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The Scottish Government has not issued guidance to Health Boards on the provision of blood testing facilities for people who may be self-medicating hormones for the purpose of seeking to address gender dysphoria.

The provision of specific healthcare facilities rests with individual Health Boards.

The Scottish Government does not retain any DNA or tissue samples. It is for other bodies to ensure compliance for their interest.

Health Boards are responsible for ensuring that correct processes and regulations are followed for any retention of samples, for example, following post-mortem examinations, including compliance with the appropriate privacy and data requirements.

Yes, the Scottish Government does agree with this view and we continue to call upon UK Ministers to intervene at Grangemouth as it has done in other parts of the UK.

NHS Scotland will introduce a new vaccination programme which offers protection against gonorrhoea from August 2025. This targeted opportunistic programme is specifically aimed at Gay, Bisexual and other Men who have Sex with Men (GBMSM) who are at increased risk of gonorrhoea. Clinicians may also offer vaccination to a small number of individuals at equivalent risk outside of the primary GBMSM cohort who they identify as being at on-going risk.

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.

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 has not had any recent discussions with the UK Government on mutual recognition of professional qualifications with Ukraine. It is ultimately for the professions’ independent regulators to determine the process for recognition of relevant qualifications and experience for professionally qualified New Scots, including displaced people from Ukraine.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of employment in the integration of New Scots, allowing people to use their skills and experience, rebuild their confidence, expand their social networks, and reduce the risk of poverty or reliance on government support. We also recognise the unique challenges New Scots face, including the recognition of overseas qualifications. Through the New Scots Delivery Plan, the Scottish Government has committed to ‘work with Scottish professional bodies to understand and promote recognitions pathways for industries and identified sectors.’

In 2023, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Partnership published a Guide to Ukrainian Qualifications for employers, admissions staff in institutions, recognition of prior learning (RPL) practitioners and third sector organisations to help better understand Ukrainian qualifications. The guide provides information about the main certificates, diplomas and degrees awarded in Ukraine to allow employers, education and support staff to make informed judgements about the value of these qualifications for entry to education, training or employment.

In addition, the Scottish Government commissioned SCQF Partnership to undertake scoping work on Recognition of Prior Learning to support the potential development of a national policy and strategy on RPL. The aim of this is to embed the recognition of prior learning and skills of school leavers, adult learners, and those settling in Scotland within our education and skills system. Work is still in early stages and subject to Ministerial approval.

The Scottish Government is continuing to take action to reduce inappropriate out-of-area placements and delayed discharges experienced by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs through our Coming Home programme.

New Dynamic Support Registers (DSR) were introduced in May 2023 to help with local planning, building on our £1 million investment into Health and Social Care Partnerships through the Community Living Change Fund. It was encouraging to see an 18% reduction in numbers of people reported as being on the DSRs in the most recent quarter, but more needs to be done.

Our ongoing work combines a national focus with strong local leadership. A Peer Support Network has been established and has met a number of times. The Scottish Government and CoSLA co-chaired a Coming Home stocktake event on 12 May 2025, which was attended by system leaders from across health and social care. We are working with CoSLA, including via the co-chaired Collaborative Response and Assurance Group (CRAG), to collectively agree actions from this event and progress the Coming Home vision.

We have also consulted on how the proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill can strengthen our work on the Coming Home programme, in particular the recommendation to establish a National Support Panel and whether there are opportunities to strengthen Dynamic Support Registers in the future.

Decisions on the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements (REMA) are reserved to the UK Government. The UK Government has published impact assessments and is updating its analysis ahead of a final decision this summer. We are awaiting sight of this updated modelling. In addition, a range of impact assessments have been carried out by consultancies and industry bodies.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of trans people, who, we know, continue to suffer poorer outcomes relative to the wider population, including in mental and physical health.

Accordingly, we are taking forward a range of actions to improve the delivery and accessibility of NHS gender identity services. In the 2025-26 financial year, the Scottish Government is providing almost £1.8 million of funding to Health Boards to support this work, of which the vast majority is directly allocated to territorial Health Boards hosting gender identity clinics, to support them to improve their service capacity and to reduce waiting times.