Chamber and committees

NHS Scotland will introduce a new vaccination programme which offers protection against gonorrhoea from August 2025. This targeted opportunistic programme is specifically aimed at Gay, Bisexual and other Men who have Sex with Men (GBMSM) who are at increased risk of gonorrhoea. Clinicians may also offer vaccination to a small number of individuals at equivalent risk outside of the primary GBMSM cohort who they identify as being at on-going risk.

Singapore’s economic performance has been strong and it is always useful to look at international comparisons and learn from others. The analysis which the Scottish Government published in June 2022 as part of the first Building a New Scotland paper shows that independent, small Northern European countries are better comparators for Scotland. The evidence in our paper suggests that decision-making at Westminster and a UK economy which does not suit Scotland’s distinct circumstances has led to outcomes that fail to match Scotland’s potential.

In 2022, The Scottish Government published it’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). This sets out a ten year transformation with the objective of creating a fair, green and growing economy and establishing Scotland as a world-class entrepreneurial nation and ensuring that its businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services are more innovative and productive than they have ever been. In the three years since NSET was published, we have made significant progress in delivering the strategy with 39% of the original action complete including the publication of the Green Industrial Strategy.

The Green Industrial Strategy (GIS) sets out our strategic approach to green growth, offering a clear view of the economic sectors and industries in which we have greatest strength and most potential. Alongside this, Scotland’s National Innovation Strategy identifies the sectors that drive economic growth, and the underlying actions required to deliver that growth.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of vacancies in local authority planning services. The resourcing and staffing of planning services is a matter for individual local authorities.

Recognising the financial and capacity pressures on the planning system, the National Planning Hub is offering support to authorities including capacity and access to expertise to help them determine applications for renewable energy and housing projects.

The Scottish Government has not issued guidance to Health Boards on the provision of blood testing facilities for people who may be self-medicating hormones for the purpose of seeking to address gender dysphoria.

The provision of specific healthcare facilities rests with individual Health Boards.

Yes, the Scottish Government does agree with this view and we continue to call upon UK Ministers to intervene at Grangemouth as it has done in other parts of the UK.

Transport Scotland does not hold the data on the average processing times for Blue Badges. However, Transport Scotland does recommend that local authorities should regularly update and highlight their estimated wait and/or processing times to applicants.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills has met recently with the Principal of Edinburgh University to discuss its cost-saving programme and potential impact on staff.

Staffing and operational matters are the responsibility of individual universities as autonomous institutions, however the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Councill will continue to engage closely with the sector and offer appropriate support to universities, including Edinburgh, as they develop their plans to address financial challenges.

Whilst Ministers cannot compel institutions to commit to no compulsory redundancies, the Scottish Government’s expectation is that universities work with staff to make every effort to protect jobs, and for compulsory redundancies to be considered as a last resort, after all other cost saving measures have been fully explored.

The Dynamic Support Register (DSR) provides a mechanism for national data collection on people with learning disabilities and complex care needs. However, data collected through the DSR is not broken down by how many individuals with autism and learning disabilities remain in hospital settings, despite being clinically fit for discharge.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) collect and publish quarterly data, with the most recent collection, from 26 December 2024, published in March 2025. At that time, there were 1,273 people on the DSR, of which there were 84 delayed discharges and 51 inappropriate out-of-area placements.

The full March PHS report is available here: Insights into learning disabilities and complex needs: statistics for Scotland - 18 March 2025 - Insights into learning disabilities and complex needs: statistics for Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland

The next DSR data collection will be published by PHS in June 2025.

Additionally, PHS publish monthly data on delayed discharges here: About this release - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Figures for March 2025 - Delayed discharges in NHSScotland monthly - Publications - Public Health Scotland. This data is broken down to Health Board and Local Authority level.

The Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy supports our ambition to achieve sustainable land use, while reducing greenhouse gas emission and maintaining globally renowned food production in Scotland. Through the strategy we are seeking to support communities and agencies to contribute to the achievement of this ambition.

The National Planning Framework (NPF4) is a long-term plan looking to 2045 that guides spatial development, sets out national planning policies, designates national developments and highlights regional spatial priorities. NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system, supporting the achievement of a net zero Scotland by 2045.

Planning authorities are preparing new local development plans, and they will be instrumental in taking forward NPF4 in different parts of the country, in a way which responds to each of their unique challenges and opportunities.

Aligned with the Verity House Agreement, the Scottish Government has worked closely with COSLA to develop a Climate Delivery Framework (CDF) between national and local government. The Framework will enable better alignment of national and local targets and pathways, agree shared approaches to climate action, and jointly address challenges and barriers to delivery.

The Climate Delivery Oversight Group (CDOG) is co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy and Cllr MacGregor, and demonstrates the shared commitment to collaborative working.

The Scottish Government and UK Government have made a joint investment commitment of £90.2 million to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal over a ten year period until the end of March 2030.

The Deal, now in its 6th year of delivery, has spent £34.68 million of this available funding up to the end of quarter 4 of financial year 2024-25. This has resulted in completion of the following five projects:

• restoration of the Japanese Gardens at Cowden;
• a digital hub in Cowie, offering training and business development opportunities;
• Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling active travel project, providing two high quality walking and cycling routes;
• A Regional Energy Masterplan, supporting a strategic whole systems approach to energy across Stirling and Clackmannanshire; and
• transfer of land from the Ministry of Defence to Stirling Council to enable wider regeneration at Forthside.

Meanwhile, the following four projects are in delivery:

• a flexible skills project, providing skills development opportunities to improve the employability of up to 500 individuals;
• an inclusion workers and investment fund, providing tailored employability support to 245 people from traditionally excluded groups;
• Scotland’s International Environment Centre (SIEC), offering research and collaboration opportunities to protect and enhance natural resources; and
• the National Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Hub (NATIH), a research facility and business development hub for sustainable aquaculture food production that is due to open in November 2025.