts for upcoming trips selected accordingly and engaged in pre-departure activities.

The Scottish Government works closely with CodeBase to ensure continuous improvement across all aspects of the programme, informed by user feedback.

The Scottish Government’s HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan sets out a range of actions to expand access to HIV PrEP, informed by engagement with stakeholders across sectors to develop inclusive models of care. The actions include funding NHS Grampian to undertake a project exploring the feasibility and acceptability of providing PrEP in primary care settings. This project is expected to conclude later this financial year and we will carefully consider its findings.

Elsewhere in Scotland, NHS Boards are exploring various outreach models for populations who have barriers to accessing sexual health services. These include a PrEP initiative for people who inject drugs in Glasgow, and an outreach sexual health clinic for trans and non-binary people in NHS Lothian. We are also funding an e-PrEP pilot which would reduce the frequency in which some individuals would need to attend clinic appointments.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to blood borne virus (BBV) testing across all NHS Board areas as part of our BBV elimination efforts. While we are taking a phased approach to implementing emergency department opt-out testing – initially focusing on areas of higher prevalence - we will consider further expansion if evidence emerges to support this.

All NHS Boards and other relevant services are encouraged to adopt approaches to BBV testing which are appropriate to their local contexts. These include testing in primary care, drug and alcohol services, custodial settings, community pharmacies and through outreach initiatives. This year, for the first time, the Scottish Government has set targets for BBV testing in prisons and drug and alcohol services to encourage uptake.

In addition, work is underway to increase testing for patients who present with symptoms that may indicate a BBV. This includes the development of a national HIV indicator condition action plan and local adoption of tools such as intelligent liver function testing to support earlier diagnosis of hepatitis.

NatureScot has a statutory role to promote and publicise the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) and to keep it under review. This does not conflict with NatureScot’s role in protecting and conserving nature. The SOAC is very clear that disturbance of wildlife or protected areas does not fall within the standards of responsible behaviour expected and would not, therefore fall within the definition of ‘responsible access’ rights. It should go without saying that our laws relating to nature conservation should be complied with.

NatureScot and the National Access Forum have recently updated guidance on managing wildlife disturbance and outdoor access, which provides more detail on this matter.

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into the west coast of Scotland in 1987 are published in table 6 on pages 18 and 19 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1987:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1987/1987/govscot%3Adocument/1987.pdf

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into the west coast of Scotland in 1988 are published in table 7 on pages 20 and 21 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1988:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1988/1988/govscot%3Adocument/1988.pdf

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into the west coast of Scotland in 1989 are published in table 7 on pages 20 and 21 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1989:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1989/1989/govscot%3Adocument/1989.pdf

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into the west coast of Scotland in 1990 are published in table 7 on pages 24 and 25 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1990:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1990/1990/govscot%3Adocument/1990.pdf

The available information on the recorded landings of UK vessels by species and district landed into the west coast of Scotland in 1991 are published in table 7 on pages 26 to 28 of the Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 1991:

https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2020/11/sea-fisheries-statistics-1922-2010/documents/1991/1991/govscot%3Adocument/1991.pdf

There is no information available for the years 1987 to 1991 on the recorded landings of foreign vessels into Scotland by species and district landed.

Prior to 2016, salmon were caught in commercial coastal net fisheries, but they were not landed through harbours. Salmon catches for 1952-2024, including 1987-1991, are published as official statistics in Scottish salmon and sea trout fishery statistics: http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781836914761/documents. Detailed supporting data is available for download: https://data.marine.gov.scot/dataset/salmon-and-sea-trout-fishery-statistics-1952-2024-season-reported-catch-and-effort-district

There are significant differences in environment, biology, fisheries (including methods, seasons, effort, location), fisheries management, and fisheries data collection that preclude a meaningful comparison of the landings of demersal fish species with catches of salmon. In terms of the data referred to above, it should be noted that, for demersal species, the locations of landing and capture may not be closely related whereas, for salmon the location of capture is recorded more precisely (see https://www.gov.scot/publications/collecting-marine-scotland-salmon-sea-trout-fishery-statistics-2/). In Scotland, salmon may be caught by fixed engine, net and coble, or rod and line, which generally correspond to the coast, estuaries, and rivers. However, some net and coble fisheries previously operated within rivers or in coastal embayments and rod fishing for salmon can legally occur within coastal or estuarine waters. Since 2016, salmon may not be retained by any method in coastal waters or where stocks are assessed as being in poor condition.

Scotland’s abundant renewable energy generating capacity presents an opportunity for the country to become a leader in green data centres. In 2023, 70% of electricity generated in Scotland was from renewable sources – a marked increase compared to 32% in 2013 - and, as of June 2025, there is an estimated capacity of 76.5 GW of renewable energy projects, including storage, in the planning pipeline in Scotland.

Where new development proposals come forward, all planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicated otherwise. In Scotland the development plan consists of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the relevant Local Development Plan. National development status does not grant planning permission for the development and all relevant consents are required. Designation establishes the need for such infrastructure and means that the principle of the development does not need to be agreed in later consenting processes, providing more certainty for communities, business and investors.

Public Health Scotland’s NHS Waiting Times – Diagnostics report holds data on the number of ongoing waits for echocardiograms at the end of each calendar month, including data on ongoing waits of more than 52 weeks. This can be found in the publication's non-key diagnostic test data tables.

Our Waiting Well resources offering support to patients currently on a waiting list can be found on NHS Inform at Waiting well | NHS inform.

Menstrual health, which includes polycystic ovary syndrome, was a priority in the first phase of the Women’s Health Plan.

To support women with symptomspolycystic ovary syndrome of we have;

• improved access to comprehensive information on menstrual symptoms and PCOS through our Women's Health Platform on NHS Inform.
• worked with the Health and Social Care Alliance deliver a series of webinars for women on menstrual health including a session on PCOS.
• published a workplace policy for NHSScotland on menstrual health and menopause, which can be adapted for use in other employment sectors.
• worked with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to develop eLearning on menstrual health, including PCOS, for those working in primary care.

Menstrual health, including PCOS, will continue to be an important area of focus in the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan.

In 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 the Scottish Government provided annual funding to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget was provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes and individual Health Boards decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome.

The value of the Outcomes Framework allocation was £74.1 million (2022-23); £74.1 million (2023-24); and £72.2 million (2024-25).