Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-43271 on 6 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

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the involvement of trade unions in the development of Employment Injury Assistance. A public consultation was held in 2024 on the next steps for the delivery of Employment Injury Assistance. This consultation was targeted at organisations with a specific interest in industrial injuries benefits, including trade unions. For example, the Scottish Government ran online engagement events to enable trade unions to share their views on the development of Employment Injury Assistance.

The Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) is a core member of the Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group. The Steering Group was established in June 2025 to provide expert input to help address the unique complexities associated with replacing the UK Industrial Injuries Scheme. The Group is expected to produce a report with recommendations for Ministers’ consideration which will inform next steps.

The Scottish Government is prioritising longer-term reform so that Employment Injury Assistance best meets Scotland’s needs. This approach was backed by the largest number of responses to our consultation in 2024.

As set out in the consultation response, protecting the continuity of payments is our first priority during the devolution of disability benefits and it will continue to be our priority for the approximately 22,000 people currently in receipt of awards under the IIS in Scotland.

The Scottish Government established an Employment Injury Assistance Steering Group in June 2025. The Steering Group has been asked to consider overarching policy principles and identify priorities for reform. We expect the Group’s final report this summer.

The Scottish Government will work with third sector partners to deliver Scotland’s first ever “Third Sector Partnership” which will further strengthen the role and place of the sector in Scotland. This new Partnership creates a unique and valuable opportunity for government to work more effectively with the sector and build on progress made through our Fairer Funding pilot.

The principles underpinning the partnership, in line with those set out by SCVO, will include alignment with Fairer Funding principles, protection of the sector’s independence, outcomes-focussed to reflect shared goals, ensuring accountability and alignment with relevant legislation and strategies. We will work closely with a diverse range of third sector partners to co-design the partnership.

We already recognise the essential role played by the third sector in delivering for communities across Scotland everyday. We recently announced a £20 million investment for third sector partners in the draft Budget to deliver the support that people need in their communities, underlining the importance of the government and third sector organisations working to tackle the challenges of the day together. This is in addition to delivering on our Fairer Funding pilot that provides multi-year funding worth £130 million over 2025-2027, prioritising those that deliver frontline services and tackle child poverty.

The removal of mid and peak islander fares on Northern Isles Ferry Services will apply to passenger, cabin and car bookings.

Officials are working with NorthLink on the detail and timing of implementation and further details will be confirmed in due course.

The Scottish Government has no arrangements in place to verify personal use of frequent flyer or other travel loyalty scheme benefits that may arise from Ministerial air travel.

The Scottish Ministerial Code stipulates that Ministers must avoid arrangements that create undue obligation or personal benefit.

a)Standards on hospital discharges and the use of non-clinical spaces

• We do not collect national data on the use of non-clinical spaces. Our focus is on addressing the underlying causes of this practice, such as high hospital occupancy and poor patient flow.
• We are driving improvements and working closely with local systems to ensure plans are in place to improve system flow. Through the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan, we are investing £220 million to reduce waiting times, improve hospital flow, and minimise delayed discharges.

b)Regular public reporting

• Regular public reporting on hospital discharges is already undertaken and published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and can be found on their website.

The Scottish Government has allocated £4 million funding to support Local Transport Authorities to build business cases for local bus improvement through franchising, announced as part of the draft Scottish Budget for 2026-27.

Work on the design of the fund is at an early stage, but we will develop appropriate governance arrangements and work on the detail of administering the £4 million, which will be considered with various stakeholders, including CoSLA and regional transport partnerships.

CTM North Ltd. does not hold any data on any travel loyalty scheme accounts, including frequent flyer memberships, used in connection with Ministerial air travel.

The current Crown Commercial Services Framework for Travel and Venue Solutions stipulates that the supplier shall not facilitate the collection of a traveller's loyalty card points that may be awarded by any third party provider.

The Scottish Government maintains regular contact with Alexander Dennis management and last engaged with trade unions in January 2026 in relation to the furlough support scheme awarded to the company on 15 September 2025.