Chamber and committees

While the Scottish Government sets the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, it is NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally who have responsibility for both service delivery and ensuring people receive the right care for them, taking into account relevant guidance, local service needs and priorities for investment.

It is therefore for NHS Boards to determine what clinical interventions they offer, while giving regard to the considerations above.

The majority of Scottish health boards participated in the 2022 UK Parkinson’s Audit which measures the quality of Parkinson’s services against international best practice. This includes Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) data from people who use Parkinson’s services.

The 2022 Audit showed Scotland outperforming the UK in terms of future care planning, and access to essential professionals such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists.

Scotland's current and future technology-enabled businesses depend on a strong and growing supply of people equipped with the appropriate skills for careers in AI.

AI skills needs are diverse and, beyond the more obvious Science and Engineering specialisms, include non tech skills from the humanities and also more foundational tech skills (which apply to careers outside AI).

Among the more foundational tech skills, highlighted as a key theme in the Scottish Tech Ecosystem Review (STER), we are addressing provision of tech skills through the teacher-led body – Scottish Teachers Advancing Computing Science. STACS runs extra-curricular activities, promotes computing science as a valued career option and provides a resource centre allowing teachers to enhance their learning support for young people.

Widening access to careers in AI through upskilling is also key for building an inclusive and future-ready workforce. Skills programmes which support widening access are being delivered by the AI Alliance through our free national AI literacy programme and our AI Playbook which provides AI upskilling for SMEs and businesses.

Scottish ministers have been consistently clear about the devastating consequences that the UK Government’s approach to migration has had on Scotland’s education sector and our economy to date. International students, academics and research staff in our world-class universities make a vital contribution to Scotland's prosperity.

We need meaningful engagement with the UK Government on migration and we welcome further clarity on the UK Government’s approach, aligning migration policy with skills policy and look forward to more detail on the anticipated role of the Devolved Governments in this approach.

Soon, Scottish Enterprise will publish analysis which assesses the economic opportunities for AI in Scotland including Scotland’s AI strengths as well as how Scotland’s AI ecosystem compares to other countries. Scottish Government also regularly measures and assesses business activity and the use of AI amongst businesses through the Scottish Government BICS survey.

To ensure that Scotland competes globally in AI innovation, The Scottish Government is working with our enterprise agencies to promote investment and growth for Scotland’s AI ecosystem. Our agencies and partners are working to support AI companies at all stages of growth and to facilitate collaboration between AI companies, academic institutions and other partners for knowledge exchange and innovation. We are working closely with the Data Lab and the National Robotarium, to maximise the impact of our programmes and help the AI sector to flourish. We also support economic opportunities for AI through the Scottish AI Alliance, which is the delivery body for our AI strategy.

The number of applications that the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) has received from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) over the last ten years, including those which have been referred to the Planning & Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) for a public inquiry, and instances in which Scottish Ministers have agreed with the DPEA’s recommendations, are as follows:

The Scottish Government is committed to improving connectivity in rural areas and are considering alternative models of public transport delivery.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review recommends that pilot schemes, involving demand responsive transport and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) draw on innovative solutions, international best practice, and smart technologies. Following the successful completion and evaluation of our £2 million MaaS Investment Fund - of which the evaluation report can be found on the Transport Scotland website. Transport Scotland continues to work with MaaS Scotland and the Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) to build on this work to develop innovative, digital data driven solutions to provide better access to flexible transport options.

The 2025-26 Scottish Budget includes £188.7 million for a range of active and sustainable travel measures to make it easier for people to walk, wheel or cycle on everyday journeys and access resilient and efficient bus services. Funding of £167,000 is being provided in 2024-25 to enable CTA Scotland to provide support for community transport groups that already exist, renew those that have lapsed and support the formation of others where there are currently none.

There are Scottish Government funds available which Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) and Local Authorities can use to tailor their approach to sustainable travel provision in rural areas. These include the People and Place Programme and the Bus Infrastructure Fund. Through the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, we have given local authorities powers on partnership working, franchising and to run their own bus services. We want all local transport authorities to be able to improve all of the bus services within their areas.

The Scottish Government will invest over a billion pounds (£1,148 million) in 2025-26 in the Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands (RALRI) budget to support Scottish farmers, crofters, land managers, islands and rural communities.

We continue to directly support Scottish farmers, crofters and land managers by providing over £660 million, including by maintaining our direct payments to the sector and in ensuring support for those farming and crofting in our upland and most challenging areas of Scotland through the £65.5 million Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS). The 2025-26 budget includes returning £20 million to support transformation and reform in Scotland’s farming and food production industry, as pledged to the sector.

Our Vision for Scottish Agriculture states that farming, crofting and land management will continue to play an important role in maintaining thriving rural and island communities and this is further reaffirmed in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 objective of enabling rural communities to thrive.

We fully recognise that this is a challenging time for families. Importantly, no-one needs a formal diagnosis to apply for Child or Adult Disability Payment; decisions about eligibility are based on the individual’s level of needs, rather than a diagnosis.

Once a decision is made the award will commence from the date of application where the conditions of entitlement were met at this point.

We urge anyone applying on behalf of a terminally ill child to use our fast-tracked route so that they and their family can access the maximum level of financial support they are entitled to – quickly and with dignity.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises newly licensed medicines for clinical and cost-effectiveness to help Health Boards determine whether a medicine should be accepted for routine use within the NHS in Scotland. Following the appraisal process, the SMC publishes advice for Health Boards in Scotland to consider. The SMC does not issue tailored guidance for specific medicines.

We have a world-leading higher education sector to be proud of, and I value greatly the contribution that universities make to our economy and society. Ministers have been clear that the Scottish Government’s position on tuition fees will not change. The policy ensures that access to higher education is based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay.

The Scottish Government is aware of a range of views from football supporters when it comes to the availability of alcohol in football stadiums, and recognises there is an argument for football supporters to be afforded the same opportunities as fans at other sporting and cultural events. However, we currently have no plans to amend the legislation but remain open to discussions on this issue and will consider any proposals put forward.