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We are working to improve outcomes for people receiving drug treatment by recognising family members can play an important role in a loved one’s recovery. MAT Standard 2 ‘Choice’ and MAT Standard 8 ‘Independent Advocacy’ states individuals should be entitled to choice of treatment and who accompanies them.

We also recognise that families affected by substance use must be supported in their own right, as well as being involved in their loved one’s treatment and recovery.

We have provided ADPs with £3.5 million per year over the life of the Parliament for local implementation of our framework Drug and alcohol services - improving holistic family support - gov.scot (www.gov.scot), to improve holistic support for families affected by drugs and alcohol by taking a whole family approach and using family inclusive practice.

We are providing £138,876 over three years (2023-2026) to Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs to develop, test and deliver a national Family Inclusive Practice Development Programme. This programme will focus on supporting practice implementation of Family Inclusive Practice through continued work with existing areas and expansion into other localities.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

To specifically support scope based diagnostics we have published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan backed by £70 million. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign.

Long waits are regrettable and patients continue to be seen based on their clinical urgency, for example, those referred with an urgent suspicion of cancer continue to be prioritised for scope-based diagnostic tests. If a patient feels that their condition is deteriorating in any way, they should contact their GP who can provide a clinical update to their Specialist Consultant. The GP can also provide support and management advice to patients.

Third sector organisations like Crohn’s and Colitis UK also provide information and support for those living with or affected by IBD including on safeguarding: Crohn's & Colitis UK

The additional mobile endoscopy units have supported patients to be clinically prioritised for endoscopy, ensuring that a range of conditions, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, are diagnosed and managed timeously.

To provide further support for timeous diagnosis, the Scottish Government commissioned Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) will shortly publish a newly developed Inflammatory Bowel Disease pathway to support earlier identification and management of the disease.

This is all part of our programme to drive up productivity and tackle waiting lists, supported by the CfSD. Together, our actions will further enable NHS Scotland to maximise capacity, build greater resilience, reduce variation and deliver reductions in the number of patients who have waited too long for diagnosis and treatment.

The Scottish Government is providing financial support for buildings with known cladding issues through the Cladding Remediation Programme.

The Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024 addresses the risks posed by unsafe cladding on residential buildings. This legislation gives Scottish Ministers the power to assess and remediate buildings with unsafe cladding, establish a Cladding Assurance Register, and create schemes requiring developers to contribute to remediation costs. The Act is expected to be commenced in early 2025.

The Scottish Government’s Cladding Remediation Programme Pilot utilised a self-nomination process to identify buildings, of different tenures, that are potentially affected by unsafe cladding. For the Pilot, the Scottish Government funded Pilot Single Building Assessments to test the concept and deliverability of the Assessment. Following the introduction of the Act we have introduced Single Building Assessments (SBA).

The Scottish Government will continue to fund assessment and remediation where no linked developer can be identified. The level of financial support that will be needed is determined by the comprehensive SBA assessment. We continue to publish spend information for the programme which can be accessed here

Single Building Assessment programme: spending information (gov.scot)

The mental health support for police officers and police staff is a matter for the Chief Constable.

In line with Police Scotland’s ‘People Strategy 2024–27’, a ‘Health and Wellbeing Action Plan’ was developed by Police Scotland to provide officers and staff with a range of tools and services that will enable them to take positive action in relation to their health and wellbeing.

In relation to pay for officers and staff, claims are currently being taken through the appropriate negotiating mechanisms, those being, the Police Negotiating Board for Scotland (PNBS) for Police Officers and the Joint Negotiating and Consultative Committee (JNCC) for Police Staff. The PNBS is undertaking a period of conciliation and if agreement can still not be reached, the two Sides of the PNBS would enter into an arbitration process through ACAS. Police Staff pay is also going through a process of negotiation and conciliation; this is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

There will be no ticket office closures or job losses further to the adjustments to the ticket office opening hours proposed by ScotRail and Scottish Rail Holdings.

The purpose of these adjustments is to enable ScotRail to provide assistance to passengers, where it is most required, thus enhancing passenger experience.

The Scottish Government’s acceptance to these proposals is predicated on some conditions, including that the arrangements for disabled passengers will not be affected.

Physician associates are valued and welcome members of the NHS Scotland workforce, and will continue to contribute to the Scottish Government's priority of developing a sustainable system that ensures people get the right care, at the right time, and in the right place. Work is being taken forward through our national Medical Associate Professionals Programme Board to identify how the Physician Associate profession can be utilised to best effect going forward.

GP practices, as independent contractors, are responsible for determining their own staff mixes and it is up to individual practices to decide whether or not they wish to employ Physician Associates or any other type of clinician. The work to expand the Multidisciplinary Teams supporting GP practices through the Primary Care Improvement Fund is based on transferring services from GP delivery to delivery by health board employed staff. It is up to health boards to decide how to staff these services, although they must work closely with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that specific local challenges and population need are taken into account.

Scottish Government regularly reviews the Scottish Ambulance Service - Special Operations Response Team (SORT) arrangements as part of an agreed Service Level Agreement. This ensures delivery of SORT capabilities are maintained across Scotland.

We are committed to driving more equitable ME/CFS care across Scotland, to ensure that people receive appropriate help whenever and wherever they need.

Scottish Ministers have been clear on the need to improve delivery of the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS), to ensure the requirements of our ferry dependent communities are met. No immediate decisions are being made on the subject of reform of the ferries sector, including whether any proposals would be subject to public consultation. At present, the focus is on bringing in new vessels and putting arrangements in place for the direct award of the new CHFS contract next year.