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Transport Scotland is responsible for Blue Badge legislation. However, local authorities are wholly responsible for the scheme from application, administration through to enforcement.

While Transport Scotland does not explicitly define the way in which local authorities must publicise these services, Transport Scotland continues to work closely with local Blue Badge teams and reiterates the need for paper application forms, and for local authorities to raise the awareness of help offered locally to those who may need additional support during the application process.

Scottish Government continues to work with ‘NHS inform’ to review and update their cancer information provision to best meet patient needs. Their website contains specific gynaecological cancer information, including cervical, ovarian, vaginal, vulval and womb.

Scottish Government is also committed to ensuring that people impacted by a cancer diagnosis, including those with gynaecological cancers, receive person-centred and holistic care.

We are working in partnership with Macmillan to improve the service we offer patients with cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC). This joint partnership with Macmillan is worth £27 million and is the first of its kind in the UK, providing specialist key support workers who offer emotional, financial and practical support to people with cancer.

We are also supporting the roll out of the Improving the Cancer Journey (ICJ) model to every Health and Social Care Partnership, ensuring 100% of adults diagnosed with cancer (within agreed criteria) will be invited or referred to an ICJ service to speak to a link officer who will complete a Holistic Needs Assessment and generate a care plan to meet their needs.

Singapore’s economic performance has been strong and it is always useful to look at international comparisons and learn from others. The analysis which the Scottish Government published in June 2022 as part of the first Building a New Scotland paper shows that independent, small Northern European countries are better comparators for Scotland. The evidence in our paper suggests that decision-making at Westminster and a UK economy which does not suit Scotland’s distinct circumstances has led to outcomes that fail to match Scotland’s potential.

In 2022, The Scottish Government published it’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET). This sets out a ten year transformation with the objective of creating a fair, green and growing economy and establishing Scotland as a world-class entrepreneurial nation and ensuring that its businesses, industries, regions, communities and public services are more innovative and productive than they have ever been. In the three years since NSET was published, we have made significant progress in delivering the strategy with 39% of the original action complete including the publication of the Green Industrial Strategy.

The Green Industrial Strategy (GIS) sets out our strategic approach to green growth, offering a clear view of the economic sectors and industries in which we have greatest strength and most potential. Alongside this, Scotland’s National Innovation Strategy identifies the sectors that drive economic growth, and the underlying actions required to deliver that growth.

I refer the member to the question and response to S6W-37656 on 10 June 2025.

As acknowledged, individuals have an opportunity to rate their cancer experiences through the Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey (SCPES). The 2024 survey results highlight that 95% of people are positive about their overall experience.

Whilst this indicates that we are progressing towards our aim and ambition of putting people with cancer at the heart of all decisions and actions involving them, Scottish Government understands that there are still areas in which we can improve further, including for people with gynaecological cancer.

Our Framework for Effective Cancer Management has recently been refreshed to include Patient Voice and User Experience as a key element of the framework ensuring that patient feedback to improve cancer pathways is continuously reviewed.

We continue to invest in initiatives that support earlier and faster diagnosis and drive person-centred and holistic care to improve patient experience. NHS Boards are responsible for the delivery of their services, and we engage on an ongoing basis with them to identify and develop new actions or approaches that will improve the experiences of those diagnosed with cancer.

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

There are a range of ways in which the Scottish Government provides an enabling framework for land use change to align with biodiversity and water quality goals, the key ones being the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), the Strategic Framework for Biodiversity, the Land Use Strategy (LUS) and River Basin Management Planning (RBMP).

NPF 4 is explicit in putting tackling the twin climate and nature crises at the heart of the Land Use Planning System. The requirement to consider the impacts on biodiversity of proposals going through the planning process is enshrined not only in Policy 3 Biodiversity and Policy 4 Natural Places, but across several other policies, including Policy 5 Soils, Policy 9 Brownfield sites and Policy 20 Blue and Green Infrastructure. NPF4 also highlights the importance of improvements to the water environment to support community resilience to flooding, and highlights the importance of high-quality blue infrastructure to support a range of ecosystem services across several policy areas.

The Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy supports our ambition to achieve sustainable land use in Scotland. The third Strategy was published in March 2021 and resets our focus on the integrated nature of land use by showcasing the range benefits we get from our land, including biodiversity and water quality. The initial development of Scotland’s fourth Land Use Strategy began in late 2024, with the final strategy due for publication by the end of March 2026.

Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity sets out our ambition and plans to halt the loss of nature by 2030 and make significant progress to restoring nature by 2045. This Strategic Frameworks sets out how the actions required to halt biodiversity loss and promote nature recovery are being embedded across a wide range of land use and wider policies, for example, the Agricultural Reform Programme which seeks to support our farming and food production sectors to become a world leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The focus of support will be to deliver high quality food production, climate mitigation and adaptation, and nature restoration.

Scotland’s third River Basin Management Plans, which are covered in the Land Use strategy, set out objectives and actions to protect and improve our Water Environment and aim to ensure that 92% of the water environment has a good or better classification for water quality by 2027.

Preventing deterioration in the quality of the water environment is a key part of River Basin Management Planning. SEPA supports RBMP objectives, including by regulating sectors and activities that can affect the water environment through The Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011. Anyone intending to carry out any activity that may affect Scotland’s water environment must abide by regulations and, if necessary, obtain an authorisation to proceed.

The Scottish Government’s Land Use Strategy supports our ambition to achieve sustainable land use, while reducing greenhouse gas emission and maintaining globally renowned food production in Scotland. Through the strategy we are seeking to support communities and agencies to contribute to the achievement of this ambition.

The National Planning Framework (NPF4) is a long-term plan looking to 2045 that guides spatial development, sets out national planning policies, designates national developments and highlights regional spatial priorities. NPF4 places climate and nature at the centre of our planning system, supporting the achievement of a net zero Scotland by 2045.

Planning authorities are preparing new local development plans, and they will be instrumental in taking forward NPF4 in different parts of the country, in a way which responds to each of their unique challenges and opportunities.

Aligned with the Verity House Agreement, the Scottish Government has worked closely with COSLA to develop a Climate Delivery Framework (CDF) between national and local government. The Framework will enable better alignment of national and local targets and pathways, agree shared approaches to climate action, and jointly address challenges and barriers to delivery.

The Climate Delivery Oversight Group (CDOG) is co-chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy and Cllr MacGregor, and demonstrates the shared commitment to collaborative working.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of vacancies in local authority planning services. The resourcing and staffing of planning services is a matter for individual local authorities.

Recognising the financial and capacity pressures on the planning system, the National Planning Hub is offering support to authorities including capacity and access to expertise to help them determine applications for renewable energy and housing projects.

We are continuing to transform the way we support farming and food production in Scotland, to deliver our Vision for Agriculture, and become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing support and guidance to the agricultural sector to adopt low-carbon farming practices, while meeting the changing needs of farmers and crofters. This includes financial support for carbon audits, soil testing, and animal health and welfare measures through the Preparing for Sustainable Farming initiative.

Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service, The Monitor Farm Programme, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, and Integrating Trees Network offer financial support, provide practical advice, guidance, and skill development opportunities while showcasing the positive impacts of taking action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Our small and tenant farmers are also able to access this.

Skills, knowledge, training, and Continuing Professional Development for our agricultural sector will be a key component of the Tier 4 complementary support in the Vision of Agriculture support package beyond 2025, which will come into effect on 1 April 2027 and work continues to develop this.

Part 2 of the Human Tissue Act (Scotland) 2006 makes provision for post-mortem examinations for non-suspicious deaths including the requirement that any hospital-arranged post-mortem may only be carried out if authorisation is obtained from the nearest relative of the deceased or the deceased themselves in advance of death.

Failure to comply with the 2006 Act is an offence. Any authorisation given under the 2006 Act may also include such conditions as the party authorising the matter specifies, such as agreement to retain tissue samples as part of the medical record. It is the duty of those carrying out any authorised activity to do so, in so far as reasonably practicable, in accordance with the specified conditions.

The consent of the nearest relative is not required for a Procurator Fiscal-instructed post-mortem, however the views of the family will be taken into account when making a decision on whether or not to instruct a post-mortem.