Chamber and committees

NHS Boards have exceeded the commitment to deliver 64,000 appointments and procedures in 2024-25, funded through our additional investment of £30 million to drive action to address the longest waits.

To the end of January 2025, Boards are reporting delivery of 75,500 appointments and procedures, as follows:

• Over 9,800 of 12,000 new outpatient appointments;
• almost 9,200 of 12,000 surgeries delivered;
• and almost 56,500 diagnostic procedures delivered, exceeding the original plan to deliver 40,000 by 41%.

Funding was targeted in specialties including Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Urology, Diagnostics and Cancer. Since April 2024, Scottish Government has been closely monitoring progress and impact and will continue to do so until the end of March 2025.

Across Scotland, the latest published data in the PHS Stage of Treatment Statistics show that, between April 2024 and September 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, there has been an 8.3% increase in activity for inpatient/daycase procedures and 2.5% increase for new outpatients appointments. While the activity through the additional investment cannot be directly attributed to the increased activity, we are confident that has supported increased throughput.

The targeted funding has also helped reduce the total national diagnostics waiting list size. Between April 2024 and September 2024 imaging list size reduced by 7.5% and scopes by 7.3%.

At Board level, we have seen significant percentage reductions in waiting times across a number of specialities where funding has been targeted, as set out in the following table:

The following table sets out the total number of premises currently contracted to receive connections through the R100 North contract by 2028, the number of premises connected as of 13 January 2025 and the number of premises yet to be connected as of the same date.

Openreach are also delivering a number of additional connections to premises that were not in the contracts, but have been connected as a result of nearby R100 contract build. This is known as overspill. The number of such connections delivered are also provided in the following table.

It should also be noted that our demand-led R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS) remains available for those not expected to benefit from superfast broadband through R100 contract or commercial build plans.

The Scottish Government does not maintain a central record of whistleblowing in each public service organisation.

The beekeeper takes measures to prevent diseases and pests, maintains the hygiene and safety of the bee colonies  and ensures that all disease prevention treatments are provided. This includes checking for notifiable pests and diseases, which if found would be reported to the Honey Bee Health Inspectors.

The beekeeper maintains accurate beekeeping records, carries out hive inspections during the summer months and provides appropriate care and/or preventative maintenance as required.

The information held by our Building Maintenance, Mechanical and Engineering contractor, shows the following spend on TVs via the FM Works Requests budget.

2015-2016 - £1317.60

2016-2017 - £1784.60

2017-2018 - £296

2018-2019 - £6393.88

2019-2020 - £5075.71

2020-2021 - £11,160.00

2021-2022 - £12,133.18

2022-2023 - £6520.20

2023-2024 - £699.56

The total cost for gardening and landscaping maintenance services in the last five years including financial year 24-25 is as follows. Costs exclude VAT.

• 2024/25 - £17,435.56
• 2023/24 - £17,144.11
• 2022/23 - £16,067.58
• 2021/22 - £14,593.62
• 2020/21 - £14,168.56

During the last five years 500 desk chairs have been purchased – these include chairs for Local Offices, Holyrood and Homeworkers (which include the covid years). We cannot provide the costs due to commercial confidentiality.

We are unable to provide information predating 2024. In 2024, we had one flag which was stolen.

The Parliament currently owns 180 flags for external and internal use. There is not a published list of which flags we own.