Asked by: McMillan, Stuart (Scottish National Party - Greenock and Inverclyde)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding any further investment in the Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
We are currently working with all NHS Health Boards to identify investment priorities across Scotland, that includes NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and we have only recently received clarity from the UK Treasury for our capital and FT funding up to 2029-30.
As part of our own Scottish Spending Review, we are undertaking a full review of our capital spending to prioritise available funding towards projects that drive progress against our priorities. We will provide clarity over which projects will receive funding in the medium term when we publish this review, alongside our new Infrastructure Pipeline.
Asked by: McMillan, Stuart (Scottish National Party - Greenock and Inverclyde)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recommendations it has received from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding any further investment in the Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
We are currently working with all NHS Health Boards to identify investment priorities across Scotland, that includes NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and we have only recently received clarity from the UK Treasury for our capital and FT funding up to 2029-30.
As part of our own Scottish Spending Review, we are undertaking a full review of our capital spending to prioritise available funding towards projects that drive progress against our priorities. We will provide clarity over which projects will receive funding in the medium term when we publish this review, alongside our new Infrastructure Pipeline.
Asked by: Baker, Claire (Scottish Labour - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the companies that have been contracted by Serco NorthLink Ferries to provide (a) scheduled and (b) unscheduled dry-docking repair and maintenance of the Northern Isles Ferry Services fleet from 30 June 2020 to date, and what the value of each contract was.
Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity
The operator has an obligation under the contract to ensure the funded assets (vessels) are maintained in accordance with the Charterparty Agreement. To date, this has been done by using the following yards for necessary maintenance: Rosyth Royal Dockyard Ltd (Babcock International), A&P Tyne Ltd and Cammel Laird Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders Ltd.
The Scottish Government is unable to disclose the value and details of subcontracts as they are considered commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Edinburgh Western)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing a formal "three strikes and rethink" approach for GPs in dealing with people repeatedly presenting with unresolved medical symptoms, and what consultation it has carried out with medical professionals and patient safety organisations.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Scottish Government does not know at this juncture, what the rolling out of Jess’s Rule will require in terms of implementation either by GPs or NHS England or what the impact will be for patients. We will monitor the implementation by NHS England.
Asked by: Slater, Lorna (Scottish Green Party - Lothian)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure consistent implementation of the Coeliac Disease Pathway across all NHS boards.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Following the launch of a new national evidence-based pathway for coeliac disease in 2018, we expect all Health Boards to fully implement the Coeliac Disease Pathway in Scotland to improve under diagnosis, time to diagnosis and to ensure dietetic person-centred support for people living with this condition so that they can take control and manage its impact on their health and quality of life.
Our £70 million Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan is increasing capacity and supporting workforce training. This also includes a commitment to promote and implement guidelines for non-biopsy diagnosis for coeliac disease, which is expected to reduce waiting times for diagnosis for this condition.
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is invasive and often requires sedation or anaesthesia. A no-biopsy approach, now fully adopted across adult services in Scotland, reduces the need for endoscopy and speeds up diagnosis for eligible patients.
Asked by: McMillan, Stuart (Scottish National Party - Greenock and Inverclyde)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding a replacement for Port Glasgow Health Centre.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
We are currently working with all NHS Health Boards to identify investment priorities across Scotland, that includes NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Historic real terms cuts to our block grant from the UK Government have put pressure on our capital budget and we have only recently received clarity from the UK Treasury for our capital and FT funding up to 2029-30.
As part of our own Scottish Spending Review, we are undertaking a full review of our capital spending to prioritise available funding towards projects that drive progress against our priorities. We will provide clarity over which projects will receive funding in the medium term when we publish this review, alongside our new Infrastructure Pipeline.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to Brand Scotland media in each of the last three years, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of this expenditure.
Answered by Robertson, Angus - Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
The Brand Scotland media spend can be found here Marketing spend - gov.scot
Effectiveness of Brand Scotland marketing is assessed throughout and at the conclusion of activity reviewing a combination of metrics and using an independent market research agency where relevant. Brand Scotland plays a key role in Scotland’s reputation and how it is perceived internationally which is critical to support Scotland’s economy. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has used the Anholt Nation Brands Index to assess and monitor how Scotland is perceived around the world. In 2024 Scotland had a score of 65.1 and rose one place in terms of its overall rank of 15th out of 50 nations indicating that Scotland’s reputation is strong and continues to grow. Full results can be found here The Anholt Nation Brands Index®: 2024 report for Scotland - gov.scot
Brand Scotland has been effective in reaching widespread international audiences e.g. in 2024-25 a BBC Worldwide media partnership that reached 29.5 million and organic social reached 23.5 million with total users of Scotland.org has growing from 1.39 million in 2023-24 to 1.89 million in 2024-25 and 89,249 total referrals to partners.
Brand tracking research by an independent market research agency in 2025 showed that 25% of people in the target markets of US, UK, France and Germany could recall Brand Scotland advertising. Amongst these campaign recognisers 88% claimed to have taken an action after seeing the campaign (e.g. 33% talking to friends and family, 33% researching visiting or going to Scotland on holiday and 28% talking to other people). The BBC’s in-house emotional engagement measurement tool found strong sentiment uplift after viewing of Brand Scotland films for 2024-25. 61% of viewers believed that ‘Scotland is a progressive nation’ after viewing the campaign, with a 45% uplift (compared to a control group of non-viewers of the campaign) in belief that ‘Scotland is innovative’.
Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has provided to the Child Poverty Action Group in each of the last three years, and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of this expenditure.
Answered by None
Eradicating child poverty is a national mission and this Government’s top priority, and our Programme for Government sets out how we will continue to drive forward progress on child poverty and tackle the cost of living crisis facing households in the final year of this Parliament.
Through the Children, Young People, Families, Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) third sector fund the Scottish Government has provided core funding of £139,650 to the Child Poverty Action Group in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years. The funding supports staff, utility, building and equipment costs within the organisation to support delivery of grant funding outcomes associated with the delivery of tackling child poverty in Scotland.
The Scottish Attainment Challenge programme has also provided targeted funding to the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland of £152,479 in 2023-24, £158,415 in 202425 and £160,940 in 2025-26. This support has been critical in driving the development of Cost of the School Day approaches across Scotland, enabling the team at Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland to provide strategic leadership and engage with school communities, local authority partners, policymakers and the third sector, facilitating action on school costs and supporting children and families on low incomes.
As part of the Scottish Government's grant conditions, we ask all funded organisations to monitor and report their progress towards delivery of their funding outcomes to ensure appropriate use of public funds and value for money. Through this process we are aware that the Child Poverty Action Group met their funding outcomes in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Asked by: Wishart, Beatrice (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Shetland Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to patients who have to travel to access treatment at one of the three specialist endometriosis centres.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
If a person is diagnosed with endometriosis, the Scottish Government wants them to be treated as close to home as clinically appropriate. Most individuals can be managed by a gynaecologist with expertise and training in endometriosis within secondary care.
Specialist endometriosis centres in Scotland provide coordinated, multidisciplinary treatment to women who have complex symptoms of endometriosis and to those who need complex surgery. Patients who meet the criteria of the specialist centres should be fully supported to access these services.
Patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes provide financial assistance for patients and authorised escorts travelling to hospital appointments, according to eligibility criteria and medical requirements. The Scottish Government provides guidance to NHS Boards, which are responsible for developing and applying their own policies and reimbursement rates, ensuring patient care and safety.
Asked by: Eagle, Tim (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Highlands and Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost was of any penalties that it issued to Openreach in each year since 2016, and for what reasons it applied those penalties.
Answered by Lochhead, Richard - Minister for Business and Employment
Penalty clauses are not enforceable in Scots law and, as such, there are no penalties in the R100 Contracts.
However, Openreach is only paid for build once it has been completed and figures have been audited. This action incentivises Openreach to build as quickly as possible.