Ambitious for Scotland

Patients will receive better care, with shorter waits, as a result of the most significant structural reform of our NHS in the devolution era, First Minister John Swinney announced today, as he unveiled a major modernisation programme of Scotland’s public services.

Setting out his Programme for Government, the First Minister pledged that all the actions of his government would be focused on delivering lasting improvements to people’s lives as he presented a package of measures to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

The First Minister said the Scottish Government would also continue to drive improvements in the priority areas of eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, investing in public services and tackling the climate emergency as he outlined work to reduce NHS waiting times and action to tackle violence against women and girls.  

Key announcements include:

• Replacing the current 14 territorial health boards with two strategic health boards which – alongside other measures – will free up more time and capacity for treatment

• Delivering a national breakfast club for all primary schools from August 2027 and, by 2031, providing childcare support 52 weeks a year for children from nine months old to the end of primary school

• Tackling poverty by increasing the Scottish Child Payment to £40 per week for eligible babies under 1 during 2027-28

• Investing £205 million in winter heating payments for pensioners, families with disabled children and struggling households

• Recognising that hostility to women and girls is a serious societal problem by defining misogyny as a distinct form of prejudice and abuse

• Expanding the £2 bus fare cap beyond the Highlands and Islands to the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport area from Monday 7 September followed by a national roll-out by the end of this Parliament  

• Improving public services by removing unnecessary duplication and overlap, getting resources more directly to the frontline services

• Over the next three months, with partners, reach a clear shared direction on substantial reform to local governance, including social care

• Bringing the national environment public bodies into a single overarching body to make environmental interventions more impactful

• Supporting better jobs and higher incomes by making Scotland a better place to invest and do business

First Minister John Swinney said:

“This ambitious Programme for Government has radical and widespread public service reform at its heart to deliver real, lasting improvements to people’s lives.

“By rewiring a system of services designed for the last century, we will simplify and reshape organisations on which everyone relies and ensure every pound of investment achieves maximum impact.

“As we do so, we will build on the most generous cost of living package anywhere in the UK while continuing to tackle inequality, poverty and division.

“This is a Programme for Government to deliver a fairer, healthier and more prosperous nation.”

The First Minister also stated that Scotland would only reach its full potential by becoming an independent nation.

“We will give the leadership for Scotland to decide her own future and advance our belief that Scotland will be better off with Independence.”

Background

Programme for Government 2026 to 2031 - gov.scot

Programme for Government 2026 to 2031: First Minister's speech - gov.scot

The First Minister also confirmed Scottish Government plans to introduce nine Bills over the course of 2026-27:

• Budget Bill

• Buildings (Heating and Energy Performance) and Heat Networks (Scotland) Bill

• Council Tax (Scotland) Bill

• Damages (Scotland) Bill

• Food Prices (Scotland) Bill

• Football Banning Orders (Scotland) Bill

• Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill

• Misogyny (Criminal Law) (Scotland Bill

• Public Service Renewal (Scotland) Bill