Asked by: Ruskell, Mark (Scottish Green Party - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions and correspondence it has had with the UK Government and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) regarding the impact of driving test waiting times on access to work, education, healthcare and other services in Scotland.
Answered by Flynn, Stephen - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
While driving tests are a fully reserved matter for the UK Government, extended waiting times have had a significant impact on learner drivers across Scotland.
In December 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) introduced a seven-point plan aimed at reducing driving test waiting times and improving learners' experience of the booking process. A public consultation on further improvements to the driving test booking system subsequently ran between 28 May and 23 July 2025.
Following that consultation, the UK Government announced additional measures which were introduced from spring 2026. These changes include reducing the number of times a driving test can be changed from six to two; requiring learners to book and manage their own tests; prohibiting the use of unofficial booking services; and, limiting driving test changes to the three nearest test centres. These measures can be found at: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026 - GOV.UK
As this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government had no role in developing these measures, or in the work of DVSA. However we have had considerable correspondence from members of the public on these issues and Transport Scotland officials have met with DVSA to discuss these changes and their implications for Scotland and will continue to engage with the DVSA on these issues and to raise the concerns of learners.
Asked by: Burgess, Ariane (Scottish Green Party - Highlands and Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the commitment in the SNP election manifesto to revise the Golden Hellos initiatives to attract more GPs, consultants and dentists to rural and island communities, (a) what actions it is undertaking in this area, and (b) what the timeline for implementing these changes will be.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government commissioned the Scottish School of Primary Care to undertake an independent evaluation of the Golden Hello initiative for GPs. The evaluation was published in March 2026: https://www.sspc.ac.uk/media/Media_1254907_smxx.pdf.
The Golden Hello initiative does not currently apply to dentists or consultants. We continue to make available a range of additional financial support to areas where access to NHS dentistry is particularly challenging. This support includes the Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grant, which pays out up to £100,000 for establishing, relocating or extending NHS dental practices, as well as the Recruitment and Retention allowance, which allows new trainee dentists to qualify for ‘golden hello’ payments of up to £37,500 in the first three years of practice.
Any future expansion and improvement plans for Golden Hellos will be set out in due course. Work is already underway to review and refresh financial incentives in dentistry, ensuring that these are targeted to better support patient access in rural and island areas.
Asked by: Burgess, Ariane (Scottish Green Party - Highlands and Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve primary and routine healthcare in rural and island communities.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Service Renewal Framework commits to increasing access to health and social care, including primary and community care. We are continuing to work with PSD Scotland to develop phase two of a rural and islands programme, consolidating work of the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care. We provide targeted support to General Practice through workforce initiatives, including the Golden Hello Scheme, ScotGEM, Rediscover the Joy and Rural Fellowships. While Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) grants and Recruitment and Retention allowances are available to support and grow dental surgery numbers across Scotland, work is currently ongoing to revise these financial incentives to ensure they better target support for rural and island areas. Following a successful pilot with the Barra visiting optometry service, we will establish a framework to support eligible community optometry practices providing services in areas with limited access to NHS eye examinations.
Asked by:
Question
To ask the Scottish Government for its response to the recommendations in Breast Cancer Now’s Scotland Demands Change report.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government was pleased to note the publication of Breast Cancer Now’s Scotland Demands Change Report. It was positive to note that the charities two ambitions ‘quicker, earlier diagnosis to save and improve lives’ and ‘everyone getting the best care and support’ align closely with the ambitions laid out in the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033.
Our work on earlier diagnosis includes our Detect Cancer Earlier Programme which takes a whole-systems approach to early detection and encompasses primary care, diagnostics, public education, data, innovation and screening.
Our work on ‘care and support’ includes our partnership Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC) and our flagship Single Point of Contact programme which gives people with cancer a consistent contact throughout their treatment, enabling specialist staff to focus on complex clinical care.
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Edinburgh and Lothians East)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the longest waiting time for cataract surgery has been in each NHS board, in each year since 2021.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland advises that, while national waiting times datasets can identify treatment specialties, they cannot accurately capture procedure-level cataract waiting time information. Information on individual cataract surgery waiting times would therefore be held locally by NHS Boards.
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Edinburgh and Lothians East)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address concerns of a so-called postcode lottery in access to genomic testing for breast cancer patients, and whether this includes accelerating the evaluation of multigene assays through Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Scottish Health Technologies Group.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The standards of care for cancer treatment are rightly developed independently of Scottish Government by those with the relevant clinical expertise.
The NHS Scotland Cancer Collaborative’s Clinical Management Pathways (CMPs) define national standards of care for cancer treatment. The CMP for breast cancer has incorporated the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) Council’s 2023 independent recommendation on the use of commercial multigene assays for breast cancer patients across Scotland. SHTG have criteria and processes in place to judge whether new evidence is sufficient to revise its existing recommendations of these commercial tests. NHS genomic testing, delivered within our laboratory service, is nationally commissioned by NHS National Services Division to ensure equitable access across Scotland.
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Edinburgh and Lothians East)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) which NHS boards and (b) how many GP practices have contacted it raising concerns regarding the rollout of the new IT system, Vision.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
For the purpose of this exercise we’ve included correspondence from MSPs on behalf of practices in their constituency, and one received from the RCGP representing practices from Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The results were as follow (a) 0 are direct from NHS boards (b) 6 are direct from practices (3 Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 2 Dumfries and Galloway, 1 Forth Valley). It should be noted that more than one correspondence may relate to the same practice.
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Edinburgh and Lothians East)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have received cataract surgery in each NHS board, in each year since 2021.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The information requested is published by Public Health Scotland as part of it’s annual Acute Hospital Activity and NHS Beds Information publication. Information on cataract procedures, broken down by NHS Board and financial year, can be found in Table 7 of the supporting data tables available via the publication page.
Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Edinburgh and Lothians East)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any review of the NHS estate has assessed NHS buildings as containing asbestos and, if so, how many buildings have been so identified.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
Management of asbestos in the NHS estate is a matter for local Health Boards. Health boards carry out annual asbestos monitoring surveys and asbestos management plans are in place across the NHS estate.
Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it disbanded its Tax Advisory Group on 18 February 2026, and whether it plans to establish a similar group during the current parliamentary session.
Answered by Gilruth, Jenny - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
The Tax Advisory Group (TAG), which was chaired by the previous Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, met from July 2023 and concluded with the previous parliamentary session.
Engagement remains an important part of policymaking, and I plan to engage with Parliament and wider stakeholders on tax policy including as part of Budget processes.
We have a strong record of engagement on tax policy beyond TAG, including the first Scottish Government conference on tax in September last year, and meetings with a range of organisations as part of the Budget process. Our second Tax Conference is planned for 24 September 2026.