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In Scotland, we provide a range of targeted support to Scottish businesses via our various agencies and partners as they progress through their internationalisation journey. This includes investment and resources to grow their exports, build resilience and compete on the global stage. This support is Scotland wide, and as such is accessible to all businesses regardless of their location.

We are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan. This will reflect on needs across Scotland and support the continued safe operation of existing facilities, as well as the determination of longer term investment priorities. The National Treatment Centre (NTC) programme is currently paused and the development of the NTC Ayrshire and Arran remains under review at the current time; no assessment has made on the impact of the delay in the delivery of a centre at Carrick Glen.

We are working with all health boards to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan and we meet regularly with NHS Ayrshire and Arran and other NHS Boards, to discuss the development of the plan. The infrastructure plan will reflect on needs across Scotland and support the continued safe operation of existing facilities, as well as the determination of longer term investment priorities.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It was introduced in 1997 and until the UK’s Exit from the EU it was funded by the European Commission.

Since October 2020, the Scottish Government has funded producer organisations in the scheme with a Head Office in Scotland. Match-funding is based on a producer organisation’s actual expenditure of pre-approved, eligible items.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) currently deliver the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme on behalf of Scottish Ministers. A breakdown of money reimbursed to the RPA, based on the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme year (January to December) from 2020 to 2024 is below.

2020: £1,253,200

2021: £2,544,356

2022: £2,483,127

2023: £2,325,718

2024: £1,707,894

Please note that the European Commission part funded 2020 expenditure. Please also note that final 2024 claims are still being processed and therefore the 2024 figure above does not reflect a final figure for 2024 expenditure.

The Scottish Ministerial Code makes clear that it is of paramount importance that Ministers give accurate and truthful information to the Parliament. Ministers and their officials will consider the best way of ensuring that they have information necessary to provide an accurate answer on a case by case basis and, as such, the Scottish Government may occasionally opt to engage with non-government organisations in relation to written parliamentary questions when it is necessary to do so.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with local health boards through the Public Health Scotland-led National Drug Deaths Incident Management Team process, which strives to support and coordinate multi-agency activities to reduce drug related deaths including through consideration of ongoing trends and risks. Through this process, we have engaged with local areas following reports of an increase in clusters of drug harms in people using heroin during the course of 2025, including Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Ayrshire and Arran, and Lanarkshire.

Local response to trends and risks is coordinated through Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships, appropriately applying local intelligence and coordinating the collaborative deployment of resources of local partners and services, including those of local authorities. The Scottish Government engages regularly with representatives of the ADPs – with the last meeting with those from the named localities and others on 11 June 2025.

The Scottish Government provides early access to substance use treatment and support for all those who need it through the National Mission. This has been backed by an investment of £250 million over the life of the Parliament.

Responsibility for school funding, education provision and pupil support rests with local authorities. Under the Curriculum for Excellence framework, schools and practitioners are empowered to design the curriculum in a way that best meets the needs of learners.

School Nurses are equipped to support school aged children and young people with concerns regarding substance use. Scottish Government continues to promote the role of the school nurse and their strong focus on prevention, early intervention and support for the most vulnerable school-aged children and young people. Between 2019 and 2024 the Scottish Government invested over £34 million to support the recruitment and retention of over 216 additional school nurses. Funding has now been added to annual Health Board budgets to support retention of the school nurse workforce.

The Scottish Government has invested £1.5 million over the last 2 years in Planet Youth. Also known as the Icelandic Model, Planet Youth is a universal approach to prevention which empowers communities to support their young people to reduce the risk of substance use and harms. The Scottish Government has committed a further £750,000 to Planet Youth over 20025-26.

Through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, the Scottish Government has also provided nearly £4 million funding between the years 2023-24 and 2025-26 to expand the Routes programme. This model provides support for young people who are affected by substance use in their families.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is a legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) EU Scheme. It has been delivered by the Rural Payments Agency on a UK-wide basis since its introduction. There have been a total of four producer organisations (POs), with headquarters in Scotland that have received funding through the scheme since it was introduced; one in Angus, two in Fife and one in the Scottish Borders.

Three of these POs have received funding via the scheme in every year since it was introduced. The remaining PO received funding for expenditure relating to one scheme year. Where possible, the Rural Payments Agency and the Scottish Government work with POs so that applications for operational programmes meet the necessary eligibility criteria as set out in legislation and the National Strategy.

The Alcohol Framework published in 2018 sets out the Scottish Government’s approach to engaging with the alcohol industry in relation to public health policy.

The Scottish Government does not work with the alcohol industry on the development of health policy but engages on the potential impacts, effects and implementation of alcohol harm prevention policy, where appropriate.

The Scottish Parliament’s Lobbying Register (Home - Lobbying Register) contains details of regulated lobbying of Scottish Government Ministers undertaken since March 2018.

Whilst the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for national social care policy in Scotland, it is for Local Authorities and Integrated Joint Boards to ensure that social care support services are in place to provide people with the appropriate support in the right place and at the right time.

The Scottish Government budget for 2025-26 sets out almost £2.2 billion investment in social care and integration, of which approximately £950 million enables adult social care workers in the third and private sectors to be paid at least the Real Living Wage. This currently stands at £12.60 per hour, a rate that came into effect from April 2025. This is above the £12.21 National Living Wage rate for workers aged 21 and over, set by the UK Government. The Real Living Wage rate is independently set by the Living Wage Foundation and is currently the only UK wage rate based on the actual cost of living to allow workers to meet their everyday needs.

Since 2021, the Scottish Government has provided funding to the MyJobScotland recruitment portal, enabling all social care providers to advertise vacancies at no cost. We have also funded NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to work with the SSSC to develop a new National Induction Framework, launched in May this year which supports high quality standardised induction training for social care staff.