Seòmar agus comataidhean

As of 8 December 2025, the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund has received 818 applications since its launch in July 2025.

We continue to support the revitalisation of town centres through the Town Centre First Principle and delivery of the Town Centre Action Plan. National Planning Framework 4 further embeds this approach by recognising town centres as national assets, and promotes the reuse of empty buildings and town centre living to boost local economic activity.

We also support town centre regeneration through our regeneration capital investment programmes, as well as our support for Scotland’s Towns Partnership, Business Improvement Districts and the Scotland Loves Local programme.

Since 2014 Inverclyde Council has received over £13m regeneration capital investment from the Scottish Government, which has supported the transformation of empty properties into commercial, residential and enterprising activity. Examples include enhancement work in Port Glasgow’s Lower Town Quarter and improvements to Customhouse Square in Greenock.

We are also supporting local authorities to address vacant retail spaces in our high streets and town centres through a range of measures, using the levers available to us. This includes our competitive non-domestic rates regime, and supporting the re-use or repurposing of vacant units through the Fresh Start Relief and Business Growth Accelerator Relief.

Economic growth is a priority for this Government. We will continue supporting businesses through transformative national initiatives like the Scottish National Investment Bank and Techscaler.

We are committed to helping Inverclyde’s economy to thrive. Through the Glasgow City Region Deal, we have committed over £18m to projects in Inverclyde, including Inchgreen Marine Park, which aims to host new business and employment opportunities in the area.

Inverclyde has also benefited from significant investment over and above the City Deal, notably through Regeneration projects – the Place Based Investment Programme, the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, the Investing in Communities Fund and the Town Centre Fund.

Scottish Enterprise maintains close relationships with major employers already in Inverclyde through their account management service. This helps retain and grow jobs locally and offers spillover benefits to the regional and national economy through increased supply chain engagement.

The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF) was launched by the Scottish and UK Governments in July 2025. Financial year 2025-26 represents a pilot phase for the TTF.

In September, the Scottish Government confirmed further funding of up to £450,000 to process additional applications during the pilot phase.

As of 8 December, all applications on the waitlist are being processed and Skills Development Scotland are contacting further prospective applicants who have already registered their interest to invite them to proceed with an application. The TTF is not open to entirely new applications at this stage.

We expect the TTF to open again for entirely new applications early in the next financial year. The Scottish Government, in partnership with the UK Government, has also announced joint funding of up to £18 million to extend and expand the TTF over the next three financial years (2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29), subject to the outcome of the Scottish Budget and Spending Review.

The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF) was launched by the Scottish and UK Governments in July 2025. Financial year 2025-26 represents a pilot phase for the TTF. The pilot phase has been supported by up to £1.35 million of combined funding from the UK and Scottish Governments. As of 8 December, Skills Development Scotland are continuing to process applications and have approved approximately £750,000 of training for successful applicants.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with the UK Government, has also announced future joint funding of up to £18 million (on a match funding basis between the two governments) to extend and expand the TTF over the next three financial years (2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29), subject to the outcome of the Scottish Budget and Spending Review.

This year we have increased the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) budget to £1.64 billion, an increase of £90 million compared to the published 2024-25 budget, to support police capacity and capability. It is for the Chief Constable, under the scrutiny of the SPA, to allocate resources to meet her priorities, as outlined in the Police Scotland three year plan.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the SPA and Police Scotland to understand their 2026-27 budget requirements. The 2026-27 Scottish Budget will be published on 13 January 2026.

Decisions on the deployment of police officers are a matter for the Chief Constable. As of 30 September 2025, K Division, which covers Renfrewshire and Inverclyde had 618 officers. This is 18 more than the previous quarter, and 17 more than the same point last year. A summary of the relevant statistics is shown in the following table.

The Scottish Government wants all healthcare provided to people in Scotland to be safe, appropriate, and carried out by those with the right qualifications.

The Scottish Government are engaging with Healthcare Improvement Scotland regarding the next phase of regulation of independent healthcare. Any proposals for widening the scope of regulation of independent healthcare will be based on intelligence of potential risks and patient safety concerns.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42335 on 16 December 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.

We are committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Information and guidance on IBD including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis is already widely available to the public via the NHS Inform website: Scottish health information you can trust | NHS inform

The Scottish Government welcomed the recent Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, “How it feels,” and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK helping raising awareness of the condition.