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We have now finalised plans for Health and Social Care Reform Portfolio and programme governance to take forward the commitments within the Operational Improvement Plan (OIP), the Population Health Framework (PHF) and the Service Renewal Framework (SRF), and it is through these frameworks that we will deliver the vision of a Scotland where people live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.

The Reform Oversight Board brings together national and local accountability for delivery of the aims and priorities of the PHF and SRF. The Board complements, not replaces, local and national reform governance. It is jointly accountable to Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders. The first meeting of this quarterly board took place on 12 November, and it is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the COSLA spokesperson for Health and Social Care.

Additionally, Programme Boards have been established for the PHF (first meeting 26 November) and the SRF (first meeting 2 December) to set strategic direction and provide oversight. Board membership includes representatives from COSLA, SOLACE, NHS Boards and Integration Joint Boards.

The Collaborative Response and Assurance Group, which is co-chaired by the Scottish Government and COSLA have been asked to come together to consider the Audit Scotland report's recommendations as a whole and develop a partnership approach to addressing them. Local systems are working to reduce delays and deliver on the commitments set out in the OIP.

NHS Education for Scotland provides a range of educational resources and training programmes for healthcare professionals that encompass gastrointestinal conditions, including eosinophilic oesophagitis(EoE).

The Scottish Government expect clinicians and NHS Boards to adhere to current clinical guidelines and follow best practice including from authoritative sources such as the guidelines from British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) joint consensus guidelines on the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic oesophagitis in children and adults and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Budesonide orodispersible tablet for inducing remission of eosinophilic oesophagitis | Guidance | NICE.

The management of patients includes access to endoscopy for both diagnostic purposes and treatment where appropriate.

The Scottish Government is working through national programmes to improve waiting times and ensure timely access to endoscopy services.

Transfer of staff from the Social Security Directorate to Social Security Scotland has not been a routine feature of delivering the Social Security Programme.

Since 2018, a total of 17 staff have formally transferred from the Directorate to Social Security Scotland. These transfers took place to support the safe transition of new benefits and services from programme development into operational delivery rather than into existing job roles.

For wider context, as part of Programme closure, we are forecasting that 187 staff will transfer on 27 March 2026 from the Directorate to the Digital, Delivery and Change Division within Social Security Scotland to provide ongoing support to the live running, maintenance, and continuous improvement of our digital ecosystem and benefit products.

2018-2027 Staff transfers from the Social Security Directorate to Social Security Scotland

We agree with Audit Scotland that Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) are critical in delivering our reform ambitions as set out in the Service Renewal Framework (SRF), published in June 2025. Governance arrangements for the SRF have now been established, with IJBs, local authorities and Health Boards all represented and operating as key partners in design and delivery. The SRF signals a determination to build on the successes that we have already seen and to provide clarity on how we empower our system leaders to work with people to deliver change.

To 6 December 2025 (End Of Railway Period 09 2025-26) a total of £24.7 million has been spent on schemes to reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the Central Belt.

Further detail is provided in the following table.

The Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Support Fund has allocated £15,414,650 to households and businesses within 20km of any LEZ in Scotland since 2020. To date £9,136,003.87 has been paid out to households in Scotland.

There was no set allocation per city, to households or to businesses. This allowed flexibility to respond to demand dependant on applications received each year.

I can advise that £551,427.13 of this funding has been awarded to households within 20km of the Aberdeen LEZ.

The 2026-27 budget has not yet been passed by Parliament and is at draft stage. Spending plans are still being developed by policy leads but provisionally the budget will deliver £245.1 million for the Primary Care Fund which pays for various programmes and initiatives supporting general practice delivery e.g. the board employed multidisciplinary teams and GP walk-in service pilots among other measures.

The Scottish Government does not hold any data on the prevalence of eosinophilic oesophagitis in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is taking a whole system approach in its assessment of data centre infrastructure requirements and implications, including ensuring that the energy and water demands as well as community concerns are considered. The current key considerations are set out below:

(a) Electricity Grid; In October 2024, the Scottish, UK and Welsh Governments jointly commissioned a Strategic Spatial Energy Plan (SSEP) for Great Britain which will assess the optimal locations, quantities and types of energy infrastructure required to meet future energy demand, including from data centres, with the clean, affordable and secure supply that we need. The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is responsible for the development of the SSEP and the Scottish Government continues to engage with NESO on its progress and development.

(b) and (c) water resources and groundwater; This is an operational matter for Scottish Water which is encouraging data centre developers to look at sustainable alternatives, for example, using closed loop systems, using treated effluent or locating data centres in areas where there is a plentiful supply of water.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates activities that abstract more than 50m³/day of inland waters (surface or groundwater).

SEPA assess these activities against Environmental Standards using the latest data on waterbody capacity and existing pressures. This ensures cumulative impacts are considered and permits are not issued where standards would be breached or other users adversely affected.

(d) Communities; Where development proposals come forward, the planning system ensures the potential impacts of proposals on communities and nature – including cumulative impacts – are important considerations in the decision-making process. All applications are subject to site specific assessments.

Through continued engagement with NESO, SEPA and Scottish Water, we will ensure that data centre investment takes place in a resource considerate manner, mitigating negative impacts and maximising positive impacts where possible, such as reduction in curtailment costs, where opportunities align.

The vessel leasing costs for the current contract period (Oct '25 to March '26) payable by CalMac Ferries to Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL), for vessels currently operating the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service are detailed in the following table.