- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the potential to recover industrial waste heat from the Grangemouth Industrial Cluster for use in heat networks serving local homes, businesses and public buildings.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to the Just Transition of the Grangemouth cluster and surrounding community. Given the scale and complexity of the industrial cluster, Scottish Enterprise is currently procuring a consultant to deliver the Grangemouth Strategic Spatial Framework. This commission is intended to provide a practical, infrastructure-led and investment-focused tool to support decision-making around land, infrastructure, sequencing and investment readiness.
Whilst the potential to recover industrial waste heat for heat networks is not a specific focus of this commission, it is one of a number of opportunities that may be informed by the findings of the study.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how it is monitoring the implementation of the National Headache Pathway across NHS boards, including what information it holds on variation in any aspects of the implementation between NHS boards.
Answer
Responsibility for implementing national clinical pathways, including the National Headache Pathway, rests with individual NHS boards, taking account of local service delivery arrangements and population needs. The Scottish Government does not routinely monitor implementation of the National Headache Pathway at NHS board level and does not hold information centrally on variation in implementation between NHS boards.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Flynn on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the proportion of freight transported to and from Scotland’s ports by rail.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to growing rail freight. Ports are a vital part of Scotland’s logistics network, and we are keen to see rail freight services grow both to and from Scotland’s ports.
We are taking a range of actions to support rail freight growth, including setting industry growth targets and supporting targeted network enhancements where appropriate. Transport Scotland works closely with Network Rail and wider freight industry to identify and develop opportunities for rail freight growth.
Through the Freight Facilities Grant Scheme, Transport Scotland has also supported projects that encourage the movement of freight from road to rail and water. This includes £3 million towards West Fraser's Dalcross rail terminal, which began transporting its products by rail earlier this year.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Alyn Smith on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Department for
Science, Innovation and Technology regarding the reported £45 million cut in
UKRI-Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funding, and its
potential impact on a planned upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider beauty
(LHCb) project and the universities involved in the project, including the University
of Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow.
Answer
Decisions on UKRI funding are reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government has consistently highlighted the need for UKRI’s future funding decisions to be developed in genuine partnership with Scotland’s research sector including our research-intensive universities. The former Deputy First Minister wrote to the former UK Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation in early 2026 to reinforce these points.
While STFC cuts have created uncertainty across Scotland’s Physical Sciences and Advance Technologies research and innovation community, the Scottish Government is continuing to invest in Scotland’s research and innovation base, increasing core research and innovation funding by 8% to over £355 million in 2026-27. In 2025-26, we invested £5 million to support innovation and economic growth in advanced technology sectors, including more than £2 million to support the development of innovation clusters in the key areas of space, robotics, critical technologies, the built environment, fintech, offshore wind and life sciences .Building on this success, we are investing a further £3 million in 2026/27 to scale activity to grow these key clusters and their economic impact.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds regarding current waiting times for people referred for specialist assessment or treatment for migraine, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government whether the National Headache Pathway, which was published in May 2024 with a review date of April 2025, has been reviewed, and, if so, what changes have been made following that review.
Answer
The National Headache Pathway was reviewed in July 2026 and the current version is published on NHS Scotland's Right Decisions platform. The review ensured that the pathway and supporting guidance remain aligned with current clinical evidence and best practice, including updated guidance on migraine diagnosis, treatment, prevention and referral. The Scottish Government does not hold detailed records of the amendments made as a result of the review.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it will use to evaluate the Heat Network Fund optimisation study pilot, and whether it plans to establish a permanent funding programme for improving existing heat networks.
Answer
Optimisation Study applications under Scotland’s Heat Network Fund will be assessed against five criteria as outlined in the Fund website: Scotland’s Heat Network Fund: optimisation study grant funding - how to apply - gov.scot.
If demand for funding exceeds the total budget allocated, applications which supply mostly domestic customers, particularly those at risk of fuel poverty, will be prioritised.
The optimisation study funding offer under Scotland’s Heat Network Fund is a one-year pilot in 2026-27 only. Upon completion of the optimisation studies in March 2027, Zero Waste Scotland will review the outputs of the studies. Evaluation of the Scotland's Heat Network Fund optimisation study pilot will look to draw out lessons learnt and synergies across findings. This will then inform future decisions on funding provision that deliver best value from public funds. Any future funding provision will also be subject to budget allocations in future financial years.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that funding, governance and delivery arrangements do not create barriers to the development of heat networks that cross local authority boundaries.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supporting the development of heat networks across Scotland, including projects that may cross local authority boundaries. Through Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies (LHEES), local authorities are identifying opportunities for heat network development and are encouraged to collaborate where opportunities extend across administrative boundaries.
We are supportive of collaboration between local authorities and the wider public sector to identify and develop opportunities for heat networks at an appropriate scale. We continue to work with local authorities, delivery partners and developers to identify and address potential barriers relating to funding, governance and delivery arrangements. This includes supporting regional collaboration and ensuring that viable heat network projects can progress where this offers the most effective route to decarbonising heat.
Should further opportunities for cross-boundary projects emerge, the capital and pre-capital support available through Scotland's Heat Network Fund and the Heat Network Support Unit would be available to such projects, subject to a successful application.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government how the standards and funding criteria that apply to new heat networks will ensure that these networks take advantage of thermal storage, smart controls and other forms of energy-system flexibility.
Answer
Standards and funding criteria for heat networks do not prescribe specific technologies when designing a heat network. Each heat network project is unique and the design will take account of the variable factors to optimise the efficiency of the heat network.
Heat network authorisations, which are administered by Ofgem under reserved law, will apply consumer protection rules and future technical and performance standards. The Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) will set technical standards for heat network design, construction and operation, covering areas like heat loss thresholds, water quality and metering. However, the standards will ensure a minimum level of performance and reliability for heat networks but will not specify how this is achieved. The HNTAS Draft Heat Network Technical Standard (TS1) published in November 2025, includes many references to thermal storage including within two of the ten objectives of TSI, specifically “determining optimal sizes for heat generation plant and thermal storage” under objective 7 and “maximise the benefits of thermal storage” under objective 8.
It is therefore important that any developing heat network project considers thermal storage and its potential benefits to the project, including that this may allow them to use flexible electricity tariffs and/or engaging with electricity demand flexibility schemes.
- Asked by: Martyn Day, MSP for Falkirk East and Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2026
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Current Status:
Answered by Stephen Gethins on 1 October 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the case for establishing a dedicated fund, or amending the eligibility criteria for Scotland’s Heat Network Fund, to support efficiency improvements to existing heat networks, particularly where these could reduce costs for consumers experiencing fuel poverty.
Answer
On 11 September 2026, we launched a new funding strand under Scotland’s Heat Network Fund to provide support for optimisation studies to assess current heat network efficiency and identify potential improvements.
This is a pilot, offering resource funding in the first instance, to ensure the outcomes of the studies can provide an evidence base on which to inform potential future funding decisions. Networks with a majority of domestic customers will be prioritised, if required, to help identify measures that could be taken to alleviate fuel poverty.
Any future provision of capital or resource heat network efficiency funding will be subject to further assessment and future financial year budget allocations to Scotland’s Heat Network Fund.
