Chamber and committees

The numbers of entrants to first degree pre-clinical medicine courses, by university, have been provided in the following table.

The tables only cover those entering ‘pre-clinical medicine’ and do not include other students entering medical schools on ‘clinical medicine’ or students in continuing years of study.

First degree entrants to pre-clinical medicine at Scottish Providers

The Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) scheme has, on occasion, provided ad hoc support to communities looking to repair small scale wind turbines. Currently, CARES supports renewable energy generation projects through its Community Energy Generation Growth Fund. While support is focussed on the development of new projects, repairs can be considered as part of a wider project on a case-by-case basis.

Since 2021, CARES has offered a total of £63,772 in funding to support the repair of community-owned wind turbines. £24,000 was offered in 2021 and £39,772 has been offered in 2025.

The former Minister for Climate Action last met with representatives of the Shell Natural Gas Liquids plant, and Exxonmobil Fife Ethylene Plant on 28 October 2024. The Minister discussed with the businesses, their views on Just Transition planning, their long-term plans, as well as wider matters regarding participation in the Acorn project and engagement with the UK Government regarding the Track process.

Scottish Government Ministers have not met with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or the Health and Safety Executive in that last 4 years to specifically discuss the Mossmorran industrial complex.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the specific upstream fields that supply feedstock to the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquid Plant, operated by Shell.

Ensuring the sustainability of NHS dental services is a priority for Scottish Government, which is why we introduced dental payment reform in November 2023 to make it more attractive for dentists to provide NHS services, by paying fees that better reflect the current market rates of providing dental services to patients. The 2025/26 Scottish Budget further reinforces our commitment to NHS dentistry, with an increase of almost 15% in funding for primary care dental services agreed. This takes total funding to over half a billion pounds for the first time and means that over the course of this Parliament, we will have increased investment in primary care dental services by 33%.

Scottish Government has also made provision in the 2025-26 budget for grant awards, such as the Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grant, which pays out up to £100,000 for establishing, relocating or extending NHS dental practices in eligible areas; and the Recruitment and Retention allowance, which allows new trainee dentists to qualify for ‘golden hello’ payments of up to £37,500 in the first three years of practice.

The Scottish Government is supporting local authorities to address vacant retail spaces in our high streets and town centres through a range of measures and we remain committed to supporting the broader retail sector where possible, using the levers available to us.

This is why Scotland has a competitive non-domestic rates regime, with the Basic Property Rate frozen for 2025-26 and £733 million in reliefs. Additionally, we are supporting the use or repurposing of vacant units through the Fresh Start Relief and Business Growth Accelerator Relief to support the reuse and improvement of long term empty properties. Further significant funding support is available through programmes such as the Place Based Investment Programme and Regeneration Capital Grant Fund is helping deliver community led regeneration. The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 also promotes the reuse of empty buildings and town centre living to boost local economic activity.

Work is on-going to align the governance and delivery of thrombectomy with similar national programmes. This alignment with wider health service planning aims to support oversight of thrombectomy planning and encourage greater collaboration between NHS Boards in delivering this vital service.

Whilst the Scottish Government cannot currently provide a timeline for expanding the service, Scottish Government officials and NHS planners have been asked to work at pace on developing a plan for the next steps for service expansion.

The Scottish Government remains committed to implementing a high quality, clinically safe and equitable thrombectomy service.

We have invested over £51 million to date on expanding access to thrombectomy and remain committed to further expanding the service, ensuring access is as equitable as possible.

The Regeneration Capital Grant Fund was paused in 2024-25 and no applications were received.

The welfare of officers within Police Scotland are a matter for the Chief Constable.

Post-traumatic support is offered to all officers and staff who are directly involved in potentially traumatic incidents. I am aware that on 29 May Police Scotland indicated to the SPA People Committee that it will undertake an in-depth review of its support provisions in relation to trauma.

I discussed the issue of post-traumatic support with the Scottish Police Federation on 11 June. On 25 June I passed on the concerns raised to Police Scotland who advised that they would be engaging further with SPF on this issue.