Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Public Pensions Agency has four full-time-equivalent staff working on the administration of the Matthews Second Options exercise. This exercise is being delivered in partnership with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

The NHS Scotland Support and Intervention Framework is one of the key elements of the evidence-based approach to monitoring performance and managing risk across the NHS in Scotland. All NHS Boards are reviewed against the framework based on their financial position. Following careful consideration of NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s position, the decision was made by Government for the Board to be escalated to Stage Four of the Framework for finance, specifically: financial sustainability; financial management and control; and financial governance and leadership. This is based upon a financial assessment of the Board and the level of support required to deliver a return to financial sustainability.

On 4 November 2025, Audit Scotland published a Section 22 report regarding NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s financial position concluding “the severity of the financial challenge facing NHS Ayrshire and Arran is unprecedented”. As a response the Scottish Government has been liaising closely with the Health Board on their financial position and the Director General now deems further escalation necessary to ensure the Board’s financial recovery. There has been a recent change in the Board’s leadership, and so the focus of escalation will be to provide the Executive team a package of support commensurate with the financial challenges faced.

Stage Four escalation will come into immediate effect and will involve senior external support and monitoring from Scottish Government. This will support the Board to return to financial sustainability, including establishing an Assurance Board chaired by Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to monitor their financial position and assist with longer term financial planning and improvement. Regular updates will be provided to Ministers on the financial position of NHS Ayrshire and Arran following this escalation.

The Parliament will of course be kept updated on any further developments.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

Local authorities and independent fostering agencies are responsible for foster care recruitment. The Care Inspectorate is the official body responsible for registering, inspecting, and publishing national statistics regarding fostering services in Scotland. It publishes annual statistics on fostering services and foster carer numbers, with the latest report published on 28 October 2025. Fostering_and_adoption_statistical_bulletin_2024-2025.pdf

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43555 on 12 February 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.

From 1 April 2026, all ScotRail fares will be frozen for the financial year 2026-2027, including Season Tickets and Flexipass.

This will be welcome news for passengers as we aim to make Scotland’s Railway as affordable as possible to maintain the attractiveness of rail as a travel option and encourage new passengers onto our railway. That is why we also removed peak fares from ScotRail services for good in September last year.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has experienced recruitment challenges in its audiology service, which has affected appointment times. To mitigate this, the Board has insourced qualified audiologists from the private sector to work alongside substantive staff, and additional mid-week and weekend clinics are now running under senior supervision.

We know many people are still waiting too long and this is not good enough. This year we have allocated over £135.5 million to Health Boards to reduce long waits, resulting in thousands more appointments and procedures. To build on this progress, extra funding of up to £20 million is being made available to Health Boards for the last quarter of the year, with the focus on Boards and specialities with long waits.

As required by section 202(8) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Scottish Ministers will consider all representations made with respect to any proposed byelaws and may if it is considered necessary or desirable require a local inquiry to be held to assist with the decision making process.

The process for Scottish Ministers to consider requests for the confirmation of byelaws made under section 12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (“the 2003 Act”) is specified in section 12 of the 2003 Act and also sections 202 to 204 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The overall reduction to Scottish Water’s 2026-27 allocation does not reflect a reduction in spending, but an increase in interest to be received by Scottish Government on voted loans issued to Scottish Water. Voted Loans remain consistent with 2025-26 levels at £170m. The Hydro Nation allocation has reduced from 2025-26 levels in line with contractual commitments.

In comparison to the 2025-26 ABR position, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) allocation has reduced 1.8%. However, the ABR comparator includes in-year transfers predominantly for delivery of River Basin Management Plans and Marine funding which are expected to be repeated in 2026-27. Compared to the 2025-26 Budget Bill, SEPA’s funding has actually increased by £1.9m, to enable SEPA to deliver its statutory responsibilities.

SEPA will also receive in-year funding (in line with recent years) that will support, for example, the Water Environment Fund. ‘Core’ funding for SEPA has therefore increased with project funding to be confirmed in-year, in line with standard practice.

SEPA funds 57% of its operating costs from charging schemes, applying the principle of 'polluter pays'. SEPA’s income forecast increases by 5% in 2026-27, reducing demand for public funding.

The criteria for the making of byelaws which Scottish Ministers must consider when determining whether they should be confirmed are set out in section 12(1) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 (2003 Act). This specifies that byelaws can be made to provide for:

1.The preservation of public order and safety

2.The prevention of damage

3.The prevention of nuisance or danger

4.The conservation or enhancement of natural or cultural heritage

There is no specific guidance which Ministers follow in determining whether to confirm proposed byelaws. However, as part of the evaluation, consideration will be given to the guidance contained in Part 1 Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 Guidance for Local Authorities and National Park Authorities as it relates to making byelaws under section 12 of the 2003 Act.