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Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) are an independent Third Sector organisation that is funded by the Scottish Government. Since May 2021, Ministerial oversight of the Museums Galleries Scotland has been led by the Minister for Europe and International Development until January 2022, then the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development from January 2022 until May 2024. I took over Ministerial oversight of NGS in May 2024.

In that time period, the I have not attended any board meetings of MGS. However, the myself and Ministers have met when required with the Chair and Chief Executive to discuss appropriate matters.

In 2025-26, we have provided a record £21.7 billion for health and social care and there is no additional ringfenced funding being made available for NHS chronic pain specialist clinics.

We are investing £200 million across the health and social care system to increase capacity and reduce backlogs. For chronic pain services, this investment will support Health Boards to create additional appointments and strengthen the flow of patients through the system, helping more people to be seen more quickly.

The Scottish Government provides the resources and sets out the overall strategic direction for NHS Scotland. It is the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare professionals locally to best determine how they allocate the resources we have provided to meet the needs and priorities of their local populations.

NatureScot has developed the aims, objectives and desired outcomes for the £100k funded initiative to be made available to Local Authorities. NatureScot intend to have a first engagement with Local Authorities before the end of December 2025.

The appointment of a new Chair for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry is an immediate priority, and steps to progress this have already commenced at pace. However, this is a complex process that must comply with statutory requirements. Under section 10 of the Inquiries Act 2005, consultation with the Lord President is required if a serving judge is being considered. While there is no statutory requirement for the Chair to be a serving or former member of the judiciary, continuity within the judiciary is considered important to maintain confidence among core participants. It is also essential that the Inquiry continues to meet the State’s obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and a legally qualified Chair may be best placed to ensure those obligations are fully met. For these reasons, it is not possible to provide a definitive timescale at this stage, but the process is being treated as a matter of urgency.

I have attended one board meeting of Creative Scotland since May 2021 which took place on 27 September 2023.

However, as part of normal management relationships between Scottish Ministers and non-departmental public bodies, I have regular meetings on a quarterly basis with the Chief Executive and the Chair of Creative Scotland.

This is a matter for NHS Highland and Highland HSCP.

NatureScot continue to engage and further develop the existing management approaches for Inverness with officials from Highland Council.

Through this shared commitment to establish the City of Inverness as a leading example of adaptive urban gull management that protects public health and amenity while safeguarding the conservation status of gull species, their aims and objectives together, are to:

• Have a shared understanding of the impact that an urban Gull population has on the day to day living needs of City residents.
• Minimise conflict between gulls and people in key urban areas.
• Promote coexistence through education, deterrents, and habitat management.
• Ensure compliance with NatureScot guidance and wildlife legislation.
• Support declining gull populations through appropriate sanctuary provision.

This pilot builds on the existing gull management programme led by Inverness BID and funded by the Inverness Common Good Fund and Inverness BID. It will serve as a model for future management plans across other communities in the Highlands.

The aim is to have an area based approach to licensing available for the forthcoming gull breeding season.

It is important that young people are supported to develop an understanding of the history, heritage and culture of Scotland, and an appreciation of local and national heritage within the world. While the curriculum in Scotland does not mandate specific areas of history to be taught in schools, the experience and outcomes cover a range of key themes which are relevant to the Enlightenment.

For example, the social studies curriculum at second level states that pupils should be able to investigate a Scottish historical theme to discover how past events or the actions of individuals or groups have shaped Scottish society. The social studies curriculum at third level states that pupils should be able to show my understanding of how people and events have contributed to the development of the Scottish nation. Further detail on these and other Experiences and Outcomes is available at:

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Within the social studies curriculum framework, it is then for teachers and schools to determine detailed courses of learning. The number of pupils in Scotland who sat Advanced Higher History was 1,305 in 2025. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the extent to which schools cover the Scottish enlightenment within the Broad General Education.

In the senior phase history qualifications, there is a further option to focus on Scotland: from the Treaty of Union to the Enlightenment, 1707–1815 as a field of study in Advanced Higher. Pupils also have an opportunity to undertake an assignment as part of qualifications in the senior phase and have the option to focus on an area of history which is of interest to them. The SQA’s provides further detail on the Scottish enlightenment field of study, confirming that it covers cultural achievements of the Enlightenment, including: education and attitudes towards improvement; history, philosophy, social commentary; contacts with England and Europe; architecture, painting, literature; poetry and the languages of Scotland.

Where vaccinations are administered by Health Board teams, GPs can establish whether a patient has been vaccinated by consulting the information held within their existing systems. Local variation also exists, with some Health Boards operating additional systems to meet local needs. The most accurate information on these arrangements should be sought directly from NHS Highland.

A Wholesale Distribution Authorisation (WDA) is typically required to legally supply a medicinal product to another legal entity, for example for a Health Board to supply a GP Practice. There is no requirement to hold a WDA where medicinal products are being transferred between different locations within the same legal entity, for example from a Health Board managed pharmacy department to a Health Board managed vaccination clinic.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for the granting of WDAs. The MHRA fees are in the public domain and vary depending on factors such as the number of distribution sites. In addition to the MHRA fees, there are resource implications in meeting the obligations and conditions of a Wholesale Distribution Authorisation, for example appointment of a suitably qualified Responsible Person.

NHS Highland is currently reviewing its distribution arrangements for vaccines. NHS National Services Scotland (National Procurement) and Scottish Government officials are providing assistance.