Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the care of patients of private dental practices, what the formal responsibilities are of (a) the Scottish Government’s dentistry and oral health division, (b) Health Improvement Scotland, (c) NHS boards, (d) the General Dental Council’s Dental Complaints Service, (e) the Professional Standards Authority and (f) the Care Inspectorate.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Scottish Government delivers NHS dental care through the NHS Board system via independent contractors. Wholly private practices are regulated by Health Care Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the General Dental Council (GDC). HIS is part of NHS Scotland and is responsible for service provision, quality improvement and investigate complaints prior to escalation to the GDC. The GDC is the UK-wide regulator for dentists, promoting best practice. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) oversees the GDC. The Care Inspectorate has a role in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in some dental spaces and provides guidance on preventive practice for all oral health improvement programmes e.g. Childsmile.
Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what body currently provides practice-level oversight of private dental practices in Scotland, and if no such body exists, whether it has considered creating one.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Private non-NHS practices are registered and regulated by Regulation of independent healthcare – Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which is part of NHS Scotland and is responsible for service provision and quality improvement.
Asked by: Sweeney, Paul (Scottish Labour - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish an escalation pathway for patients of private dental practices.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Information regarding making complaints about private dental practices can be accessed online at: Making a complaint about independent healthcare services – Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40644 on 1 October 2025. 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.
Asked by: Lennon, Monica (Scottish Labour - Central Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support Migraine Awareness Week, which runs from 22 to 28 September 2025, and raise awareness of migraine as a neurological condition.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
We recognise the distress and pain that migraines cause and we take the issue of migraine seriously.
The Centre for Sustainable Delivery launched the national headache pathway in October 2023, to improve care for migraines and headache across Scotland. The pathway is being implemented to aid with the diagnosis and management of headache disorders including migraine, offer guidance on management, and support health boards to aid their future planning.
The Scottish Government funded £221,176 to the Migraine Trust across 2022-2024 to work upskilling community, primary and secondary care pharmacists across NHS Grampian to help people with migraine manage their condition more effectively. This included funding to partner other health boards to extend the reach of this model and increase care and support for people living with migraine.
An eLearning programme for NHS Education for Scotland’s (NES) platform TURAS was developed through the project, comprising a suite of training materials available for all pharmacists and pharmacy teams in Scotland to access.
Additionally, NES Pharmacy hosted a webinar in September 2024 to provide guidance to pharmacy staff on the assessment, support and management of people living with migraine in line with the Scottish National Headache Pathway.
Following publication of the Pathway, Scottish Government has liaised with NHS24 and clinicians to produce public-facing accessible information on migraine, available at Migraine | NHS inform.
Asked by: Ewing, Annabelle (Scottish National Party - Cowdenbeath)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards have exercised their discretion to return vaccination delivery responsibility to rural GPs.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Since 2022, Health Boards have been responsible for delivering Scotland’s vaccination programmes. The Scottish Government has always recognised that there may be circumstances (eg, in remote and rural places) were some vaccination services need to be delivered by General Practice. It is important that such flexibility exists to ensure that vaccination is as readily accessible to people as possible, regardless of local geography or other situations. However, it is not the case that Health Boards can do so on a discretionary basis.
Through an Options Appraisal process put in place by the Scottish Government, Health Boards must demonstrate a clear and evidenced need for particular vaccination services to be delivered by General Practice. Scottish Ministers must agree such proposals. A small number of discrete cases have been approved, including one practice within NHS Borders and several practices within Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). In each instance these have been approved in response to specific circumstances to support access to vaccination. Approval has also been given for Highland HSCP to establish a mixed model of vaccine delivery, that will include some GP practices in the area delivering some vaccination services. Highland HSCP are developing their mixed model, and the Scottish Government, along with Public Health Scotland (PHS), are working closely with them to ensure a safe and accessible service.
Asked by: MacGregor, Fulton (Scottish National Party - Coatbridge and Chryston)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to graduates in (a) immunology and (b) pharmacology to find employment in their chosen field.
Answered by Macpherson, Ben - Minister for Higher and Further Education
Although we are not aware of any bespoke programmes aimed at supporting graduates in immunology or pharmacology to find employment, graduates of all disciplines have access to careers support from a variety of sources.
Although the exact provision will depend on the institution, graduates from university will normally have access to the university careers service for a period of time after they graduate. This typically includes digital resources; appointments with careers advisers; assistance finding and applying for jobs; attendance at employer events; and access to webinars and workshops. Graduates are encouraged to make use of their university’s resources to help find employment in their chosen field.
In addition, careers advice and support is available to all individuals, including graduates, from Skills Development Scotland. Careers advisers are based in locations throughout Scotland and can be contacted by phone, digitally or in person at a local careers centre.
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 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: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the evidence set out in the Close the Gap briefing, From data to action, what plans it has to strengthen the Scottish-specific duties of the public sector equality duty by introducing mandatory gender pay gap action plans for listed public bodies.
Answered by Stewart, Kaukab - Minister for Equalities
The Scottish Government is committed to advancing equality and tackling the structural barriers that contribute to the gender pay gap. We recognise the concerns raised in Close the Gap’s From Data to Action briefing, particularly the need to improve the effectiveness of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) to ensure meaningful action on gender pay gaps in Scotland.
We remain committed to taking a phased approach to improving the effectiveness of the PSED in Scotland. This includes consideration of regulatory changes to strengthen pay gap reporting. We are considering the points raised in this briefing carefully, alongside a range of other pieces of evidence on the operation of the Scottish Specific Duties, as we develop our PSED improvement proposals for the 2025-29 cycle. A report on these proposals is due to be published in December 2025, in line with Scottish Ministers’ statutory duty under Regulation 12 of the Scottish Specific Duties.
In the meantime, my officials are meeting regularly with Close the Gap to discuss their briefing and other related issues.
Asked by: Ewing, Fergus (Independent - Inverness and Nairn)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any potential environmental impact in Scotland, whether its ministers have been informed of, endorsed or approved any Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Ministry of Defence memoranda of understanding and associated business cases relating to proposals on nuclear liability transfers.
Answered by Martin, Gillian - Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Scottish Government has been informed of a memorandum of understanding and initial business case between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) to carry out technical work to evaluate the potential transfer of the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment, near to Caithness, from the MOD to the NDA when the site reaches the end of its operational life. As this relates to initial work to consider the viability of a potential transfer, Scottish Ministers are not required to endorse or approve this.
Under the terms of the Energy Act 2004 any proposal to give the NDA additional responsibilities, including any defence liabilities, in Scotland requires agreement from Scottish Ministers and a Designation Direction under the Energy Act 2004 would require to be laid at the Scottish Parliament so Scottish Ministers agreement would be required for any transfer. We expect that Vulcan will continue operations until at least April 2027.
Asked by: Baker, Claire (Scottish Labour - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress made on each of the recommendations in the Report from the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour since its publication in February 2025, and what steps it is taking to accelerate implementation.
Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety
Since the report from the Independent Working Group on Antisocial Behaviour was published on 25 February 2025, the Scottish Government has been engaging with partners including COSLA and Police Scotland regarding a comprehensive response. The Scottish Government’s response to the report will be made available to both Members of the Scottish Parliament and the wider public as soon as practicable.
The Scottish Government continues to work closely with partners, including antisocial behaviour teams in local authorities, regarding best practice in this area. The Government also engages with colleagues in Police Scotland and other agencies to ensure they have the capacity and capability for tackling antisocial behaviour.