Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00342 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.

In November 2024 the Scottish Government published the GP Recruitment and Retention Plan 2024–26, outlining a suite of 20 actions to support the GP workforce. We then published an update to this plan in March 2026, summarising our progress.

We will set out plans to establish a comprehensive GP workforce plan in due course.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating 500 new jobs in Grangemouth by the end of this Parliament. Our investment of up to £7,732,078, announced in December 2025, in MiAlgae and Celtic Renewables will support the creation of 279 jobs at Grangemouth by 2029. Many of these roles will pay above the median salary for workers in Scotland.

My officials are working collaboratively with the UK Government via the Grangemouth Investor Taskforce to identify further such investment opportunities that would create well paid jobs across the cluster. I continue to call on the UK Government to realise their commitment of supporting Grangemouth’s transition by deploying £200 million from the National Wealth Fund.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00484 on 8 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.

The costs for implementing new policies will be detailed during the standard budget setting process.

The £2 bus fare cap is currently being delivered as a 12 month pilot and has been successfully rolled out across the Highlands and Islands. A local authority based model was developed as part of the process of establishing the pilot, and the Scottish Government will undertake a formal evaluation of the pilot with partners and bus operators to assess its impacts and identify lessons learned. These findings will inform the development and design of future schemes, including consideration of how a national bus fare cap could be implemented.

While statutory responsibility for managing and maintaining school estates rests with local authorities, the Scottish Government has engaged with the Highland Council on the issues at Rosebank Primary School. The Council has confirmed that no further class cancellations are expected and that remedial works to the affected toilet facilities will be completed before the start of the new school session in August. It has also committed to keeping the Parent Council updated on progress.

Through the £2 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme, the Scottish Government is providing the Council with significant funding support for its Broadford Primary School, Nairn Academy and Tain Campus projects. This funding is intended to augment, rather than replace, the Council’s own investment in its school estate.

More broadly, the latest School Estate Statistics, published in September, show that the proportion of school buildings reported as being in “good” or “satisfactory” condition has increased to a record 92%, compared with 62.7% in 2007.

The Scottish Government is working in close partnership with COSLA and Scottish Swimming to deliver a national programme of free swimming lessons for all primary school children. A School Swimming Working Group, chaired by the Scottish Government and COSLA, has now been established to support both the development of the initiative and its subsequent implementation. Focused on the Primary 5 cohort predominantly, this three year phased approach will ultimately result in every primary-aged child in Scotland receiving access to high-quality swimming lessons.

The Scottish Government are keen to progress discussions at pace, in order to commence the phased school swimming roll out as soon as possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00484 on 8 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.

The Scottish Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for additional Safer Drug Consumption Facilities where there is evidence of local need and support from relevant partners.

Any proposals for further facilities during this parliamentary session would need to come from local areas and demonstrate engagement with the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, with continued engagement as proposals develop.