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The Genomic Laboratory Transformation Programme, initiated in 2022, is ongoing and has not yet been completed.

In March 2024 the NHS Scotland National Services Division (NSD) transformation team developed a two-year delivery plan to guide the next phase of transformation, running through to 2026.

The programme aims to deliver a more efficient, equitable and sustainable genomic laboratory service across Scotland. Key areas of focus include service delivery models, workforce planning, bioinformatic support, data and digital infrastructure and financial sustainability.

As the national Parliament, there is the need to balance the needs and legal rights of all those who work at and visit the Parliament, and manage the tensions this sometimes creates.

The right to private life is a key consideration for all employers and we will continue to ensure that such rights are protected. The Corporate Body has a general public sector duty and must have due regard to the need to–

• Eliminate discrimination

• Advance equality of opportunity

• Foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.

We will continue to ensure all our services, policies, practices, events and decision-making processes are fair and systematically assessed (in respect of protected characteristics). The next phase of our work will look at changes in the medium to longer term to enhance our inclusive provision and includes engaging with staff, Members, Members’ staff and other stakeholders including external groups and organisations who work regularly and closely with people across all of the different protected characteristics.

The Scottish Government has made significant early progress through our delivery schemes, with heat pump deployment increasing year on year. The rest of the UK is now catching up on pace of delivery, having adopted a similar approach to our existing grant offer.

We will introduce a Heat in Buildings Bill this year which sets a target for decarbonising heat by 2045. However, we must ensure that any proposed interventions reduce carbon emissions and help reduce fuel poverty. We are therefore calling for urgent UK Government action to significantly reduce the running costs of clean heating systems like heat pumps.

The Scottish Government is clear in its support for a just transition for Scotland’s valued oil and gas sector, which recognises the maturity of the North Sea basin and is in line with our climate change commitments and energy security.

We welcome this report from the Just Transition Commission. I set out the Scottish Government response to this report in my ministerial statement on Tuesday 3 June, confirming that we accept the headline recommendations in principle. Ahead of further just transition planning, we need clarity on the UK Government’s intentions in a range of key reserved areas, including the future regulatory and fiscal regimes for North Sea oil and gas and support for the Acorn CCUS project.

We continue to provide support to the region, including through the new £8.5 million round of the Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray, our £125 million investment in the Aberdeen City Region Deal as well as up to £26.3m for the Energy Transition Zone through the Energy Transition Fund.

No concerns were raised at any point.

Portfolio Question Time is an opportunity to raise questions relevant to the portfolio concerned and, as already set out in response to S6O-04664, all of the Education and Skills questions raised on 24 April 2025 were answered by a Minister from the Education and Skills portfolio, in line with rule 13.7 of the Parliament’s standing orders.

As Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, all matters within the Education and Skills portfolio pertain to my responsibilities.

We want to encourage people to enjoy our beautiful beaches safely and responsibly.

The Scottish Government is working with partners to promote community safety over the summer period.

This month, our grant funded partner Fearless will launch a summer safety campaign to encourage pro-social behaviour and responsible decision-making among children and young people on key issues affecting them. Campaign messaging will be promoted through social media as well as a series of outreach events across Scotland.

We support Police Scotland and partners in making full use of available resources, tools and powers available to them. Partners working locally are best placed to understand and address issues that communities face, including at coastal communities. Taking account of different circumstances and intelligence, preventative, diversionary work may also be undertaken by partners. Police Scotland can enforce the law by using a number of measures, including public disorder and dispersal powers

The Scottish Government also supports a range of targeted prevention and early intervention activity in schools, hospitals and across communities, working with partners to tackle violence. This is in addition to the Cashback for Communities programme, which supports young people most at risk of being involved in antisocial behaviour, offending or reoffending.

Our Water Safety Action Plan includes raising awareness of how to stay safe around water through promoting the Scottish Water Safety Code, which recommends avoiding alcohol or drugs if near water to prevent an increased risk-taking behaviour.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of accountability in relation to our plans for a just transition. This is why we established the Just Transition Commission in 2019 to advise on and scrutinise our journey to net zero.

The Commission has published a number of reports which consider our approach to delivering a just transition for energy workers. These include the July 2024 publication ‘A Just Transition for Grangemouth’, which has informed the development of our Grangemouth Just Transition Plan; and its most recent report, ‘A Just Transition for Aberdeen and the North East’. The Scottish Government accepts in principle the headline recommendations in the latter report, but will take time to consider them in detail, before providing a full response.

Seafish are responsible for delivering sea fisheries safety training schemes through the approved Scottish providers. Their opening for registration and when these schemes begin, are a matter for Seafish.