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The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high quality palliative care.

That is why later this summer we will publish our new palliative care strategy, Palliative Care Matters for All. The strategy will set out a series of aims and outcomes designed to help to improve palliative care services across Scotland.

The strategy will be accompanied by a delivery plan which will set out how the actions will be delivered through collaboration with a variety of service providers such as Integration Joint Boards, Health Boards, third sector organisations (including independent hospices) and other independent service providers such as care homes.

Regional Chief Executives have worked with NHS Board teams and strategic planning leads to undertake modelling and capacity work to develop local implementation plans, including plans for staffing levels. It’s important that the whole multidisciplinary team are involved in developing local plans, including obstetric and maternity staff. We expect that staffing resources in the neonatal units will be reflective of the workforce required to deliver care under the new model.

Improving safety for the babies, families and staff is our utmost priority, which is why we are taking this step and why we have taken phased approach to transition, allowing time to build the right levels of capacity in all areas, with NHS Boards working towards full implementation by 2026.

We are working with Regional Planning Chief Executives to plan and deliver this service change, informed by the testing that has been underway since 2018 in Ayrshire and Fife, and supported by Scottish Government funding of over £6m since 2019.

We do not have plans at this stage to ask SFRS to become a statutory consultee in planning processes for these sites however, we will of course continue discussions with SFRS on this matter as and when appropriate.

SFRS have outlined they continually review and develop their operational response to any new and emerging technology to keep communities safe and are committed to work in collaboration with key partners to ensure the highest level of preparedness for potential incidents involving lithium-ion batteries or similar storage facilities.

There are no agreed plans at present but we will continue to consider the appropriate reporting on actions related to the Memorandum of Understanding, with the government and public agencies of Flanders.

The decision to move to three Neonatal Intensive Care Units has been firmly based on clinical evidence that the most premature and sickest babies do best when they are cared for in larger specialist neonatal units with higher numbers of these babies, and with specialist staff and services (for example neonatal surgery) available on site to give them the very best care.

Local neonatal units across Scotland, including Wishaw, will continue to offer care to babies who need it, including a level of neonatal intensive care.

We have considered the data and evidence in relation to the proposals and have taken advice from clinical advisors, and are assured about the validity of the evidence base, the process and the conclusions reached.

We have consulted families on the changes to inform implementation of the new model. We have shared the outputs of that consultation with Regional Chief Executives and are taking forward Scotland-level actions required.

Information on the number of classroom assistants for the years 2003-2020 was provided in answer to question S6W-01069 on 14 July 2021 which is available on the Scottish Parliament website at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/questions-and-answers

Data on classroom assistants by sector and local authority is available from 2019 to 2023, here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-support-staff-management-information/

Local authorities are responsible for meeting the statutory guidance requirements in relation to cross-boundary and are further encouraged to work together to ensure families’ choice of provider is not limited by local authority boundaries through joint Funding Follows the Child guidance developed by COSLA and the Scottish Government. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 (Section 50) also requires local authorities to consult with families in their area about how they should make ELC available.

The Scottish Government has an outcomes-based evaluation strategy for the national ELC expansion, which will look at accessibility. We published an interim report in August 2024, with the full report due to be published next by the end of 2025.

A further national Parent and Carer Survey took place in May 2025, building on the surveys previously undertaken in 2017 and 2022. Findings from the survey will be published later in the year and will provide a useful insight into parents' and carers' current experiences of 1140.

The Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and other partners on post school education reform. This includes apprenticeship reform, improvements to careers information and advice and ensuring there are clear pathways for young people into apprenticeships, work and further learning.

We are investing £185 million this year to support apprenticeships - and looking at how we secure maximum benefit from this investment, including how public funding is utilised.

Colleges operate independently of government and therefore retain a degree of autonomy in how they support learners into apprenticeships. Access to Modern Apprenticeships, like all employment opportunities remains competitive, and can be influenced by a range of factors, including employer demand, sectoral priorities, and the suitability of individual candidates for specific roles.

Scottish Government Grants are subject to legally binding agreements. A model offer template is in place which includes terms and standard conditions and schedules covering claims and payments. The exclusion of employment costs forms part of clause 2.7 of the grant offer letter template and is a standard term for all discretionary grants. Employment arrangements of an organisation are a matter for that organisation.

Internal SG guidance requires that all costs must be specific to the delivery of the grant’s purpose therefore employment costs related to the job role of grant delivery are expected. Specifically excluded costs as noted in this clause relate to those which are reclaimable from HMRC. It is for the business area to make local decisions for their grant, the Scottish Government does not store these grant agreements centrally therefore the recording and retention of grant agreements is the responsibility of local business areas.