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 In Scotland, we have built a radically different system to change the way disability benefits are delivered. We ensure that the impact of fluctuating health conditions like PMDD have on people’s lives are fully taken into account when someone applies for a social security benefit.

For example, we have removed anxiety inducing and unreliable private-sector assessments which only offer a snapshot of an individual’s needs and fail people with fluctuating conditions like PMDD. Our person-centred approach ensures that the full impacts of a long-term health condition, including the impacts of pain and fatigue, are taken into consideration during the decision-making process.

The Sottish Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the social security system. We therefore welcome this comprehensive report and will carefully consider its findings alongside the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment, which Scottish Ministers are committed to responding to by January 2026.

The shipbuilding sector plays a vital role in supporting jobs and driving economic growth across Scotland. We are committed to promoting manufacturing and innovation, and Ministers continue to engage with businesses in the sector as part of that commitment.

All cancers, including Sarcoma, remain a priority for the Scottish Government and wider NHS Scotland.

The Scottish Government published our Cancer strategy 2023 to 2033 - gov.scot along with an initial three year Cancer action plan 2023 to 2026 - gov.scot in June 2023.

Our strategic aim is to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. The strategy and plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care and will focus on reducing inequities in access to cancer care and cancer outcomes. This means treatment and care will be equally good for everyone, including for those with Sarcoma and we are taking action to achieve this.

For example, on 6 August we published the clinically reviewed Scottish Referral Guidelines for Sarcoma to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time. These guidelines support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of Sarcoma and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist.

We do not expect to conduct a specific review for sarcoma care and treatment at this time.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38163 on 17 June 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.

Our revised Pathway of Maternity Care clinical guidance and schedule, published on 6 February 2025, sets out the core care that all women and babies should receive under a whole-person, individualised care approach which takes account of their specific circumstances. We remain committed to implementation of continuity of carer by mid-2026, under The Best Start, as part of our Programme for Government 2025-26, recognising that the evidence tells us that this approach will be of greatest benefit to women and families from minoritised and marginalised communities.

On 6 February 2025, we published our Tackling Racialised Health Inequalities in Maternity Care Action Plan, which outlines our next steps for both local and national action. This is supplemented by our Interpretation Toolkits, designed to support staff to deliver maternity care where women require the use of an interpreter. Our data and evidence resource provides NHS Boards with an overview of the sources available to support local improvement activity.

We have asked all 22 NHS Boards to develop and deliver against anti-racism plans, covering workforce and service delivery. Planning guidance issued to NHS Boards in September 2024 and identifies perinatal care as an early priority for action.

The Scottish Government Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Action Plan was launched in 2023 and places a large focus on how to ensure everyone who needs it can access good sexual and reproductive health. LGBT Youth Scotland, Scotland’s national charity for LGBTI+ young people, was awarded multi-year funding to support LGBTI+ young people. The projects aims to ensure that LGBTI+ young people have improved awareness around sexual health and wellbeing, and increased access to this information to address inequity in sexual health care.

Following a full submission of doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride (Xonvea®), for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP), for women who do not respond to conservative management, the SMC | Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) published not recommended advice found here: doxylamine succinate and pyridoxine hydrochloride (Xonvea) in May 2019. The marketing authorisation holder did not present a sufficiently robust clinical or economic analysis to gain acceptance by the SMC. The SMC would welcome a resubmission at any time.

Where licensed medicines, such as Xonvea®, are not routinely available on the NHS in Scotland, doctors can use the PACS Tier Two system to request access on a case-by-case basis. The cost of the medicine is not a decision-making criterion.

The Scottish Government recognises the challenges people with Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) face in obtaining diagnosis and care. Diagnosis usually begins with a GP referral and may involve rheumatologists, geneticists, and other specialists. Hypermobile EDS (hEDS) is diagnosed clinically, while genetic testing is available for rarer forms of EDS.

EDS can affect people in different ways. While there is no cure for EDS, treatment and support focus on helping people manage symptoms and prevent complications. NHS Scotland provides multidisciplinary care through hospitals in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, and Scottish patients can access more specialist EDS services in England via cross-border referrals if clinically indicated.

The City of Edinburgh Council has published detailed information on the implementation of its visitor levy scheme, including the treatment of advance bookings. The Council has committed to providing further practical guidance and support to accommodation providers, including a payment platform and training from March 2026. The Scottish Government continues to engage with the Council and the wider sector to support effective implementation.

Following announcement of the additional £40m in targeted voids and acquisitions in my statement to Parliament on 2 September, the 2025-26 budget for AHSP is £807.745m and represents an increase of £251.883m when compared to the original published 2024-25 budget of £555.862m. The 2025–26 budget not only restores but exceeds the 2023–24 budget.

As the latest Programme for Government makes clear, the commercialisation of Scottish research and intellectual property (IP) is a significant economic opportunity. The Scottish Government and its agencies are working in partnership with universities and investors to unlock this potential through a range of initiatives. Examples include:

• £3 million Proof of Concept Fund – supporting researchers to transform new discoveries into investable commercial propositions.
• Techscaler network – working with universities to equip talented researchers and innovators with the entrepreneurial skills needed to translate ideas into marketable products.
• High Growth Spinout Programme (Scottish Enterprise) – provides tailored support and training for IP-rich spinouts with strong scaling potential.
• Investment collaboration – the Scottish Government and the Scottish National Investment Bank are exploring the creation of a dedicated fund for companies focused on commercialising new IP.
• Direct investment – both Scottish Enterprise and the Bank continue to invest directly in Scotland’s IP-rich companies.
• Infrastructure – the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have invested in several key institutions focussed on the creation and commercialisation of new IP e.g. the Robotarium, the national network of innovation centres and the Dundee Life Sciences Innovation Hub.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) published its most recent independent forecasts on 25 June 2025, which sets out its latest five-year economic and fiscal forecasts to 2030-31.

The publication can be found on the SFC’s website: Scotland’s Economic and Fiscal Forecasts Update – June 2025 | Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Based on those forecasts and Scottish Government’s estimates of Young Carer Grant and Job Start Payment, expenditure on the range of Social Security Assistance provided by the Scottish Government is forecast to increase from £6.8 billion this year, to £9.3 billion by 2030-31, as shown in the following table.