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Audiology is considered a clinical priority area and the Scottish Government remains committed to its vision for an integrated and community-based hearing service in Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not capture patients on waiting lists for hearing aid replacements specifically and it is the responsibility of Health Boards to manage these lists appropriately.

Scottish Government officials and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery national planned care team meet monthly with Chief Operating Officer and Health Boards to review performance and delivery across all Planned Care specialities, including ENT. In addition, Local Health Board Action Plans in relation to the Independent Review, which has been published online, are reported and monitored by the NHSS Planning and Delivery Board.

The Scottish Government recognises that funding will be required to support Boards to make the transition to a reformed maternity and neonatal service. We have provided £3,570,400 to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and £2,873,051 to NHS Lothian since 2019, a total contribution of almost £6.5m. We are in discussion with NHS Grampian about additional support required. This funding is focused on supporting Boards through the transition process. In parallel work is underway to develop a cross-Board funding model to ensure receiving units are funded for the additional care that they provide.

This is in addition to the £25m of support we have provided to all Boards for implementation of the package of recommendations within Best Start since 2018, including improvements such as introduction of transitional care, and neonatal community care, and establishment of the Scottish Perinatal Network.

Scottish Government sought legal advice whilst drafting the general licence.

The licence is made under article 4(1) of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (Scotland) Order 2007 and issued by a veterinary inspector. It permits the collection of birds at fairs, markets, shows, exhibitions or other gatherings subject to the conditions set out in the Schedule. A veterinary inspector shall only grant a licence if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, in accordance with article 4(2) of that Order, and the veterinary inspector is satisfied that the gathering and the transit of birds to and from the gathering would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus (in particular of virus of the subtype H5N1). These licences are regularly reviewed to reflect the changing risk from avian influenza. General licence changes will also take into consideration feedback from industry and members of the public.

Remuneration of executive members, including bonus incentives, is published in Scottish Water’s annual report and accounts which are routinely laid before Parliament and available online at Annual Reports - Scottish Water.

The Scottish Perinatal Network (SPN) undertook recruitment to this role in December 2024 and a preferred candidate was offered the role. Finalisation of contracts and backfill recruitment is currently taking place.

The Task and Finish Group is chaired by the three regional Chief Executives and they determine membership of the group. The SPN are currently members of the group and this will be reviewed as work progresses.

The Energy Skills Passport is an industry-led project, with Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) and RenewableUK (RUK) as the lead bodies.

The latest information available to Scottish Government regarding uptake, which covers the period from launch in January to April 2025, is that around 390 user profiles have been set up on the Passport’s digital system. The website received around 2,300 views during its first month and now averages around 900 views per month. More than 50% of the of the activity on the system has come from users based in Scotland.

For the most up to date figures, we recommend contacting OEUK and RUK directly.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital cultural, social, and economic role that livestock farming plays in Scotland’s rural and island communities which is why we remain fully committed to supporting livestock production and rural communities through our vision for sustainable and regenerative farming. While livestock numbers have declined over time, this reflects long-standing structural and economic challenges—such as profitability, labour shortages, and confidence—rather than any policy to reduce numbers. We are aware of recent reports highlighting the unique role that agriculture plays in sustaining rural life, including its contribution to community identity, cultural heritage, and local economies. These findings reinforce the importance of maintaining active farming across all parts of Scotland.

The Scottish Government spend with Total Politics Group in each of the last 5 financial years is detailed in the following tables. For FY2024-25 the spend has been broken down by Directorate.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting our livestock farmers in playing a full part in Scotland’s journey to net zero, including by reducing methane emissions in ways that strengthen farm productivity and resilience. The Scottish Government has no policy to reduce the national herd, our approach focuses on reducing emissions intensity rather than livestock numbers, through improvements in genetics, low-methane breeding, and we continue to explore opportunities around appropriate uptake of methane-suppressing feed products.

We also recognise the importance of evidence and practical tools for supporting change on-farm. That’s why we’ve introduced new calving interval conditionality to the Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme, helping farmers increase efficiency while lowering emissions. We are also supporting farmers through data-driven tools like MyHerdStats, which provides herd performance metrics to help identify opportunities for improvement.

We will continue working with the sector to ensure it thrives as part of a climate-smart food system, while recognising the importance of Scotland’s livestock products to UK and international markets.

Health Boards are responsible for effective safeguarding and risk management procedures, assessing patient safety and staff risks within their facilities, and for taking appropriate local action.

We expect that local governance arrangements should include clear oversight, regular reporting, and continuous improvement in line with national guidance and patient safety standards. We have published Core Mental Health Standards which set out what is expected from services they deliver.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland have recently extended their Safe Delivery of Care inspection programmes from acute hospitals to include NHS mental health in-patient services

We have commissioned NHS Assure to develop and implement a standardised App based tool to assess factors that impact the quality and safety of care in the built environment of our in-patient wards in mental health services across Scotland. Every Heath Board with adult in-patient services will be expected to complete these assessments and to act upon the findings where a need for improvement is identified.