Chamber and committees

Following the conclusion of the Peak Fares Removal Pilot, Scottish Ministers have always been clear that further initiatives on peak fares would be considered if Budget was available. Through the Programme for Government, we have confirmed that permanently abolishing ScotRail peak fares will be funded as part of a balanced Scottish Government budget.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41047 on 15 October 2025. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-41047 on 15 October 2025. 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.

I can confirm that enabling people to re-order prescriptions are a core part of the plans for future functionality of MyCare.scot. Scotland’s Digital Prescribing and Dispensing Programme (DPDP) is a critical dependency for this functionality. The full business case for this programme is currently progressing through the appropriate national governance and will establish timescales that will allow for this functionality.

The introduction of the MyCare.scotapp marks a significant milestone in the long-standing ambition of the Scottish Government to introduce a digital health and care record.

Local authorities delivering the Caledonian System act as Data Controllers and manage Caledonian clients’ information according to their own data policies. They share limited data within the national database, and any data shared does not include addresses and phone numbers, which remain stored locally. Participants must update contact details with their supervising officer and shared location data is restricted to the local authority level to protect identities. The court order or licence will require the person to engage with a justice social worker for the purposes of delivery of the programme and such engagement is likely to include remaining contactable, with a breach of the order or licence being a potential consequence of a lack of engagement.

The Scottish Government recognises the particular impact of food price inflation on low-income households in Scotland who are already grappling with cost-of-living pressures and are disproportionately affected by rising food prices. That is why the 2025-26 budget continues to allocate over £3 billion a year to policies which tackle poverty and the cost of living, including offering free school meals to all pupils in P1 to 5 and in special schools, saving families taking those meals around £450 per year per child. The Scottish Government is investing around £6.9 billion in our social security system this year, almost £1.3 billion more than the UK Government gives to the Scottish Government for Social Security. This includes investment of £649 million in our package of benefits and payments only available in Scotland. All action putting more money in people’s pockets to be able to afford the essentials, including food.

There are a range of global and domestic factors driving food price inflation and whilst the Scottish Government is seeking to support households and local food suppliers in Scotland, there are a number of challenges that lie specifically with the UK Government. Indeed, the Bank of England cite factors such as regulatory changes and rising labour costs, which have been exacerbated by the UK Government’s increase to Employer National Insurance Contributions in autumn last year, as creating an additional financial burden on businesses, households, and the public sector. While many of the levers to address these challenges lie with the UK Government and could be managed more effectively in an independent Scotland, the Scottish Government remains committed in the meantime to using the powers available to us to support people across our nation with the cost of living pressures.

While the Scottish Government’s role is to set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is NHS Boards that are responsible for delivering safe, effective, person-centred care at a local level.

To do this effectively, NHS Boards provide a tiered podiatry service, which includes offering support for self-management in order to promote foot health. No single medical condition is automatically deemed to require ongoing general NHS podiatry care and as such podiatry services assess and treat patients based on individual healthcare needs. Whilst routine nail cutting and personal footcare are considered part of daily hygiene, not a clinical service provided by NHS podiatry, advice is available to patients free of charge via their NHS Boards or as part of refreshed footcare guidance published by the Scottish Government in March this year.

Scottish Borders Council is leading on this business case work on behalf of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Partners. The inception phase has started but the detailed scope has yet to be finalised.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any NHS Board that has stopped providing specialist podiatry care for people with diabetes. NHS Scotland’s Podiatry Service assesses and treats patients based on individual healthcare needs rather than specific medical conditions. As such, no medical condition is automatically deemed to require ongoing general NHS podiatry care.