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The Scottish Government is not aware of any NHS Scotland Health Board that is unable to link outpatient and inpatient data in order to provide a complete record of patient pathways from referral to treatment.

The Scottish Government launched a public consultation on Permitted development rights to support the provision of new homes on 3 September 2025. The consultation closes on 27 October 2025. The consultation sets out a range of options to simplify planning processes and encourage the provision of new homes in rural areas and town and city centres.

The consultation responses will inform the formation and refinement of any proposals for new or amended permitted development rights. A statutory instrument containing any changes stemming from the consultation would likely be laid in the Scottish Parliament in early 2026.

A summary of the consultation responses will be published in due course. Individual responses will be published where consent has been given.

Participation in the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme is an operational matter for Police Scotland.

We want a strong manufacturing sector to help drive Scotland's economic growth and resilience. Our significant investment of £75m in the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) lies at the heart of our ambitions. At the same time, we are developing a Skills Action Plan for Manufacturing to help ensure a steady flow of talent into the sector. This package includes the £2m already committed to Glasgow City Region to support the development of engineering skills programmes in the area and through delivery of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) we are helping businesses drive sustainable change by investing in productivity, performance, and people.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40963 on 17 October 2025.

The Scottish Government recognises that access to a hot meal during shifts plays an important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of NHS staff.

The provision of healthy food or out-of-hours catering for NHS staff working night shifts is currently managed by individual Health Boards, who are best placed to determine local needs and allocate resources within their respective budgets.

NHS employers are encouraged to ensure, wherever possible, that staff have access to nutritious food, out-of-hours catering and appropriate rest spaces.

Scottish Government have undertaken scoping work to identify potential opportunities for collaboration with Health Boards to expand wellbeing initiatives for all staff working shifts. This will be looked at universally across NHSScotland.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is investigating abuse experienced by children in care, in Scotland, between 1930 and 2014. The Inquiry has reviewed a wide range of care settings and, to date, has completed nine phases of public hearings, held over 558 days of hearings, heard from over 1,350 witnesses and published 15 volumes of case study interim findings.

The Inquiry has to date examined evidence regarding: (a) the legislative and regulatory frameworks for children in care; (b) the historical practice of child migration; (c) residential establishments run by religious orders; (d) residential establishments operated by non-religious or voluntary organisations; (e) independent boarding schools; (f) foster and kinship care settings; (g) secure care and young offenders institutions; and (h) specialist schools and healthcare establishments.

In December this year, the Inquiry will begin its public hearings in relation to Phase 10 of its investigations, focusing on children's residential care provided by local authorities.

The Scottish Government continues to participate fully in the Inquiry process, providing government records and making submissions as required by the Inquiry.

The Inquiry has cost £98.7 million to date. Whilst the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry is funded by the Scottish Government it operates, like any other public inquiry, independently of government. The Chair of the Inquiry, Lady Smith, has an ongoing duty to avoid unnecessary costs. The Inquiry routinely publishes its expenditure on its website.

When the Inquiry concludes, it will publish a final report that may make recommendations to improve practice, policy and legislation. The Scottish Government is committed to carefully considering the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations.

During Techscaler’s initial pilot cohort to Silicon Valley, two Chief Marketing Officers attended in place of their respective founders, who were unavailable. These individuals were nominated by the founders, and CodeBase confirmed that it was entirely appropriate for senior sales and marketing specialists to participate.

Given the small size and structure of most start-ups, Chief Marketing or Sales Officers are typically among the most senior employees and play a direct role in securing customers, generating revenue and raising investment. Their participation was therefore consistent with the objectives of the programme, ensuring that companies were effectively represented and able to maximise the commercial value of the visit.

Ministers were fully briefed on the purpose and objectives of the pilot programme. As Techscaler has matured, the eligibility criteria have continued to be refined. While founders or co-founders are preferred, substitutes may be approved where they are best placed to engage with the target market and achieve the intended outcomes.

Far from damaging Scotland’s reputation, the Techscaler programme has enhanced it. Through its international activity, Scottish start-ups have secured multiple export contracts, with six participants raising £5.4 million in investment and several others now in active discussions with global investors.

By showcasing Scotland’s entrepreneurial talent on the world stage, Techscaler has helped put our nation firmly on the international start-up map. It has hosted inward visits from twelve countries – including the United States, Singapore and China – all keen to learn from the model and explore opportunities to invest in Scotland.

As Sandeep Casi, a Tokyo-based partner at Antler, a global venture capital fund, observed: “The quality of the founders that travelled to Japan is proof that Scotland is set for success. Japan can be a key territory to drive this.”