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The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF) was launched by the Scottish and UK Governments in July 2025. Financial year 2025-26 represents a pilot phase for the TTF.

In September, the Scottish Government confirmed further funding of up to £450,000 to process additional applications during the pilot phase.

As of 8 December, all applications on the waitlist are being processed and Skills Development Scotland are contacting further prospective applicants who have already registered their interest to invite them to proceed with an application. The TTF is not open to entirely new applications at this stage.

We expect the TTF to open again for entirely new applications early in the next financial year. The Scottish Government, in partnership with the UK Government, has also announced joint funding of up to £18 million to extend and expand the TTF over the next three financial years (2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29), subject to the outcome of the Scottish Budget and Spending Review.

The Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund (TTF) was launched by the Scottish and UK Governments in July 2025. Financial year 2025-26 represents a pilot phase for the TTF. The pilot phase has been supported by up to £1.35 million of combined funding from the UK and Scottish Governments. As of 8 December, Skills Development Scotland are continuing to process applications and have approved approximately £750,000 of training for successful applicants.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with the UK Government, has also announced future joint funding of up to £18 million (on a match funding basis between the two governments) to extend and expand the TTF over the next three financial years (2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29), subject to the outcome of the Scottish Budget and Spending Review.

This year we have increased the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) budget to £1.64 billion, an increase of £90 million compared to the published 2024-25 budget, to support police capacity and capability. It is for the Chief Constable, under the scrutiny of the SPA, to allocate resources to meet her priorities, as outlined in the Police Scotland three year plan.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the SPA and Police Scotland to understand their 2026-27 budget requirements. The 2026-27 Scottish Budget will be published on 13 January 2026.

Decisions on the deployment of police officers are a matter for the Chief Constable. As of 30 September 2025, K Division, which covers Renfrewshire and Inverclyde had 618 officers. This is 18 more than the previous quarter, and 17 more than the same point last year. A summary of the relevant statistics is shown in the following table.

The Scottish Government wants all healthcare provided to people in Scotland to be safe, appropriate, and carried out by those with the right qualifications.

The Scottish Government are engaging with Healthcare Improvement Scotland regarding the next phase of regulation of independent healthcare. Any proposals for widening the scope of regulation of independent healthcare will be based on intelligence of potential risks and patient safety concerns.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-42335 on 16 December 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

We are 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.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of raising awareness of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Information and guidance on IBD including Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis is already widely available to the public via the NHS Inform website: Scottish health information you can trust | NHS inform

The Scottish Government welcomed the recent Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week 2025, “How it feels,” and values the work of charities like Crohn’s and Colitis UK helping raising awareness of the condition.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

A range of checks are carried out before the release of a prisoner is authorised including but not limited to, an identity check of the person, confirmation of liberation date and a check for any known outstanding warrants.

A liberation in error occurs when an individual is released from a Scottish Prison Service establishment without lawful authority. This situation typically arises due to an administrative or procedural mistake, such as incorrect interpretation of documentation, miscalculation of sentence dates or incorrect data sharing from other partners.

The following table provides the numbers of total liberations, liberations in error and those still not returned to custody since 2021-2022, up to and including 5 Dec 2025:

The Scottish Government is committed to doing all we can, with our limited economic powers, to mitigate the impact of ExxonMobil’s decision to close the Fife Ethylene Plant. The Minister for Public Finance attended a meeting with Fife Council, UK Government, local employers, and trade union representatives on 24 November. I also convened a summit on 25 November which included Fife Council, key industry stakeholders, union representatives, colleges and MSPs to establish what targeted action can be taken to secure a prosperous future for the site and its workforce.

Going forward, the Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with all stakeholders with the aim of securing a long-term and sustainable future for Mossmorran. Fife Council have confirmed that they will lead the proposed taskforce; and the Scottish Government has committed to fully participating in this.

The Scottish Government has been clear: the UK Government must take further action to mitigate the impact of ExxonMobil’s regrettable decision to close the Fife Ethylene Plant. The First Minister has written to the Prime Minister expressing his dissatisfaction with the complete lack of action from the UK Government, and reiterated the need to act now when they met on 5 December.

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-42347 on 16 December 2025 for information on Scottish Water’s approach to installing Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) monitors.

CSOs must be licensed by the independent regulator, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and any unsatisfactory discharges will be identified so that Scottish Water can invest to reduce the environmental impact.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.