Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the distress caused when cats are involved in road traffic collisions.

The requirement to report collisions involving animals is set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988, which is reserved to the UK Government. As such, the Scottish Government has no current plans to add cats to the list of animals that must be reported to the police following a road traffic collision. We remain willing to consider opportunities to work with the other GB administrations on measures that improve the welfare of animals in Scotland.

The availability and operation of police custody facilities are an operational matter for Police Scotland. Police Scotland keeps custody facilities under regular review and are overseen in this by the Scottish Police Authority as part of its responsibility for delivering effective, safe and sustainable custody services across Scotland.

Police Scotland’s Estates Masterplan sets out their ambition to modernise the policing estate, including the aim to develop a custody estate that meets modern standards and better meet the needs of the future. This will be supported through its revised estate strategy which I expect to be published later in September 2026.

Maree Todd: The Scottish Government published data on alcohol, tobacco and vape use among young people under the age of 18 in 2023 through the Health and Wellbeing Census 2021-22 and this can be found at:https://www.gov.scot/publications/health-and-wellbeing-census-scotland-2021-22/.

Since 2024, the Scottish Government has also funded an annual boost to the Scottish sample in the ASH Smokefree GB Youth Survey to support understanding of young people’s behaviours and attitudes towards smoking, vaping and other nicotine products. The latest report was published in August 2026 and can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/vaping-smoking-scottish-adolescents-results-ash-smokefree-gb-youth-survey-2026/pages/3/. The next wave of data collection is expected to take place in March 2027.

Separately Public Health Scotland commissions the 4-yearly Health Behaviours in School Age Children (HBSC) survey. The survey covers alcohol, tobacco and vape use among 11, 13 and 15-year-olds in Scotland. The latest published report, from 2022, can be found at:https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/healthwellbeing/research/mentalhealth/projects/healthbehaviourinschool-agedchildrenhbscscotlandstudy/. The next report, based on 2026 data, is expected to be published in 2027. The study has also produced a dedicated report on trends in young people’s substance use in Scotland, which can be found at:https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_1070957_smxx.pdf.

Every effort is made to ensure that young people and staff in schools are not over-burdened by research. This is achieved through a combination of national level surveys and locally driven data collection. There are no current plans to commission any additional data collection on these topics.

The Intelligent Liver Function Testing (iLFT) pathway was developed in NHS Tayside and has been identified as best practice for the early detection and management of liver disease. A consortium of 12 NHS boards has procured a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Scotland and iLFT functionality is available within that system. NHS Fife was the first board to make use of this functionality through the National LIMS programme in summer 2023.

The National LIMS system is being rolled out across participating NHS boards. However, some NHS boards already have the capability to use iLFT through their existing laboratory information systems and are therefore not dependent on implementation of National LIMS to adopt the pathway.

The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on the date that iLFT became, or is expected to become, available in each NHS board area. Implementation is dependent on local laboratory infrastructure, digital systems and service arrangements and decisions on deployment are a matter for individual NHS boards.

The Scottish Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the cost of extending eligibility for the Young Patient Family Fund (YPFF) to children and young people with cancer who receive day-patient treatment. YPFF continues to be offered to families of in-patients only, regardless of diagnosis.

In addition to support available under the YPFF, financial support for travel to hospital appointments is available through the patient travel expenses reimbursement schemes. Under these schemes, patients and authorised escorts can reclaim reasonable travel costs associated with attending a hospital appointment, in line with eligibility criteria and medical requirements.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Scotland is the only UK-nation to have a dedicated cancer for children and young people.

The children and young people’s cancer strategy – The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People 2021-2026 sets clear expectations and priorities for the treatment and care of children and young people with cancer.

Scottish Government works closely with the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) who are a national network of healthcare specialists from different NHS boards across Scotland, responsible for overseeing and driving improvements in cancer care. They ensure that all children and young people’s cancer centres work together as one single, cohesive service in NHS Scotland and their work is ongoing.

Families continue to successfully claim for the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) and the Scottish Government is not aware of any evidence to suggest that the application form acts as a barrier to eligible families accessing this support.

To help make the fund as accessible as possible, the YPFF claim form and Terms and Conditions have been translated into a range of languages to support families who may find it challenging to read information in English.

Information leaflets are available across all Health Boards, and staff are encouraged to ensure that eligible families are made aware of the support available.

Scottish Government officials meet with the Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) every six weeks, to discuss a range of issues relating to children and young people with cancer. In addition to these scheduled meetings, we have additional, adhoc, meetings.

The current children and young people’s cancer strategy – The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People 2021-2026, runs until the end of 2026. Scottish Government works with the MCN CYPC to consider approaches that best support improved outcomes for children and young people with cancer.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-02393 on 31 August 2026. 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.