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The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the expansion of Housing First and has pledged £3 million to incentivise registered social landlords to pledge additional tenancies through the acquisition of suitable properties. We anticipate that this investment will support the acquisition of between 40 and 50 properties. The Scottish Government supports the delivery of Housing First through the provision of Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan funding. In addition to the £72.5m provided to local authorities since 2018, the Scottish Government will provide a £1m Housing First uplift in 2025-26 and has confirmed the extension of funding to 2026-27, bringing the total funding provided to £83.5m. The Scottish Government also funds Homeless Network Scotland to provide advice to local authorities on scaling up Housing First in their areas.

The Scottish Government has funded the creation of hundreds of additional specialty training places for doctors in training in Scotland across multiple different specialties (including cancer-related specialties), since 2014. These training places have been created in response to recommendations made by the Scottish Shape of Training Transition Group (SSoTTG), which meets annually to review the number of specialty training places needed in order to meet anticipated future service demand, and consultant need.

The training programmes for relevant specialties (including Histopathology, Clinical Oncology, Surgical specialties and Clinical Radiology) follow curricula overseen by the respective Royal Colleges and include training on and/or exposure to sarcoma which varies depending on factors including the specific curriculum, specialty and placement. Furthermore, NHS Education for Scotland follow a multipronged approach to mitigate training gaps and there are also other opportunities and resources in relation to sarcoma knowledge available for doctors in Scotland.

Whilst Scottish Government sets the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland, operational matters, including staffing, are ultimately the responsibility of NHS Boards.

From 2 September, first-time buyers can apply to the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme (OMSE) alongside the priority access groups. OMSE aims to help those on low to moderate incomes secure a home that they may not otherwise have been able to do.

To date, the Scottish Government has provided grant funding to both the Council and local RSLs to deliver 155 social rented homes through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in Blindwells with another 52 homes planned for approval this year. Funding has also been provided through the Housing Infrastructure Fund to support expert advice for the Blindwells masterplan.

As I set out in my statement on the Housing Emergency on 2 September, the Scottish Government will work with East Lothian Council and private sector partners to unlock investment and growth of the new town of Blindwells.

The Scottish Government works with local authorities in a way appropriate to their local context in facilitating increased housing.

Up to £4.9 billion will be delivered through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment. More detail will be set out in the upcoming Scottish Budget and Scottish Spending Review.

Up to £4.9 billion will be invested in housing through a mixture of public and privately leveraged investment. The upcoming Scottish Government Budget and Scottish Spending Review will set out further detail.

Social Security Scotland has delivered a range of communications activity warning older people about phishing scams, including fraudulent text messages that claim to be from government departments. The activity includes regular content across multiple social media platforms, the organisation’s website and coverage in newspapers to help keep people informed.

Key to a successful programme of flipping activity is ensuring that the accommodation is of good quality and meets the needs of the household. In my statement on the housing emergency, I referenced the guidance produced by ALACHO on flipping temporary accommodation to a household’s settled home. This flipping practice note sets out options and considerations for converting a temporary let into a permanent tenancy.

Outcomes from a decision to flip temporary accommodation should be consistent with the council’s overall approach to offering permanent and temporary accommodation. ALACHO has set out various factors to be taken into account in a local authority’s approach to flipping and recommends that any proposal to flip accommodation should:

• meet the council’s statutory obligations to the applicant involved;
• represent a reasonable offer of accommodation;
• be consistent with the needs and wishes of the applicant;
• ensure no reduction in the level of choice or control afforded relative to other applicants;
• provide a sustainable housing outcome;
• not disadvantage either those accepting a flip, those who refuse such an offer and those not in a position to receive such an offer;
• support the council’s ability to meet its duty to offer temporary accommodation;
• ensure that the transition from temporary to settled accommodation is actively managed, including any change to the availability of support services or eligibility for benefits;
• be linked to a clear process for replacing the temporary let if necessary; and
• offer value for money to the council in relation to any replacement of furniture and fittings that are included in the offer of a permanent let.

ALACHO’s flipping practice note should be read alongside the Scottish Government’s Code of Guidance on Homelessness and the Scottish Government’s Temporary Accommodation Standards Framework as well as taking local policies into account.

The commitment to recruit 1000 additional staff in Primary Care Mental Health remains paused.

We are still committed to the development of mental health and wellbeing workforce capacity in general practice through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027, and the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF).

Action 15 at March 2022, had seen an additional 356 WTE mental health workers recruited to general practice and at March 2025, 179.7 WTE Mental Health workers were in post funded by PCIF.

The supply of gas and electricity are reserved matters. The Scottish Government has no involvement in applications for electricity supply licences and is therefore unable to comment on this matter.