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Scotland’s abundant renewable energy generating capacity presents an opportunity for the country to become a leader in green data centres. In 2023, 70% of electricity generated in Scotland was from renewable sources – a marked increase compared to 32% in 2013 - and, as of June 2025, there is an estimated capacity of 76.5 GW of renewable energy projects, including storage, in the planning pipeline in Scotland.

Where new development proposals come forward, all planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicated otherwise. In Scotland the development plan consists of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the relevant Local Development Plan. National development status does not grant planning permission for the development and all relevant consents are required. Designation establishes the need for such infrastructure and means that the principle of the development does not need to be agreed in later consenting processes, providing more certainty for communities, business and investors.

Public Health Scotland’s NHS Waiting Times – Diagnostics report holds data on the number of ongoing waits for echocardiograms at the end of each calendar month, including data on ongoing waits of more than 52 weeks. This can be found in the publication's non-key diagnostic test data tables.

Our Waiting Well resources offering support to patients currently on a waiting list can be found on NHS Inform at Waiting well | NHS inform.

Menstrual health, which includes polycystic ovary syndrome, was a priority in the first phase of the Women’s Health Plan.

To support women with symptomspolycystic ovary syndrome of we have;

• improved access to comprehensive information on menstrual symptoms and PCOS through our Women's Health Platform on NHS Inform.
• worked with the Health and Social Care Alliance deliver a series of webinars for women on menstrual health including a session on PCOS.
• published a workplace policy for NHSScotland on menstrual health and menopause, which can be adapted for use in other employment sectors.
• worked with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to develop eLearning on menstrual health, including PCOS, for those working in primary care.

Menstrual health, including PCOS, will continue to be an important area of focus in the next phase of the Women’s Health Plan.

In 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 the Scottish Government provided annual funding to Health Boards for smoking cessation and prevention services as part of a wider Outcomes Framework allocation, whereby budget was provided to Health Boards to cover a range of outcomes and individual Health Boards decide how much of this funding to allocate to each outcome.

The value of the Outcomes Framework allocation was £74.1 million (2022-23); £74.1 million (2023-24); and £72.2 million (2024-25).

The management of access rights is a matter for access authorities, who have a statutory duty and powers to ensure access rights are upheld. This is done within the framework of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) which provides specific guidance for event organisers, land managers and the public in respect to responsible access. Clearly all events of the kind mentioned vary in scale, sensitivity and location and there may, therefore, be the appearance of this guidance being applied differently. Examples of Guidance associated with outdoors events include Outdoor events in Scotland and Commercial access to the outdoors.

Social Security Scotland is committed to treating all individuals with dignity, fairness, and respect, including veterans and their families. In line with the Armed Forces Covenant, the organisation works to ensure no one from that community faces disadvantage when accessing devolved benefits.

To support this, Social Security Scotland engages with veterans’ groups and other stakeholders to better understand and respond to their specific needs. This collaborative approach informs the design and delivery of services that are not only inclusive but also rooted in empathy.

Inclusive practices are embedded across the organisation – from accessible application processes to staff training and frontline service delivery. The goal is to foster an environment where compassion, dignity, and fairness guide behaviour, and where clients feel heard, understood, and supported. Social Security Scotland is committed to building a culture that recognises people’s experiences and needs, and ensures every interaction reflects empathy, respect, and understanding.

The organisation also actively engages with the Armed Forces community to build trust and improve accessibility and regularly reviews its procedures to uphold the values of the Covenant. The Scottish Government strongly supports the Covenant’s aims and the wider efforts across Scotland to strengthen support and integration for the Armed Forces community.

Public Health Scotland are key partners in delivery of our Population Health Framework (PHF). The actions in the PHF – promoting healthy eating, investing in sport and active living, and work to reduce the harms of smoking – are relevant to improving heart health in Scotland.

Our Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF) includes a focus on early detection to support intervention and treatment to reduce the level of harm. For example, our CVD Risk Factors programme involves working with a range of partners, including PHS, to improve the identification and management of key risk factors (obesity, smoking, high blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol).

As part of this programme, we will support 100,000 patients, who may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, with extra GP appointments by March next year, with a particular focus on supporting people living in areas of deprivation.

NatureScot have a statutory duty to promote, publicise and keep the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) under review. In discharging this duty NatureScot work with access authorities and the National Access Forum. Currently the Outdoor events in Scotland and Commercial access to the outdoors guidance is being reviewed and updated by NatureScot and the National Access Forum. This work is being led by a group which has been established with representatives of access managers, land managers and event organisers.

While the Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26 Progress Report for 2024-2025 refers to the AI Growth Zones initiative, it is led by the UK Government.

The Scottish Government continues to build on the landmark national anti-stigma campaign launched in 2023, alongside targeted efforts to raise awareness and reduce HIV-related stigma within health and social care settings. As part of our Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan we committed multi-year funding to NHS Education for Scotland to develop training resources for healthcare professionals in non-HIV specialist roles. This included the establishment of a specialist educator post to support provision of training across Scotland. That funding concludes during this financial year and we will consider future funding thereafter. We also recognise the crucial role of the voluntary sector in tackling stigma. To support this, we have provided funding to Waverley Care to lead a workforce education project aimed at reducing stigma in health and social care settings. We are currently working with Waverley Care to consider the next phase of this project.