The previous Scottish Veterans Commissioner highlighted the importance of improving the transition process for Early Service Leavers in his Positive Futures reports on transition in Scotland.

Much of the transition process is reserved; however, we have taken action to support this where we can. Our refreshed Veterans Strategy Action Plan refocussed the extensive services and support that the Scottish Government and our partners provide to all veterans, including Early Service Leavers.

We have also more than doubled the amount of funding provided through the Scottish Veterans Fund from £200,000 per annum to £500,000 and have included projects which offer support to Early Service Leavers as a priority category that the fund supports. Last year, nearly £100,000 was awarded to projects specifically offering support to these veterans.

The proposal for a time-limited pilot of single judge rape trials as recommended by the Lady Dorrian Review continues to be considered. Stakeholders have been engaged through a short life Working Group which brought together partners from across the justice system to give detailed consideration to proposals for implementing any pilot. Broader views on the proposal have also been sought through recent public consultation.

An independent analysis of the consultation responses and the Working Group’s findings will be published in December 2022. This material will be considered along with responses to the earlier consultation on Not Proven and associated reforms. To ensure the package of reforms maintains balance in the system and supports complainers to give their best evidence, the potential reforms will be considered together.

Our internationally recognised Equally Safe strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls (VAWG) emphasises the importance of challenging the underpinning attitudes and victim blaming culture which enable such violence to take place. That is why through our Delivering Equally Safe Fund we support a range of projects which promote culture and behaviour change. This includes over £800,000 split between; White Ribbon Scotland to engage men as allies and change-makers; Zero Tolerance to develop professional skills in policy, practice and wider public campaigning; and Engender to explore primary prevention policy approaches.

As set out in the Programme for Government we will consult on draft laws to give effect to recommendations for criminal law reform contained in Baroness Kennedy’s Report, Misogyny, A Human Rights Issue , with a view to introducing legislation later in this Parliament. This sends a strong message that these behaviours are not, and will not be, accepted.

Education plays a key role in challenging attitudes, including victim blaming. That is why we fund and support education-based programmes and initiatives aimed at preventing gender-based violence such as the Equally Safe at School project, Mentors in Violence peer education programme and the Gender-Based Violence in Schools Working Group.

We also support campaigns and work by partners, such as Police Scotland’s “Don’t be that Guy” campaign as positive contributions which encourage men to take responsibility and challenges the notion that it is the responsibility of women and girls to protect themselves from male violence.

Bullying, harassment and unacceptable behaviour of any form cannot be tolerated within society or within policing, and there must be trust in how matters are handled if things go wrong. This includes having robust, clear and transparent mechanisms in place to investigate complaints, misconduct or other issues of concern.

Protecting public confidence in policing in Scotland is fundamental to a healthy democratic society. That is why the Scottish Government commissioned and subsequently accepted the majority of the recommendations from Dame Elish Angiolini’s Independent Review, and outlined its commitment to introduce a Police Complaints and Misconduct Handling Bill later this parliamentary year.

The introduction of this Bill will provide greater transparency around the police complaints process, the standards we expect from officers and further strengthen public confidence in policing. It will build on the improvement work already delivered which includes a new operating model for complaint handling within Police Scotland and the establishment of a Strategic Oversight Board to mainstream equality, diversity and inclusion. This further underlines that unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated in policing in Scotland.

AposHealth for osteoarthritis of the knee is being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their draft guidance on AposHealth is currently out for consultation, with an expected publication date of March 2023.

Although NICE medical technology guidance does not have official status in Scotland, the Scottish Government is awaiting publication of the NICE guidance before deciding next steps.

The Scottish Government are aware that living with chronic pain and painful musculoskeletal conditions can be extremely challenging and debilitating, which is why we are committed to ensuring people experiencing chronic pain can access appropriate support, when they need it.

The Scottish Government’s Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery – Implementation Plan was published in July 2022 and sets out the Actions we will take to improve the quality and coordination of care for people with chronic pain. We want people living with chronic pain to take control of their condition to improve their quality of life and be more empowered to participate in decisions on their care.

The Scottish Government is working closely with a range of partners, including the Scottish Football Association, the other partner football associations, and governments across the UK and Ireland to consider a joint bid to host EURO 2028. The Scottish Government meets with partners regularly at a Ministerial and official level. Engagement with partners is supporting ongoing assessment of the case for investment and how the potential of the event to deliver long-lasting economic and social benefits to Scotland could be maximised. The deadline for final bid submission is in April 2023.

Following the last meeting with Hourglass Scotland, officials have explored relevant funding across the Scottish Government. Currently there are no suitable Scottish Government funding options that are open for bids. There may be alternative funding opportunities available via the live database Scotland - News - Grants Online. This database includes a range of funding opportunities from charitable trusts/foundations, churches, councils etc. as well as large grants for family support organisations. One of these is the Robertson Trust which offers large grants for charities including those dealing with trauma. Another grant that Hourglass may want to apply for, is the Hugh Fraser Foundation, which will open for bids in February 2023 for the current round and is open to any charity.

The Scottish Government is continuing to consider options for the delivery of a National Towns of Culture scheme. As this progresses, the Scottish Government will consult with the culture and creative sectors and community groups to help inform its decision making.

The Scottish Government published prison population health needs assessments for mental health and for substance use ( Prison population health needs: synthesis report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and Prison population health needs: synthesis report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . These reports aim to provide stakeholders, including the SPS, with a better understanding of the health needs of the prison population and help align services to support people whilst in prison, along with their transition into and out of prison custody.

The SPS is currently working in partnership with mental health experts to co-produce a revised mental health strategy for those in custody.

All individuals have a healthcare consultation with an NHS healthcare professional within 24 hours of arrival.

Whilst in prison individuals can self-refer to see the NHS Healthcare team and where needed, SPS staff can also refer prisoners to the healthcare team.

The SPS Drug & Alcohol Strategy, currently under revision, aims to reduce re-offending and drug-related deaths by adopting the principles of recovery to reduce the supply and demand of illegal substances and the harm caused by problematic substance use. The revised Strategy will reflect the national approach to embed Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Standards across SPS.