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Undertaking a health capital investment project is an iterative process and estimating the cost and completion date is a complex exercise and we did not identify individual budgets and completion dates when the programme of investment was originally announced.

Since then, additional projects have been added to the programme and we have experienced unprecedented levels of inflation in the construction sector which makes comparison of costs and completion dates difficult.

The latest position for all projects is noted in the following table:

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all children in primary school receive at least two hours of physical education (PE) each school week.

To monitor progress on this commitment, local authorities have provided us with data about provision of PE in their schools since 2012. This data is reported through the annual Schools Healthy Living Survey Statistics Report, which is available through the following web link: Data and Methodology - School Healthy Living Survey: school meal uptake and PE provision statistics 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Information about schools meeting PE targets is contained on Table 18 of the supplementary statistics spreadsheet in the Schools Healthy Living Survey.

In addition to regular physical education classes there are other physical activity initiatives available for primary school age children, such as The Daily Mile. The Daily Mile is a simple and effective concept which allows all pupils to either run, jog or walk for one mile each day at any time which best suits the needs of the class. Scotland became the world’s first Daily Mile Nation in October 2022.

The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring funding is distributed equitably across the country as set out in the 2021-22 Programme for Government. The existing National Resource Allocation Formula (NRAC) is updated on an ongoing basis for a range of factors including population demographics, relative health needs and remote and rural factors. We will continue to assess the need for a more detailed review of the formula, in line with developments in National Care Service funding and Integration reform.

The formula is inherently complex and the review will take time. However, work to determine how the review should be taken forward is underway, with initial meetings of the Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation (TAGRA) having taken place, considering the next steps to determine scope and timing of the review.

Further work is required prior to confirmation of a timeline for the publication of the updated formula.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland currently participate in the Daily Mile Initiative.

Health and Social Care Management Board (HSCMB) last met on‎ 24 January 2024, and it discussed strategic, tactical, and operational matters which contribute to the delivery of health and care service across Scotland.

The Scottish Dental Access Initiative (SDAI) was introduced in 1997. Over the course of this period, areas of NHS Dumfries and Galloway included within the scheme have varied depending on the access to NHS dental services at a particular time.

The whole NHS Dumfries and Galloway Board area was added for inclusion to the scheme from 20 December 2021.

The last meeting of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce was held on the 6 December 2023 and was chaired by myself. The next meeting is scheduled for the 13 March 2024.

The NCS TOM reference group last met on the 19 May 2022. The meeting was a workshop focused on review of the current system and potential options for future systems. Consideration was given at this meeting to the potential approaches for the structure of the NCS.

Health and Social Care Assurance Board (HSCAB) last met on‎ 8 November 2023. At this meeting, the Co-Director of Social Care and NCS Development, provided an update on the progress of the National Care Service.

As set out in our draft budget the capital funding position is extremely challenging, with a UK Government cut of some 10% in our capital budget over the next five years. That has inevitably led to some difficult decisions on what capital projects will be progressed.

The Scottish Government are in active discussions with NHS Lanarkshire on the impact of this budget settlement on the proposal to replace University Hospital Monklands and an updated position is expected in February.

The Scottish Government will bring forward a revised pipeline of infrastructure investment in the spring, alongside the medium-term financial strategy, at which point we would hope that the fiscal outlook will be clearer.