Health Secretary Neil Gray visited Gartnavel General Hospital today to see first-hand how Scottish Government investment is supporting increased capacity in orthopaedic services to deliver faster care for patients.
The visit follows the Programme for Government announced by the First Minister last week, which committed to the delivery of more than 150,000 additional NHS appointments and procedures, including in surgical procedures such as hip and knee replacements compared to last year.
This investment is part of the government’s commitment to strengthening the NHS and ensuring timely access to essential treatments.
During his visit, Mr. Gray toured Gartnavel’s state-of-the-art theatre complex, where he met with frontline staff involved in the expanded orthopaedic services. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will be allocated funding to support the delivery of additional orthopaedic procedures through extra elective theatres at the hospital.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The Scottish Government is determined to increase capacity in our NHS – making sure people can get the quality care they need when they need it.
“Increasing orthopaedic capacity here means faster, more efficient care for those who need it most, allowing patients to regain mobility and quality of life without unnecessary delays.
“We have seen real progress in the last year, with more than 105,000 appointments and procedures delivered through an additional £30 million of targeted investment in 2024-25.
“Now we want to build on that momentum through the additional £200 million set out in this year’s Budget to reduce waiting lists and to help support reduction of delayed discharge.”
School libraries across Scotland are set to benefit from a £150,000 funding injection earmarked for projects supporting the development of employability skills, digital literacy and family learning, through the 2025/26 School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF).
Administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) on behalf of the Scottish Government, SLIF supports creative and innovative projects in line with the key aims of ‘Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools’ – the national strategy for the development of school libraries in Scotland.
Open to all state-run nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools in Scotland, this year’s fund will prioritise project applications which promote the themes of cross curricular working and developing employability skills, delivering digital literacy and exploring digital creativity, and cluster working and family learning.
The 2025-26 SLIF brings the total investment from the Scottish Government to £1.87 million over the lifetime of the scheme.
Announcing the opening of the fund for 2025-26, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Jenny Gilruth, said: “School libraries are a vital part of the learning community across Scotland and we know they can help foster habits of reading for pleasure among our young people from an early age, which can support learning and help close the poverty related attainment gap.
“I am determined to ensure that our school libraries continue to prosper and would encourage all head teachers who think their school could benefit for this important funding to apply for a share of this £150,000 of investment from the Scottish Government.
“This year’s fund will support family learning and help deliver more digital literacy and creativity, in line with our ambition to develop an innovation nation and support greater whole family support.”
17 projects across Scotland benefited from last year’s funding boost of £150,000 which focused on developing literacy and numeracy, information and media literacy, and mental health support.
Successful projects included ‘reading picnics’ in Edinburgh’s Craigentinny Primary, the ‘s’more reading for mental health’ initiative across Aberdeenshire school libraries, and ‘building empathy through reading’ in Falkirk’s Braes High School.
Alison Nolan, chief executive officer of SLIC, said: “The SLIF supports creative, innovative projects within Scotland’s school libraries and every year, we are struck by the ingenuity of the forward-thinking services that drive progress with trailblazing projects that best meet the evolving needs of their school communities.
“With the latest funding pledge of £150,000 for school libraries announced, it’s the perfect time for services to reflect on what’s possible. We encourage teams to think boldly about how they can develop and transform their offering, and submit an application that brings those ideas to life in support of pupils, parents and colleagues.”
Schools can submit an individual or collaborative application, with SLIC accepting up to two individual applications per local authority and an unlimited number of collaborative applications to ensure equal opportunities across the country.
The School Library Improvement Fund 2025-26 is now open. Applications will close on 27 August 2025.
Communities across Scotland seeking to set up renewable energy generation projects can bid for support from an £8 million Scottish government fund which has reopened for applications.
The Community Energy Generation Growth Fund supports local communities to install wind turbines and solar panels or develop other types of renewable energy generation, such as hydro, to meet local needs.
Successful applicants will also be able to earn money from their projects by, for example, allowing them to sell excess energy generated.
The expanded Scottish Government fund, which includes £4 million from Great British Energy, is part of the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and builds on last year’s support.
Since its inception, CARES has advised over 1,300 organisations and provided over £67 million in funding to communities throughout Scotland, supporting over 990 projects.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is set to announce the reopening of the fund at the All Energy Scotland conference in Glasgow this morning (Wednesday).
Speaking ahead of the conference, Ms Forbes said: “Scotland is fast becoming a global renewable energy powerhouse, and it is vital that communities share in the benefits from this transition.
“This funding, for stand-alone generation projects, responds to the needs of local groups – has the potential to lever in significant funds for communities. It will also play a key role in our delivery of a just transition – supporting a greener, fairer future for Scots.
“It is also welcome that Great British Energy recognise the valuable role that communities play in our green transition and have provided support for the fund – helping to significantly increase the amount of support available to communities – and providing a catalyst for growth within the community energy sector.
“We will continue to work with our partners to grow the community energy sector to ensure that the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland, as well as supporting progress towards net zero.”
Chris Morris from Local Energy Scotland said: “We’re pleased to be building on the success of last year’s Community Energy Generation Growth Fund pilot to support more Scottish communities looking to take the next steps in their renewable energy projects and play an active part in the nation’s transition to net zero.
“Scottish communities demonstrated an appetite to develop new projects during the pilot phase and ideas taken forward include partnering with local authorities to install solar panels on schools, getting approvals for new solar farms and building wind turbines.
We’re looking forward to supporting communities and helping even more of these inspiring projects be realised. For Scottish communities interested, the Local Energy Scotland team is here to help with information and case studies.”
Great British Energy funding boost for Scottish communities
£4m Great British Energy funding scheme to target clean energy projects in Scottish communities
Community-owned energy projects in Scotland to get access to funding from Great British Energy
new investment will help communities install clean power projects to cut bills and provide energy security
joint fund with the Scottish Government will give communities a stake in their local energy supply
Communities across Scotland can today apply for new funding from a £4 million Great British Energy scheme.
The funding targets local clean energy projects – from community-led onshore wind, to solar on rooftops and hydropower in rivers – generating profits which could be reinvested into community projects or take money off people’s bills.
Great British Energy, the government’s publicly-owned clean power company, is giving communities a stake in generating their own energy so people can reinvest profits where it really matters.
Great British Energy’s £4 million funding is part of the £8 million Community Energy Generation Growth Fund, with the remaining funding coming from the Scottish Government.
Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said: “This is our clean energy superpower mission in action – putting communities in the driving seat of energy generation and making sure people profit.
“Great British Energy wants to kickstart a community energy revolution, empowering our towns and villages to become mini energy producers and reinvest profits back into the local community.”
A new national recruitment campaign to help find more foster carers has been launched by First Minister John Swinney.
The Scottish Government campaign, which was announced at John Lewis in Edinburgh to mark the start of Foster Care Fortnight, aims to support the recruitment of more Local Authority foster carers.
The Fostering Network estimates that Scotland needs at least 400 additional foster carers, and this campaign seeks to raise awareness of the benefits of fostering and encourage people across the country to consider if they could support a child or young person in the care system.
John Lewis – a key campaign partner – are a foster friendly employer providing extra support to employees who are foster carers, something the Scottish Government has recently introduced to its own staff.
The company also run a Care Experienced internship which supports hundreds of young people with care experience to get work experience.
The campaign will be running in May and June, with a new website and an advice line for anyone interested in finding out more.
As he met foster carers at the new campaign launch, the First Minister said:“Foster carers play a vital role supporting and providing safe and loving foster homes to children and young people. They are key to our ambition of delivering The Promise by 2030.
“Across Scotland, foster carers provide stability, care and connection to support children and young people to thrive.
“Our campaign importantly focuses on how the everyday ‘ordinary’ can be extraordinary for a child in foster care. Fostering can be transformational for a child or young person and by stepping forward, foster carers offer not just a home, but the relationships and support that help shape brighter futures.”
Anne Currie, Assistant Director for Scotland at The Fostering Network, said: “We welcome the launch of the Scottish Government’s national campaign to recruit foster carers, and we’re proud to back this initiative by providing additional support to our Fosterline service to specifically manage enquiries.
“We hope this leads to more people stepping forward to become foster carers in Scotland, and raises awareness of the vital role fostering plays.
“The need has never been more urgent – as over 350 foster carers leave each year, it’s critical that we take action now.”
Ceira Thom, Head of Learning, Inclusion and Belonging at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “At the John Lewis Partnership, we believe that every child deserves a safe, loving home where they can grow and flourish.
“As the UK’s largest Fostering Friendly employer, we’re proud to support this vital campaign and to help raise awareness of the life-changing role foster carers play in young people’s lives.”
UK Government urged to work with Scottish Government on plans
The Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart has urged the UK Government to rethink its immigration white paper to take account of Scotland’s distinct population needs.
Following publication of new proposals from the Home Office on immigration, the Scottish Government has called on the UK Government to take account of its own proposals on immigration.
The Minister said the UK Government must engage the Scottish Government on its immigration policy, reflecting that migration enriches Scotland’s communities, supports economic growth and addresses population challenges.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “The UK Government’s plans on migration stand in stark contrast to our values and they do not reflect Scotland’s distinct population needs.
“The Scottish Government is proud to welcome and support people from around the world to live, work and build their lives in Scotland. Not only does migration enrich our communities and culture, it is vital for economic growth, public services like the NHS and addressing our population challenges.
“Scotland needs talented and committed people from across the world to live, work and study here without excessive barriers.
“A one-size fits all approach to immigration fails to meet the needs of Scotland and much of the UK. In particular, any plans to end international recruitment of care workers will be devastating for the care sector in Scotland and across the UK.
“We are deeply disappointed that the UK Government’s white paper on immigration fails to take on board our proposals to help meet Scotland’s distinct demographic and economic requirements.
“I call on the Home Secretary to urgently work with us to deliver an immigration system which is reflective of Scotland’s needs, and avoids the harm to our economy, communities, and public services which the policy decisions in the white paper will lead to.
“If it does not, then it becomes ever clearer that Scotland needs full powers over immigration. Independence would give Scotland control over migration policy and provide an opportunity to introduce a new, welcoming immigration system that supports our economy and public services.”
In March, the Scottish Government provided a set of policy proposals to the Home Office during development of its white paper on immigration.
The Scottish Government will shortly publish these proposals online and will write to the UK Government this week to call for meaningful discussions.
To date, there has been no substantive engagement from the Home Office on any of the policy proposals contributed by the Scottish Government during the development of the White Paper.
Cash-first approach to keeping tenants in their homes
A partnership programme to help prevent people from becoming homeless has been launched by the Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. This is in addition to the £4 million investment in homelessness prevention pilots in 2025-26 highlighted by the First Minister in the Programme for Government.
The £1 million Upstream Homelessness Prevention Fund will bring together Registered Social Landlords (RSLs), third sector organisations, community groups and other local partners to expand on existing successful approaches to preventing homelessness and explore innovative ways to sustain tenancies.
Partnerships funded by the programme will receive a cash fund for individual payments of up to £1,300 to help prevent people becoming homeless. The year long programme will also help to inform how RSLs will carry out the new Ask and Act prevention duties outlined in the Housing Bill currently progressing through Parliament.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Homeless Network Scotland will administer the Scottish Government funded scheme which is open for applications.
Ms Somerville said: “The aim of the fund is to break the cycle of repeat homelessness by providing targeted joined-up support for people struggling to pay their rent while also having to navigate housing, health and social care services.
“This early intervention approach will help to minimise evictions by upstream prevention activity and identifying opportunities to build up support systems where they are needed. This will help people to keep their tenancies and prevent them from becoming homeless.
“The scheme will also provide valuable feedback for the wider RSL network and provide examples of service design and delivery that can be replicated in other places and contexts.”
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations Chief Executive Sally Thomas said: “We are delighted to administer this important funding, which will complement the significant efforts housing associations make to help people remain in their homes.
“This could include providing direct cash interventions to those facing financial difficulties, or forming local partnerships to make use of shared spaces and staff to create joined-up approaches to homelessness prevention.
“Beyond the funding, this programme will also provide vital insights on the support needed to help people at risk of homelessness and inform future approaches to partnership working to deliver the Ask and Act duty.”
Homeless Network Scotland Chief Executive Maggie Brunjes said: “Housing associations and third sector organisations are ideally positioned to prevent homelessness by delivering early, community-focused interventions.
“This Scottish Government funding will support local partnerships, enabling tailored solutions that tackle material hardship and leverage community resources to help people remain in their homes.”
The Scottish Government’s cost of living guarantee will help to deliver vital support for the people of Scotland, First Minister John Swinney has said.
The Programme for Government 2025-26 commits to a range of measures which will help households in a challenging economic climate.
The cost of living guarantee includes:
Lower income tax than in England for the majority of workers
Continuation of free prescriptions and free eye appointments
Free bus travel for 2.3 million people
Scottish undergraduate students will continue to pay no tuition fees
Funded childcare hours, which would otherwise cost families more than £6,000 a year per eligible child.
Free school meals, which save the average family who take up the offer £400 per child per year, will be expanded, and more breakfast clubs introduced.
Winter fuel payments restored for Scottish pensioners in 2025-26
The Programme for Government also committed to scrapping peak rail fares for good from September.
The First Minister said: “This Scottish Government will always do what it can to deliver the best deal for the people of Scotland.
“Our cost of living guarantee is delivering real savings for hard-pressed households across the country and it goes further than any package offered in the rest of the UK.
“These policies are already saving people money year on year, in the form of free prescriptions, free bus travel and more. This year we will go even further, funding the restoration of winter fuel payments for every pensioner in Scotland after they were abandoned by the UK Government.
“And from September, we will be scrapping peak rail fares for good – delivering a better deal for commuters.
“I know that too many people are still struggling during the cost of living crisis and that is why my government is taking action to keep more money in people’s pockets during tough times.”
Funding has been announced enabling an order to be placed for a new Screen Machine mobile cinema serving rural communities across Scotland.
The £500,000 Scottish Government grant allows Regional Screen Scotland (RSS) to order a new vehicle to take films to 44 locations in areas including the Highlands and Islands, Moray and North Ayrshire.
After the previous 80-seat vehicle was retired in 2023 following 18 years and 250,000 miles on the road, RSS started fundraising for a permanent replacement costing £1.7 million. A leased vehicle is currently continuing the service until April 2026.
The new machine will be energy efficient with the ability to charge via solar panels and battery packs, instead of a diesel generator.
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “The Screen Machine service is a hugely important asset, bringing cinema to the doorsteps of people in many rural and island communities.
“It has proved its worth over 26 years, providing entertainment that town and city residents take for granted. In doing so it enriches people’s lives and plays a part in tackling rural depopulation.
“This grant allows Regional Screen Scotland to order a new, bespoke vehicle able to use Scotland’s ferry network and negotiate our rural roads. I wish the organisation well as it continues efforts to reach its fundraising target.”
Regional Screen Scotland interim Chief Executive Simon Drysdale said: “This generous grant from the Scottish Government completely transforms our fundraising campaign to raise the money required to build a new Screen Machine. We can now plan with greater confidence for a service that will be secured into the 2040s.
“Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported our campaign so far, from Screen Scotland to the Arran Trust, customers of the Newtonmore Grill, letter-writing children in Barra and many, many more.”
First Minister John Swinney has written to the Conveners of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party groups on India and Pakistan to express his support in light of the recent tensions between the two countries, following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
In his letter, the First Minister said: “For many in the community, this may be a worrying time, and my thoughts are with those who have family and friends in the region. Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities enrich Scotland socially, culturally, and economically.
“I have called upon leaders in the region to choose dialogue, diplomacy, and shared humanity ahead of force and bloodshed. There can be no winners from further military escalation. Protecting civilians is urgent and paramount.
“My officials are in contact with various stakeholders in the communities, as well as with Police Scotland, Universities Scotland, and diplomatic missions. I would urge you to support that dialogue and bring to us any concerns you hear from Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities.”
This week the First Minister John Swinney unveiled an earlier than usual Programme for Government covering the final year of this parliament ahead of Scottish elections in May 2026 (write Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The rationale for the Programme for Government is that it sets out the parliamentary programme for the year ahead. The FM said that this is being presented now to ensure a “year of delivery” in the run up to the election.
Since the last PfG, there have been a number of changes to this programme with some dropped (Misogyny Bill), some being substantially re-drafted ahead of being introduced (Heat in Buildings Bill) and others that are already going through Parliament being substantially scaled back (National Care Service Bill). As such, it makes sense for the government to be updating how it intends to make the best use of the scarce parliamentary time in the year ahead.
However, this also provides a convenient time to make some noise about the good things the government is doing in Scotland. The timing, shortly after was expected to be, and indeed was, a difficult week for Labour and Conservatives in elections in England, doesn’t feel entirely accidental. But enough of the politics – what was in the substance of what was discussed?
What were the top priorities?
The key themes of the programme for Government are growing the economy, eradicating child poverty, tackling the climate emergency and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services.
On the economy, the First Minister was keen to first set out the measures that the Scottish Government had pursued to reduce the cost of living for citizens in Scotland, in particular focussing on the decision to partially reinstate the winter fuel payment given it is now a devolved benefit. He also referenced global economic developments, and announced a new “Six Point Export Plan”, which will focus on unlocking target markets. It will be good to examine in the coming months how this lines up with previous efforts such as the Trading Nation Strategy.
The FM was keen to reiterate that eradicating child poverty was at the heart of the SG’s programme, and highlighted the impact that the Scottish Child Payment was directly having on child poverty. The modelling suggests that the measure reduces child poverty by 4 percentage points in 2025-26, which represents about 40,000 children in Scotland. Having said that, as we covered extensively recently, the SG have missed their interim statutory child poverty targets. If these statutory targets are to be met, the child payment will not be sufficient on its own.
Tackling the climate emergency did not feature prominently in the FM’s speech, but there is more in the document on this than was presented in the chamber. The removal of peak fares was presented as a cost of living measure, but is also discussed as a measure likely to support modal shift.
This announcement is interesting in the context of the Government ending the pilot of peak fare removal in September 2024, as (according to the government’s evaluation) it didn’t encourage enough modal shift to pay for itself, and generally helped out those from better off households, rather than those in the poorest households.
Finally, there was the section on public services, which had as the headlines the commitments on the health service that had been well-trailed, including an extra 100,000 GP appointments.
While this had been covered as dealing with the “lottery of the 8am call”, it would appear to be a more general commitment to increase capacity, which the government will hope will improve the way that people experience their interactions with primary care.
The Programme for Government’s claim that additional GP appointments will “address the root causes of ill health” appears to contradict much of the Scottish Government’s own public health messaging—as well as broader expert consensus—which emphasises the importance improving living conditions (also known as Primary Prevention) as the key to improving health outcomes, rather than relying on healthcare services alone. A new Population Health Framework is due to be published in the next month – we’ll have to wait and see how this all fits together.
It goes without saying that none of these issues can be solved in 12 months. And while they may be government priorities, we do not have the detail on delivery. A high-level document is not the place to be setting out the nuts and bolts of this, but the concern is that rather than sparing us the detail, the government lacks the enough of a grasp on the issue to solve it and has even less of a plan on how progress will be measured and evaluated.
For example, on GP appointments. How many GP services are unable to meet demand? Why are some having to operate restrictions on appointment booking and others are not? How will the government monitor whether additional resource allocated is making a difference? How is this compatible with some GPs currently not able to take on staff because of funding restrictions?
To be clear, allocating additional resources to a problem is not the same as delivering an improvement.
Fiscal pressures limit ambition
The PfG usually comes out a few months before the Scottish Budget meaning that pledges set out by the First Minister could then make their way into the budget process with money allocated and available for the start of the next financial year.
With the Scottish budget likely to be at least 6 months away, and the next financial year 11 months away, this PfG had to fit into the fiscal envelope already set. And this is an envelope already under pressure, with more potentially to come.
The Scottish Government has got less than it wanted from the UK Government to compensate for the increase in employer National Insurance Contributions, and this money will need to be found within existing budgets for 2025-26.
We are also yet to see the conclusion of pay deals for 2025-26, an issue that has seriously derailed government budgets in previous years; and there was no provision for the likely progression of staff on pay scales, which will add further pressure.
Unfortunately, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance has said today that the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), which should normally kick off the year-round budgeting process (see here for more MTFS chat), has been delayed until the end of June. Shona Robison has said in a letter to the Scottish Fiscal Commission, released this afternoon, that it is due to the timing of the UK Spending Review. This has been known for some time and a further delay to the MTFS is disappointing.
What was missing?
As mentioned, the Heat in Buildings Bill is being revised and this involves taking out some of the more ambitious elements related to mandating replacement of domestic heating systems. Other, non-legislative but still PfG relevant, pledges around reducing car use have been dropped recently following an Audit Scotland report citing minimal progress towards its target.
The FM reiterated the government’s commitment to ending the two-child limit on benefits, but there was little extra detail on the delivery timetable for this given the repeated statements the FM has made on introducing this before April 2026 if possible.
