Chamber and committees

Scottish Government policy on genetic modification has not changed and our position is clear: we are opposed to the cultivation of GM crops in Scotland. We are aware of the current debate around new genomic techniques, such as gene editing, and how these relate to existing genetic modification legislation. Ministers will continue to monitor developments in the EU as they consider any next steps.

I recognise that the significant increase in adults seeking ADHD and autism assessments across Scotland is creating challenges for services, while also acknowledging that a diagnosis can be important to people.

The Scottish Government is aware of a range of issues affecting the availability of adult neurodevelopmental assessments in the NHS Forth Valley area and that as a result NHS Forth valley is reviewing their approach. I expect this to be resolved at the earliest opportunity.

Officials continue to work with NHS Boards, including Forth Valley, and local Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) to improve services and support for neurodivergent people.

Earlier this year, officials wrote to all health boards, including Forth Valley, to seek clarification on what neurodevelopmental assessment and support they currently have in place for adults. We are currently reviewing responses received. Understanding current provision across Scotland will provide a starting point for improvement and underpin work going forward to develop a national approach.

The upcoming Infrastructure Strategy and associated delivery plan pipeline will be published as part of our fiscal event this winter. Publishing the strategy, planned pipeline, the spending review and budget plans together ensures a long-term, strategically aligned investment prospectus that is fully costed. The exact date of the fiscal event is being agreed with Parliament just now.

Since my appointment to this post in June I have not had a meeting with the Interim Chief Executive of NHS Grampian. I last met with Integration Authority Chief Officers, including the Chief Officer of Health and Social Care Moray, on 7 August 2025.

APS Group (Scotland) have never had to issue a product recall of any of the items contained in Scotland’s Baby Box. As detailed in response to PQ S6W-40091, out of over 352,000 Baby Boxes issued since August 2017, APS have only received reports of 190 faulty or damaged items. These individual items were from 14 different lines of items provided within Baby Box and not across a complete line, which would have necessitated a product recall.

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.

We're gathering insights from doctors, residents, and senior clinicians through a series of focus groups. These are open to doctors at all career stages, from trainees to consultants, including Haematologists. The invitation to join focus groups has been open to all doctors in Scotland so we would expect that British Society for Haematology members will have had the opportunity to sign up through their employing boards and will also have the opportunity to respond to a survey which will be shared imminently.

The project’s Call for Evidence aims to understand the innovative approaches, both technological and non-technological – that can support the delivery of high-quality, equitable, and future-ready services. We will invite the British Society for Haematology to provide a submission to this call for evidence.

I made a statement to Parliament on 15 December 2021 setting out the reasons behind the Scottish Government’s intervention regarding the 2016 transaction involving Dalzell and Clydebridge.

This statement is available on the Scottish Government website.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/update-dalzell-historical-industrial-transaction-ministerial-statement/

I refer the member to the answers provided for S6W-39724 and, S6W-39726 on 14 August 2025, S6W-39725 on 20 August 2025 and S6W-39723 on 21 August 2025.

To reiterate again we are working with NHS Scotland to address staffing as a matter of urgency, working closely with NHS Boards and clinical leaders from across the country to address pressures in a sustainable way. This includes retaining staff in specialist roles and prioritising staff wellbeing, as evidence shows that positive wellbeing enhances staff retention and engagement, which in turn raises standards of patient safety and quality of care.

With regards to the medical workforce specifically, since 2014 the Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places in Scotland across multiple different specialties, including in haematology.

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.

Social Security Scotland does not hold information regarding the financial cost of conducting reviews of awards at this level.

The Scottish Government has one contract with Fujitsu (Case 440206 Electronic Counting for Local Government Elections) to deliver electronic vote counting for Scottish local government elections. The contract commenced October 2020 at a value of £6,345,172 and is currently scheduled to conclude on 16th February 2027. The Scottish Government is currently undertaking an open procurement exercise to re-let this contract.

With regard to future procurement activity, the Scottish Government conducts its procurements in line with Scottish public procurement legislation and Scottish Government policy. All organisations bidding for contracts need to pass the selection criteria detailed in the procurement documents, which will include mandatory and discretionary exclusion grounds. Any decision to exclude Fujitsu from participating in Scottish Government tenders will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Where a ground for exclusion applies, a supplier may be able to provide evidence of self-cleansing measures taken to demonstrate their reliability despite the existence of a relevant ground for exclusion, should this evidence prove that the measures taken by the supplier are sufficient then the supplier would not be excluded. These decisions will be made in accordance with regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

At this time, the Scottish Government is not aware of Fujitsu tendering for any Scottish Government contracts.