Asked by: Burgess, Ariane (Scottish Green Party - Highlands and Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to a) review, b) modernise, and c) consolidate wildlife legislation with a view to making it easier to enforce.
Answered by Fairlie, Jim - Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands
Over the last few years the Scottish Government has updated a range of wildlife and nature conservation legislation. We do not have any plans to undertake further review of existing wildlife legislation, beyond existing statutory review and reporting requirements.
However, the Scottish Law Commission is currently undertaking a Nature Conservation Consolidation project, previously included in its Eleventh Programme of Law Reform. The project aims to bring together key pieces of nature conservation legislation, including legislation relating to wildlife and protected species, into a coherent and systematic body of law, helping to improve its accessibility and making it easier for the public, regulators and enforcement bodies to understand and apply.
Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, following the Royal College of Emergency Medicine's report, State of Emergency Medicine in Scotland, which concluded that, under current arrangements, it would take 237 years to reduce 12-hour waits in emergency departments to 1,000 cases, what specific actions it has taken to ensure Scotland's emergency departments receive year-round support.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government recognise and share the concerns within the RCEM report, particularly around the impact that long waits in emergency departments have on patients and staff. That is why we are implementing initiatives to reduce acute hospital occupancy and stream patients to the most appropriate services to improve patient flow and reduce waiting times.
As part of our first 100 days commitments, we will publish a new national plan to improve hospital flow. Developed in partnership with NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and other key system partners, the plan will set out actions to improve patient flow across the healthcare system, helping to ensure that people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Improving access to care, reducing waiting times, and easing pressure on hospitals, particularly through strengthening primary and community care, will be central to our plan.
The 2026-27 budget provides almost £22.5 billion investment in health and social care services, exceeding consequentials and providing a real terms uplift to enable more sustainable and resilient services. As part of this, £100 million has been invested to build on the progress made in the 2025-26 Operational Improvement Plan, to release capacity within the system and bolster our urgent care services.
Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) for any lessons it has identified from the experience of delivering health and social care services during winter 2025-26 and (b) whether these have resulted in changes to its current surge planning arrangements.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government undertook a lessons learned exercise following winter 2025-26 involving NHS Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, national organisations and Scottish Government officials. The review found that planning and partnership working had improved, but that services continued to face significant pressures associated with high hospital occupancy, delayed discharge, workforce challenges and sustained demand across health and social care.
The review also found that many of the pressures experienced during winter reflect wider year-round challenges rather than a short-term seasonal event. Key lessons identified included the importance of whole-system working, improving patient flow, supporting workforce resilience, strengthening preventative approaches and providing earlier and clearer national direction.
These findings are informing current planning for 2026-27, including a refresh of the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness, strengthened governance and assurance arrangements, enhanced regional coordination and improved operational intelligence. They are also informing development of the National Flow Plan, which is intended to improve patient flow, reduce delayed discharge, improve use of available capacity and strengthen whole-system coordination across urgent and unscheduled care services.
Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with respect to the provision of health and social care services, what its definition of "surge planning" is, and how this differs from the "winter planning" approach used in previous years.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government's approach to surge and resilience preparedness is the year-round process through which health and social care services prepare for, respond to and recover from periods of increased demand and operational pressure.
As set out in the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness in Health and Social Care, there are periods when demand increases beyond the normal levels planned for by health and social care services and there is a surge in the number of people requiring care and treatment. While winter remains the most predictable period of increased demand, similar pressures can arise at other times of the year.
The Scottish Government's approach is therefore to consider winter preparedness within a broader year-round surge and resilience preparedness framework. This supports NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to plan for sustained pressures on services while ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. This approach is also being supported through development of the National Flow Plan, which aims to improve patient flow, reduce delays and strengthen whole-system resilience across health and social care services.
Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has instructed NHS boards to prepare surge plans for winter 2026/27 and, if so, whether these plans will be published.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government works with NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to support local surge and winter preparedness arrangements through nationally agreed planning priorities and principles. Local systems are expected to develop preparedness arrangements that reflect the needs of their populations and local circumstances.
The Scottish Government is currently refreshing the National Planning Priorities and Principles for Surge and Winter Preparedness and associated expectations for NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships for 2026-27. This work is aligned with development of the National Flow Plan, which forms part of wider activity to improve patient flow, reduce delayed discharge and make best use of capacity across health and social care services.
Operational preparedness plans are developed and maintained locally. Decisions regarding publication of local planning documents are a matter for individual NHS Boards and partner organisations. The Scottish Government intends to publish national guidance and planning priorities following completion of the current review process.
Asked by: Day, Martyn (Scottish National Party - Falkirk East and Linlithgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, with respect to NHS services, what contingency measures it has put in place to be implemented in the event that surge planning does not deliver the anticipated improvements in patient flow and hospital capacity.
Answered by Constance, Angela - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
The Scottish Government's surge and resilience preparedness approach includes established monitoring, escalation and assurance arrangements to support NHS Boards and their partners in responding to periods of sustained operational pressure. These arrangements do not rely on any single intervention to deliver improvements in patient flow or hospital capacity.
Where pressures exceed local capacity, NHS Boards can implement local escalation procedures and access support through existing regional and national coordination arrangements. Alongside these arrangements, the Scottish Government is developing a National Flow Plan to support longer-term improvements in patient flow, occupancy management, delayed discharge and system resilience. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to monitor pressures, support appropriate action and maintain safe and effective services.
Asked by: Kerr, Liam (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01249 by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026, what figures, data sources and evidence it relies on when considering the proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions that is attributable to rail transport, and what assessment it has made of the accuracy and reliability of that information.
Answered by Flynn, Stephen - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
I refer the Member to the revised answer to the previous Parliamentary Question S7W-01249, published on 9 July 2026. All answers to Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish 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: Kerr, Liam (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S7W-01249 by Stephen Flynn on 9 July 2026, for what reason it has not prepared its own analysis of the proportion of Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions that is attributable to rail transport.
Answered by Flynn, Stephen - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
I refer the Member to the revised answer to the previous Parliamentary Questions S7W-01249, published on 9 July 2026 . All answers to Parliamentary Questions are available on the Scottish 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: MacDougall, Julie (Reform UK - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update its foreign direct investment strategy, and what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the UK Government regarding this.
Answered by Flynn, Stephen - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
Alongside our enterprise agency partners, we are always looking to improve our approach to attracting inward investment focusing on priority markets, pipeline development, investor aftercare and support for major investment projects. This will ensure Scotland remains an attractive destination for businesses looking to establish, expand or grow their operations, building on Scotland's position as the UK's top performing location outside London for inward investment for the eleventh consecutive year. We will continue to engage regularly with the UK Government on matters relating to investment, economic development and business growth.
Asked by: MacDougall, Julie (Reform UK - Mid Scotland and Fife)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop a strategy to encourage foreign investors to create jobs in Scotland.
Answered by Flynn, Stephen - Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport
Scotland’s approach to attracting foreign direct investment and creating jobs is set out in Scotland’s Inward Investment Plan, published in 2020.