Chamber and committees

There is an extensive programme of work already in progress to support NHS Boards to reduce waiting times for all planned care procedures, including cataract surgeries.

This year, we have allocated more than £110 million to health boards to help tackle the longest waits for procedures and operations and this includes an investment of more than £12 million for ophthalmology.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery’s (CfSD) National Eyecare Workstream also works with Scottish Government to support optometrists in the care for patients with cataract. In January 2022, we commissioned CfSD to establish the Scottish National Cataract Short Life Working Group to address current challenges in cataract surgery in Scotland.

This multi-professional group co-developed an agreed set of principles for delivering higher volume cataract surgery in operating theatres on a sustainable basis and assist in future proofing cataract services.

This work has led to the publication of Improving the Delivery of Cataract Surgery in Scotland: a Blueprint for Success which can be accessed here: https://www.nhscfsd.co.uk/media/5sofmknr/cataract-surgery-blueprint-2022.pdf.

The Scottish Minsters are committed to the modernisation and improvement of the regulation of burial, cremation, and funeral services. The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (the 2016 Act) provides for Ministers to make regulations in connection with burial, cremation and inspection; to issue Codes of practice; and to appoint independent Inspectors of burial, cremation and funeral directors.

Work remains ongoing towards full implementation of the Act, and in consultation with a range of stakeholders Ministers have already brought forward a number of regulations. In March of this year the Burial and Cremation (Inspection)(Scotland) Regulations 2025 came into force, providing Inspectors with powers of inspection and enforcement in relation to burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors to ensure that such bodies comply with relevant requirements set out in the Act, the Funeral Director Code of Practice, the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019, the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 and the Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025.

This inspection and enforcement regime will hold relevant bodies to account for compliance, through inspection against statutory requirements, and will provide clarity for relevant bodies and allow enforcement by Inspectors where non-compliance occurs. In addition, this will improve standards within the funeral sector in Scotland in order to protect the deceased and the public in Scotland.

We currently have a Senior Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors, whose main functions (including powers and duties) are set out in the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 Act (the 2016 Act) and regulations made under that Act. This includes the provision of an annual report detailing how they have exercised their functions as an Inspector.

Improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities remains a central priority for the Scottish Government. To deliver this, Scottish Government is working closely with partners across sectors to advance women’s health and tackle the root causes of inequality—so that all women and girls in Scotland can enjoy the best possible health at every stage of their lives.

Scottish Government also recognises that child poverty and women’s poverty are inextricably linked. Meaningful progress in tackling child poverty can only be achieved by addressing the inequalities that women face. In recognition of the continued pressure on household budgets, the Scottish Government will maintain investment of over £3 billion in 2025–26 to support policies focused on tackling poverty and alleviating the rising cost of living.

As part of its commitment to addressing social and economic inequalities, Scottish Government has funded the recruitment of over 300 Community Link Workers and continues to fund Welfare Rights Advisers in more than 150 GP practices across deprived and remote communities. These advisers play a critical role in providing people with support on social security entitlements, income maximisation, and debt resolution.

Moreover, Scottish Government is driving systemic change through the Population Health Framework, co-authored with COSLA and published in June. This Framework outlines a comprehensive set of cross-sector actions aimed at improving population health, including promoting healthy behaviours, creating supportive environments, and strengthening community-based support systems.

Included within these actions, Scottish Government is improving access to income maximisation services, taking forward the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill to support local economies, and will create a National Social Prescribing Framework to help ensure individuals receive practical, social, and emotional support to enhance their wellbeing.

The Scottish Ministers appointed inspectors of burial, cremation, and funeral directors under section 89 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 on 1 October 2023 and 1 October 2024. There is currently one Inspector of burial, cremation, and funeral directors.

In light of the introduction of the inspection regime set out in the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, a range of work is in progress to support the appointment of further Inspectors, including establishing the register provided for under regulation 3 of those Regulations, training for Inspectors and support materials for Inspectors.

Section 93 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 requires each Inspector to prepare and publish an annual report. The time period for each report is dependent on the appointment date of each Inspector. The current Inspector’s appointment began on 1 October 2024, and the current report is due no later than 12 months after that appointment. Once published, the report will be laid before the Scottish Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Act.

Recent research findings on the impacts of Covid-19 on women’s mental and physical health adds to the body of evidence of the importance of taking account the specific health needs of women and girls.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering our ambition that all women and girls enjoy the best possible health, throughout their lives as set out in the Supporting documents - Women's health plan - gov.scot published in 2021.

The Women’s Health Plan is a key element within a wider, ongoing programme of work to improve the health and wellbeing of women and girls across Scotland.

Women are among those prioritised within the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, which has received £81 million of investment since 2021 with a further £15 million committed next year (2026-27) as part of the Scottish Government’s Fairer Funding Pilot.

In addition, significant work is being taken forward across the Scottish Government and beyond on women’s health.

On 17 June 2025, the Scottish Government and COSLA co-published a ten-year Scotland's Population Health Framework - gov.scot (PHF), setting out a refreshed cross-government and cross-sector approach to improve Scotland’s population health and reduce inequalities, with a focus on prevention.

The Framework commits to actions to create environments that support people to eat a varied and balanced diet, be physically active, and limit consumption of health-harming commodities, with actions to be assessed to ensure they impact positively on women and girls.

The Scottish Government recognises the cumulative impacts of economic shocks including COVID-19 and the subsequent cost-of-living crisis have worsened health inequalities, and understands the impact that debt and money worries can have on mental health and wellbeing across the population.

Improving health and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for the Scottish Government. It is progressing a range of work to support the health and wellbeing of people across Scotland, with a focus on supporting groups most at risk of poorer health, including women and those facing socio-economic disadvantage.

In recognition of the continued pressure on household budgets, the Scottish Government will maintain investment of over £3 billion in 2025–26 to support policies focused on tackling poverty and alleviating the rising cost of living.

The Scottish Government’s Population Health Framework, published in June, sets out a refreshed, cross-government and cross-sector approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities, with a strong emphasis on prevention. The Framework outlines actions across the whole system to improve socio-economic conditions through improving workforce participation, strengthening financial security and increasing local economic resilience.

Public Health Scotland provide quarterly updates of immunisation uptake rates for children in Scotland. The most recent release was published on 24 June 2025 and provides uptake statistics for all childhood vaccines, including: the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; the 6 in 1 vaccine (which protects against whooping cough, polio, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae type B and hepatitis B); and the meningitis B vaccine. The report can be found at the following link: Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - quarter and year ending 31 March 2025 - Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Quarterly childhood immunisation rates across Scotland remain high, reflecting both the hard work and commitment of our colleagues in the NHS and the recognition of the benefits of vaccination.

However, the Scottish Government is aware that there are decreases in uptake compared with previous years, a trend which has been observed globally. We are working with Public Health Scotland and Health Boards to increase vaccination uptake, address health inequalities and support those eligible for vaccination.

Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with colleagues across the four UK nations to ensure cooperation and, where appropriate, alignment on vaccination policy, but we have received no specific information from the UK Government regarding measles deaths in England.

While Childhood immunisation rates in Scotland remain high, we are working with Public Health Scotland and the NHS to increase vaccination uptake in communities across the country. Measles is a highly infectious disease and can lead to serious and potentially life-threatening complications. The MMR vaccine is safe, and it is vital that all those eligible receive both doses of the vaccination, especially because of the current global threat of measles to international and domestic travellers.

The Scottish Government urges parents and carers to take their children to be vaccinated when invited to do so to enable them to be protected against serious disease, including measles, meningitis and pertussis.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving perinatal and infant mental health services across Scotland. Anyone who requires Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention (MNPI) services should be able to access them as part of their maternity or neonatal care.

We are providing £123.5 million funding to Boards to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all. This funding includes provision for access to MNPI services across all 14 Boards. Continued investment since 2019 has resulted in a substantial increase in services across Scotland, leading to all Boards having access to MNPI services, either from a local MNPI team or, for very small Board areas, via pathways to MNPI care in larger maternity hospitals where the patient may deliver.

The way in which MNPI services are provided differs across Boards, depending on population size and birth rate. However, we expect those who need the services to be able to access them in all areas of Scotland. Some Boards will have independent MNPI teams, working closely with local perinatal mental health services, and agreed referral criteria and pathways into care; while smaller Boards, such as Island Boards should provide access to psychological therapies via local primary care, adult mental health or perinatal mental health clinical psychology, with pathways into specialist MNPI support in the maternity hospital where they deliver.