S6W-42592

Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the (a) allocated budget and (b) actual outturn expenditure for the Young Patients Family Fund in each financial year since its introduction.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

The first year of YPFF delivery was from July 2021 and there is complete expenditure data up to March 2025. The fund is demand-led and the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring sufficient funding to NHS Boards to support all valid YPFF claims. Actual spend may differ from profiled spend as demand requirements change over time. Budgets for Young Patients Family Fund are as set out in the following table along with the outturn expenditure for each financial year.

S6W-42781

Asked by:

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what further action it is taking to address the problematic use of fireworks.

Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety

The Scottish Government continues to work with partners throughout the year in addressing the misuse of fireworks. I welcome that Police Scotland reported a more peaceful and safe Bonfire Night period in comparison to recent years and that they recorded an almost 37 per cent reduction in calls relating to fireworks offences compared to the previous year. I commend the important preparatory and preventative work of Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and local authorities, including the introduction of firework control zones, which all contributed to a safer Bonfire Night.

We continue to keep the operation of the legislation under review. As the sale of fireworks is a reserved matter, I also continue to engage with UK Ministers to ensure that the Scottish Government is kept closely updated on the UK Government’s plans in relation to fireworks, including on its consideration of a Private Members’ Fireworks Bill which calls for stricter rules for fireworks sellers and a reduced noise limit from fireworks.

S6W-42698

Asked by: Kerr, Stephen (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Central Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with any midwives who have raised concerns that the reported plans to downgrade neonatal intensive care units will endanger mothers and babies, and how it is responding to any such concerns.

Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health

Modelling maternity capacity is essential to the development of the new model of neonatal care. The RSM report has outlined the maternity modelling in relation to data captured.

The principles underpinning the changes to neonatal intensive care are supported by Scottish Executive Nurse Directors (SEND) and the Midwifery Directors of Scotland (MiDS).

To mitigate any concerns raised about the implications of the change for maternity services, SEND, in support of the MiDS, recommended that the Scottish Government undertake a national-level data collection to better understand the impact of the neonatal care remodelling on maternity services.

This data collection report has now been completed and the additional data and evidence gathered required for maternity services will inform maternity capacity implementation planning.

S6W-42643

Asked by: Baillie, Jackie (Scottish Labour - Dumbarton)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42209 by Neil Gray on 5 December 2025, what action has been taken by Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) to mitigate any disruption to the supply chain in the medium to longer term, and whether there has there been any evaluation of lessons learned as a result of the collapse of NRS Healthcare Limited.

Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Scottish Government remain engaged with Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) following the insolvency of NRS Healthcare, however ultimately decision making around procurement is the responsibility of local services.

Through this engagement we know that HSCPs are taking immediate steps to mitigate any disruption and ensure continuity of service delivery, this includes continuing to work with the equipment providers included in their contractual framework and by entering new contractual arrangements with other suppliers.

The National Equipment and Adaptations Network provides HSCPs with a platform to discuss mitigations and share lessons learned at a national level.

S6W-42649

Asked by: Briggs, Miles (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the evidence given by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on 17 December 2025, in which the Cabinet Secretary commented that she had made a "private call" to a person with no officials present, stating that she subsequently made a note of this on the basis that “everything needs to be on the record”, whether it will confirm how many other similar such calls have been made by each minister since May 2021; what the circumstances of each call was, and what subsequent note of the call was recorded by the minister.

Answered by Forbes, Kate - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic

All engagements carried out by Ministers where government business was undertaken are published on Scottish Government website three months in arrears, as is required by the Scottish Ministerial Code and the Scottish Government’s Records Management policy. There is no requirement for the origin of any such information to be collated and there is no mechanism for capturing the detail on the number of calls made by each Minister since May 2021.

S6W-42640

Asked by: Slater, Lorna (Scottish Green Party - Lothian)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the responses to its consultation, Enhancing the accessibility, adaptability and usability of Scotland’s homes, which closed on 21 December 2023.

Answered by McAllan, Màiri - Cabinet Secretary for Housing

We expect to publish the consultation responses over the coming months, where respondents have consented to their comments being made public.

S6W-42495

Asked by: Nicoll, Audrey (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen South and North Kincardine)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6O-05250 by Kate Forbes on 4 December 2025, and in light of the First Minister stating on 3 September 2025 that “anyone watching the war in Ukraine would recognise the importance of defence…the invasion shows that we live in a world in which our national security faces much greater and more immediate threats”, what action it is taking to ensure that the aerospace, defence, marine and space sectors can support national resilience, economic growth and domestic capability, within the context of devolved powers.

Answered by Forbes, Kate - Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic

We are committed to supporting Scotland’s aerospace, defence, marine and space sectors who are fundamental to our national security and a strategic driver of economic growth, supporting high-quality jobs and developing the workforce of the future.

• On 3 September 2025, recognising the changing international landscape—particularly the invasion of Ukraine— the First Minister announced the lifting of the policy prohibiting the use of public funds for the manufacture of munitions across the defence sector.
• The Scottish Government, through its enterprise agencies, provides targeted support to companies across these sectors, since 2006-07, over £90 million has been invested in these sectors, securing highly-skilled jobs and economic returns. Recent examples include:
  • £9.22 million awarded to BAE Systems to support a training and skills academy as part of a project to modernise shipyards on the Clyde, creating around 300 new jobs and securing over a thousand more.
  • A £9 million grant to ZeroAvia to establish a major green aircraft engine manufacturing base in Scotland, creating around 350 jobs and unlocking significant investment, building on an earlier £20 million investment from the Scottish National Investment Bank.
  • Up to £2 million invested to develop engineering skills in the Glasgow City Region, designed by the Clyde Maritime Cluster in partnership with Skills Development Scotland.
  • Over £300k invested to drive innovation and growth across Scotland’s space sector, including cluster-building for Space Scotland and cross-cluster pilots using satellite data to enhance natural capital.
• Ministers continue to engage with industries across these sectors including on the opportunities presented in the UK Defence Industrial Strategy such as the Defence Growth Deal. With its skilled workforce, strong industrial base and culture of innovation, Scotland is well placed to attract continued investment in cutting-edge defence and technology programmes.

S6W-42522

Asked by: Regan, Ash (Independent - Edinburgh Eastern)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the organisations that submitted applications to the Equality and Human Rights Fund in each of the last five years but were declined, broken down by (a) any information it can provide regarding the reason for refusal and (b) the assessment criteria or framework used in determining the decision.

Answered by Somerville, Shirley-Anne - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice

The Fund has not been open to new applications following the original bidding process in 2021 which received 242 applications. The Equality and Human Rights Fund invests in a range of civil society organisations that deliver work focussed on tackling inequality and discrimination, furthering equality, and advancing the realisation of human rights in Scotland. Organisations were awarded funding based on assessment of their applications and how their proposed project would deliver against the intended outcomes i.e.

• People have greater awareness and understanding of their human rights, and how to access them
• People with protected characteristics have increased access to remedy where their rights have not been upheld
• People with protected characteristics have increased participation in public life
• People with protected characteristics have increased influence in decisions that affect them
• The Scottish Government has better access to data and depth of information about the experiences of people with protected characteristics
• Actors in civil society increasingly use Scotland’s domestic and international equality and human rights framework to influence and effect change
• The experience of people with protected characteristics is increasingly used to inform the policy and practice of public bodies
• Public services increasingly embed equality and human rights in their strategic planning and their day-to-day functions

Organisations whose applications were unsuccessful were advised to contact Inspiring Scotland, the Fund Manager, to receive individual feedback on their applications.

S6W-42461

Asked by: Kerr, Liam (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Civil Litigation (Expenses and Group Proceedings) (Scotland) Act 2018, what work has been undertaken to date in relation to the statutory review of qualified one-way costs shifting (QOCS), including any (a) analysis, (b) internal correspondence and (c) scoping exercises since June 2023.

Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42458 on 6 January 2026. 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

S6W-42673

Asked by: Burgess, Ariane (Scottish Green Party - Highlands and Islands)

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its response to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee 1st Report 2025,  Follow-up inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland (SP Paper 720), what specific "burden" it considers would arise from implementing the recommendation that all fish mortality data be made public; which Scottish Government directorate, agency or public body would bear that burden; what additional tasks or functions would be required to implement the recommendation; what assessment has been made of the associated costs, resource implications or operational impacts, and what analysis or evidence was used to reach the conclusion that publication of this data would constitute a "burden".

Answered by Gougeon, Mairi - Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands

All mortality data collected by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in relation to Scottish salmon farming is already made public on Scottish Government and Scotland’s Aquaculture websites, resulting in a high level of transparency and more data being available for salmon farming in Scotland in comparison to other farming sectors.

A formal assessment of impacts of data collection has not been undertaken. However, additional data is not required for regulation and its provision would generate data collection, handing and processing by producers at both a site and company level, as well as by the Scottish Government’s Fish Health Inspectorate, and this is disproportionate to the regulatory need.