Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government aims to resource all of its agencies to deliver on their key statutory duties and frontline services for the people of Scotland. In SEPA’s case, resourcing includes Grant in Aid funding, as agreed by Parliament, through the approval of annual budget bills as well as funding raised by SEPA through its various charging schemes.

It is for SEPA to determine how it allocates funding to deliver against each of its priorities. Implementation of the integrated authorisation framework, as set out under the Environmental Authorisation (Scotland) Regulations, was identified as a high priority in SEPA’s 2024-27 Corporate Plan. In each year that the Corporate Plan covers, SEPA’s annual operating plans will set out how resources will be allocated.

The Scottish Government is currently developing plans for how the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund allocation will be used to support digital inclusion in Scotland. We will work with stakeholders to ensure that delivery complements existing programmes and supports those most at risk of exclusion.

Further details on how we plan to allocate this funding will be announced in the coming months.

To grow Scotland's economy, we must make full use of our potential workforce and remove barriers to employment.

The 2025-26 budget provides £139 million additional investment for health infrastructure which allows some work to resume on delivering new acute facilities, and supporting Boards’ priority maintenance.

Despite this increase, following the outcome of the UK Government’s Spending Review, the capital funding position remains challenging. As a result, it remains the case that we cannot replace or upgrade health infrastructure as quickly as we might wish to –a position that is not unique to Scotland.

We are working with all health boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to develop a whole-system NHS infrastructure plan to inform strategic investment priorities across the NHS estate. This work supports continued safe operation of existing facilities and will inform determination of longer-term investment priorities.

A key part of this longer-term planning work is development of an investment strategy for primary care, considering both priorities and delivery model.

All Scottish Government staff are subject to SG Terms & Conditions and are managed & supported via our internal policies and processes. This is currently in a live legal process and we do not comment on any individual staffing matters or circumstances.

The Scottish Government provides an annual grant to Scottish Mountain Rescue, which they distribute onwards to all of Scotland’s volunteer mountain rescue teams including Glencoe and Cairngorm which are not affiliated with Scottish Mountain Rescue, according to an agreed and established formula. Information from Scottish Mountain Rescue on the funding that each team has received in the last 5 years is set out in the following table:

Climate change is clearly driving more extreme weather, and this summer has brought very dry conditions across Scotland, particularly in the east, resulting in eight catchment areas now experiencing significant water scarcity. In response, we are implementing Scotland’s National Water Scarcity Plan in collaboration with SEPA and Scottish Water to support those affected.

Since spring, we have worked with SEPA and partners to communicate water scarcity risks to producers. SEPA has also contacted all impacted abstraction license holders directly to offer advice and is working closely with affected businesses. While this is a challenging time, SEPA are reporting encouraging levels of compliance on the ground.

To reduce the impact on agriculture, the Scottish Government’s Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) promotes sustainable land management, including water-use efficiency and water management measures such as irrigation lagoons.

Since 2024, AECS has raised the grant ceiling for irrigation lagoons to £40,000 and enabled applications to be made as either a simplified standalone item or as part of a wider application. Additionally, the Future Farming Investment Scheme launched this year, offering £14 million in capital funding to support improvements in efficiency, nature restoration, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Recognising the increasing challenges posed by climate change, we remain committed to continuing with reformed direct payments. These provide farmers with vital financial stability, helping them to plan and continue producing food sustainably in the face of more frequent and severe weather events.

I am pleased to confirm that today the Scottish Government will publish its new palliative care strategy 2025-30, Palliative Care Matters for All: Palliative Care Matters for All Palliative care strategy (2025–30) - gov.scot. This strategy highlights the changes needed to improve the experiences of people of all ages who are living with life shortening conditions or dying in Scotland, and their families and carers.

We have worked closely with a Strategy Steering group, comprising of third sector organisations, NHS bodies and those with lived experience, to develop this strategy. It will be supported by an initial three year delivery plan (2025-28): Palliative Care Matters for All Palliative care strategy initial delivery plan (2025-28) - gov.scot, which sets out how the Scottish Government will work with those who plan and deliver palliative care in Scotland. This will be delivered in partnership with people of all ages who have life shortening conditions, their families, carers and communities, to deliver the changes outlined in our palliative care strategy.

The Scottish Government has today published the Scottish Blue Carbon Action Plan. It can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806430208

The Scottish Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out our priorities for blue carbon habitats, including saltmarsh, seagrass, seafloor sediments and kelp and other seaweeds. Working with the Scottish Blue Carbon Forum, we are investing in research to fill essential evidence gaps to ensure that blue carbon habitats are effectively utilised as part of our strategic approach to tackling climate change. The Plan also highlights important policies and ongoing work to ensure blue carbon habitats are given due consideration as part of protecting and restoring Scotland’s natural environment.

In the Highlands and Islands region, there are currently 9 Historic Environment Scotland sites which are temporarily closed. Within the Highlands and Islands region, there are no Historic Environment Scotland sites which are permanently closed.

The temporarily closed sites are:

Aberdeenshire Council:

Glenbuchat Castle

Huntly Castle

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar:

Kisimul Castle

Highland Council:

Castle of Old Wick

Moray Council:

Bishops House, Elgin

Dallas Dhu Distillery

Orkney Islands Council:

Eynhallow Church

Tormiston Mill

Shetland Islands Council:

Scalloway Castle

Any further queries from the member regarding the day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to any repair and maintenance works of any specific site, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.