Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 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.

The initial version of the industry-led Energy Skills Passport is a tool to support oil and gas workers identify training pathways into key offshore wind roles. Accounts are created by individual workers.

The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led project, with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK) as the lead bodies.

The latest information available to Scottish Government regarding uptake, which covers the period from launch in January to August 2025, is that around 480 user profiles have been set up on the Passport’s digital system.

For the most up to date figures, we recommend contacting OEUK and RUK directly.

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by any planned job losses in the oil and gas sector.

We continue to monitor and consider a range of evidence in relation to Scotland’s energy system. As part of this approach, we review reports on employment from industry, trade unions and other bodies. We have also commissioned and published independent analysis on Scotland’s Energy System and Just Transition. This analysis considers the economic impact of Scotland’s oil and gas industry, including in terms of employment, during the transition to net zero. A partial update of the baseline data underpinning this analysis was published in April 2025.

The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led tool to support oil and gas workers to identify training pathways into key offshore wind sectors. It is one tool in a wider landscape of support for Scotland’s oil and gas workers. For example, the Passport is complemented by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (launched in July 2025 as a joint initiative from Scottish and UK Governments) which offers tailored careers advice and funded training for eligible workers looking to build the skills needed for work in Scotland’s sustainable energy sectors.

In the unfortunate event of any employees facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will also always offer and provide support through the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the complex relationship between illicit trade and the introduction of regulatory measures such as the ban on single use vapes. While comprehensive data on the scale of illicit activity remains limited, this issue was considered during the development of the Partial Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) and the public consultation process.

In recognition of the challenges that may arise from such restrictions, the Scottish Government has worked closely with the UK Government and devolved administrations to ensure alignment on regulatory approaches across the UK.

Trading Standards play a critical role in tackling illicit trade and ensuring compliance with new regulations. The Scottish Government has provided an additional £300k to local authorities to support implementation of the ban on single use vapes, including costs associated with storage and appropriate disposal of seized vapes. We have also provided powers to enable Trading Standards officers to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £800 to those in breach of the regulations.

The Scottish Government work closely with the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), who manage the Enhanced Tobacco Sales Enforcement Programme (ETSEP), which is a key component in the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vaping Framework. The SG have provided £46k in 2025-26 to support a national coordinator post and specific enforcement projects, which vary year on year.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that Trading Standards are adequately resourced and supported to respond effectively to the challenges posed by illicit markets. Ongoing engagement with enforcement bodies and local authorities will inform future assessments and policy development in this area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40612 on 7 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-40612 on 7 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.

NHS patients requiring urgent care will be seen by practices based on clinical need. Unregistered patients can access emergency and urgent dental care via Public Dental Service clinics. The PDS are NHS Board-run services and therefore the responsibility of the health boards.

The Oral Health Improvement Plan (OHIP) remains a relevant and important cornerstone of NHS dental services policy in Scotland. Significant progress has been made on the commitments from the OHIP since its publication, including through the introduction of payment reform in November 2023.

Our recently published Operational Improvement Plan sets out this Government’s current ambitions to further improve NHS dental services both now and into the future, supported by new funding in 2025-26. The Plan can be viewed at

https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-operational-improvement-plan/.

The college sector currently faces a number of high-level pressures and the Scottish Government acknowledges the extremely challenging operating environment in which they continue to deliver services.

In recognition of colleges’ vital role in our economy and wider society, the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocations provide a 2.6% sector increase in teaching funding for 2025-26 compared to last year, and no college has had a reduction in teaching funding in 2025-26 when compared with 2024-25.

An increase of almost 5% in capital maintenance funding is helping colleges further invest in student’s learning experiences.

The Scottish Government is also working collaboratively with the SFC and Colleges Scotland through the Tripartite Alignment Group to identify and implement flexibilities to support colleges. To date, the Group has created the conditions to improve the financial sustainability of the sector with the introduction of the SFC’s College Transformation Framework, and the new asset disposals process; and is supporting colleges to maximise commercial income.

Forth Valley College’s campus in Alloa plays a vital role in providing access to services for the people in that community, and everything possible must be done to keep the campus open.

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) have identified a route by which some funding could be used this financial year to support urgent feasibility studies to inform the SFC’s forthcoming College Infrastructure Investment Plan.

The Scottish Government and the SFC will continue to engage with Forth Valley College throughout this process to find a way to support the College decide on the best future for the campus.