Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of maintaining a safe, high-quality NHS estate and we are aware that there remain a substantial backlog of maintenance which Health Boards are actively managing and prioritising based on risk and patient safety.

Our funding position has not changed, and we maintain that decision making on local transport priorities remains the responsibility of individual local authorities and the Scottish Government cannot intervene in this process.

As I set out in my letter of 11 February 2026 to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee regarding Petition PE1900, NHS boards are asked to provide annual updates each November on progress in addressing the issues identified through the rapid review of healthcare provision in police custody.

These annual returns seek information on arrangements for the safe storage and supply of controlled drugs, the existence of written policies to ensure detainees can access prescribed medication (including opioid substitution therapy), and the operation of clinical governance processes such as the recording and review of adverse events, complaints and feedback. Boards are also asked to set out improvement actions and timescales where gaps are identified.

This monitoring is complemented by scrutiny from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Their joint work has established an inspection framework for healthcare services in police custody, underpinned by a human rights-based approach and aligned with Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s quality indicators, to provide assurance on the quality and safety of care.

Delivery of healthcare in police custody remains an operational responsibility for NHS boards. The Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to support consistent implementation across Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to make progress in delivering the National GP IT Reprovisioning Programme, working closely with NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), system suppliers and territorial health boards.

Migrations to the Vision hosted GP IT system are ongoing and continue to scale up. The Primary Care Digital Services (Scotland) programme team is currently working with each health board to agree Quarter 3 2026-27 deployment plans, and in some cases Quarter 4 plans, to support the continued rollout of the new system.

As at 30 April, a total of 395 GP practices have successfully migrated to the Vision hosted system. This includes 343 Vision-to-Vision migrations, representing 85% of all planned Vision-to-Vision migrations, and 52 EMIS-to-Vision migrations, representing 11% of planned EMIS-to-Vision migrations. Overall, around 45% of Scottish GP practices have now transitioned to the Vision hosted platform.

Migrations resumed in late 2025 and will continue to accelerate throughout 2026 as deployment plans are finalised and capacity increases. NSS and suppliers remain actively engaged with health boards to support local readiness, data migration, and assurance activity.

The Scottish Government remains committed to modernising GP IT systems to support integrated care, improve services for patients, and reduce administrative burden for general practice.

Qualifications Scotland is responsible for its own operational decisions, including whether individuals can access their exam scripts.

An exemption to the right of access via subject access requests under the Data Protection Act 2018 applies to exam scripts. The application of this exemption is in line with Qualifications Scotland’s policy that the organisation does not provide marked exam scripts.

In 2024 a trial of providing access to marked exam papers was conducted for a selected number of subject and levels. Alongside identified benefits, the evaluation report also noted challenges with scalability. This included workload implications for practitioners, and the need for specific digital requirements to ensure the service can be delivered fairly and equitability for all learners and subjects. As such Qualifications Scotland has paused any further roll out.

The Scottish Government has made such representations in response both to specific cases and in the generality of immigration policy.

We expect the immigration system and visa approvals to reflect Scotland’s distinct demographic and economic needs. In view of this, the Scottish Government will continue to make representations and calls on the UK Government to introduce a tailored approach to migration reflecting Scotland’s distinct needs. In addition, the Scottish Government will continue to prioritise the recruitment of Gaelic medium teachers by promoting and supporting a range of routes into Gaelic medium education.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00539. on 5 June 2026. 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.

Reported incidents of drink spiking are likely to be recorded by the police as either (i) crimes of administering a substance for sexual purposes under section 11 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, or (ii) drugging (assault). The former is recorded when a person intentionally administers a substance, or causes a substance to be taken, with the purpose of stupefying or overpowering, to enable any person to engage in a sexual activity involving the victim. The latter is similar in that a crime is committed when drugs are feloniously administered with intent to produce stupefaction, however there doesn’t need to be further intent, and it is not necessary that any injury to the victim is caused.

It is not possible to track these cases through the Justice system as each organisation uses their own administrative database for operational purposes. However figures can be provided on crimes recorded by the police, charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and of those charges, the number resulting in a conviction. It should be noted that crimes recorded in any one reporting year may become charges/prosecutions in later years. Furthermore, in the most recent years, a large proportion of the charges prosecuted remain ongoing. As the cases involved progress and reach a conclusion, it is possible that further convictions may be recorded.

In Scotland, conduct amounting to spiking can be prosecuted using a range of common law and statutory offences. As well as the common law offence of drugging and the statutory offence contained in section 11 of the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, common law offences such as assault or culpable and reckless conduct can be considered. This framework allows prosecutors to assess each case individually and select the charges that best reflect the facts and circumstances of the case.

Challenges in prosecuting cases often arise from evidential difficulties which can include delayed reporting, the rapid metabolisation of substances, and lack of forensic opportunities. In most instances, the Procurator Fiscal becomes involved in an individual case in a substantive way on receipt of a report from Police Scotland, or other reporting agency. When a report alleging “spiking” is submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, and there is sufficient credible, reliable and admissible evidence in law, prosecutors adopt a robust approach when deciding what action best serves the public interest.

Total recorded crimes of either Drugging or Administering a substance for sexual purposes, Scotland, 2020-21 to 2024-25

The proposal to directly award Ferguson Marine four new vessels are subject to completion of detailed legal, commercial and subsidy control assessments, including engagement with the Competition and Markets Authority. This due diligence is currently underway within the Scottish Government.

The proposed approach is intended to establish a credible and sustained pipeline of work for the yard. This is expected to support its long-term financial sustainability, alongside strengthened governance, enhanced assurance arrangements, and a programme of yard modernisation.

The safety of our maternity services is apriority to this government and we recognise the importance of these issues to the people of Wigtonshire.