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The Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Region Deal has created 82 jobs. Due to the nature of Deal investment, job creation can arise over several years post project completion. These job figures reflect the early delivery stage of the overall Growth Deal with only five projects fully complete to date.

Funding for the Deal is awarded by both Governments to the Stirling and Clackmannanshire region rather than individual Local Authority areas with investment decisions ultimately made by regional partners. This includes joint projects between the three main Deal partners, Stirling Council, Clackmannanshire Council and University of Stirling.

Neither the initial capital investment location nor the lead delivery partner for a specific Deal project conveys where the economic impact of Government investment is realised at Local Authority level. An indicative investment breakdown based on project location includes:

• £21.55 million within Clackmannanshire;
• £62.08 million within Stirling; and
• £6.56 million pan Stirling and Clackmannanshire.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-37886 on 4 June 2025. 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

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

Cross-Party Groups provide an opportunity for MSPs to engage with external stakeholders on a particular subject or issue and many MSPs then raise those in Parliament or with the Government.

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.