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We are investing more than £135.5 million this year to cut waits, and we expect to see the full impact of our targeted funding in the coming months. As detailed in my response to question S6W-37797 on 30 May 2025, NHS Ayrshire & Arran was initially allocated over £5.7 million funding. This was later supplemented with an additional allocation of almost £600,000 as well as a further allocation of over £1.3 million for dermatology services, bringing total funding up to £7.6 million.

Across Scotland, this targeted funding is expected to deliver more than 213,000 additional procedures and appointments this year, including thousands of additional new outpatient appointments in NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Our plan is clearly working; the latest data shows 61.7% of new outpatient appointments were seen within 12 weeks last quarter, and over 42% of those still waiting have waited less than 12 weeks.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40730 on 1 October 2025 and confirm the specification is not a stand-alone document, it is embedded within the grant agreement which was published on 1st October 2025 on the Transport Scotland website, alongside other relevant governance documentation.

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.

The ICP Vessels and Port Plan notes that vessel and infrastructure project design development should consider issues such as wind and wave/swell modelling data to ensure and provide an optimum solution for ferry services to island communities. We will continue to work closely with all port owners and both our subsidised operators to ensure that climate change adaption is an integral part of the design and delivery of all projects.

Both CalMac and CMAL have also conducted wave height analysis at specific ports as part of project development and as part of ongoing service operation. Information is gathered from a number of sources including installed wave buoys to inform day to day operational decisions. CMAL intend to continue gathering wave data at certain ports which will enable monitoring for any trends over time. This will be complementary to the wind, weather and tidal data that CMAL and operators already gather across the network from a range of sources.

CMAL have recently discussed trends in wave heights with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as part of the SVRP Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects, with data primarily sourced from the Met Office. This approach is also taken on other vessel and infrastructure projects to inform potential service review and design requirements. CalMac will be producing a weather resilience and climate adaptation plan which will look at the wider impact of climate change on services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6O-05083 on 30 October 2025 regarding the conclusion of the purchase.

The redevelopment of Ardrossan and the current focus on potential purchase remains a priority for this Government. I will of course update members of the Ardrossan Taskforce and the relevant Parliamentary Committee and other interested parties and MSPs on an outcome as soon as I am able to.

It is acknowledged that the upgrade of the Irish Berth was not included within the original project scope and commercial proposal from Peel Ports and North Ayrshire Council. If the change in ownership proceeds, Transport Scotland and CMAL will consider the future of the Irish Berth and other areas/facilities included in the harbour area.

All answers to 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.

Local government is a crucial partner in helping to deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That is why we have provided councils with a record £15.1 billion this year, a real terms increase of 5.5%, and have delivered a wide range of powers for local councils.

Our joint Local Governance Review with COSLA will conclude by the end of the Parliament, setting out how power and resources can be better shared between national and local government and with communities.

In addition, this year the Scottish Government has allocated nearly £2.2 billion for social care and integration, representing an increase of over £1.2 billion since
2021-22. This goes almost £350 million beyond the Scottish Government’s original commitment to increase social care funding by 25% (£840 million) over the lifetime of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government has been investing heavily in the social care workforce through its fair work commitments. We will continue to work with local government partners to ensure the people of Scotland can access the services they need when and where they need them.

Violence and abuse against public sector workers are completely unacceptable. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work, especially when serving the public.

A range of criminal laws protect public sector staff. The Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 allows for up to 12 months’ imprisonment for assaulting emergency workers. More serious offences can be prosecuted under common law, with penalties up to life imprisonment. Courts have strong powers to address threats and abuse.

Employers play a key role in promoting staff safety. Public sector workers provide vital services, and we fully support law enforcement in using their powers to prosecute offenders. We encourage all incidents to be reported to employers and the police.

Violence in schools is also unacceptable. National guidance on managing behaviour, co-produced with teaching unions and headteachers and published in June 2025, supports staff in using their professional judgement. Additional guidance on risk assessments helps schools respond to violent or aggressive behaviour.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have jointly urged Directors of Education to review and update local behaviour policies this academic year.

We’ve invested £1.64 billion in Police Scotland this year—£90 million more than in 2024–25—and increased local government funding by over £1.1 billion. Since 2023, over £6 million has supported the Violence Prevention Framework, including work by the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence. Up to £26 million will also be available from March 2026 for the next phase of the Cashback for Communities Programme, supporting projects that help young people avoid crime.

The Scottish Government’s Vision for Justice clearly sets out the priorities we have for the whole of the justice system, ensuring it serves everyone fairly and effectively, with a focus on creating safer communities.

Police Scotland remain focused on keeping our communities safe, with the Scottish Government investing a record £1.64 billion in policing in 2025-26 – an increase of £90 million when compared to the 2024-25 published budget. Scotland has more police officers per head than England or Wales, and recorded crime is down almost 40% since 2006-07.

We are working closely with the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to understand their 2026-27 budget requirements

Against a background of increased funding pressures, we have committed over £6 million to support delivery of a range of prevention and early intervention activities through the Violence Prevention Framework, since its publication in 2023. This investment supports a range of partners, who are working jointly to deliver on the priorities set out in the Framework. YouthLink Scotland’s No Knives, Better Lives programme itself has been financially supported with grant funding of over £5.7m since 2009, including almost £300k in 2025-26. This has allowed YouthLink Scotland to deliver social media messages about knife crime prevention as well as No Knives, Better Lives training sessions to 6,000 front line practitioners and 650 peer educators. This has enabled the programme to reach 165,000 young people across all 32 local authorities in Scotland.