The Scottish Government’s role is to set the strategic policy direction for the NHS in Scotland. Operational matters relating to the recruitment and retention of allied health professionals are the responsibility of each NHS board as the employer and will depend on individual service needs taking account of national, regional and local priorities as well as the demand for each AHP speciality which will vary by board. It is the expectation that all NHS boards plan and provide safe, effective and high-quality care, in line with their statutory service provision and workforce planning responsibilities considering current turnover, retention, absence rates and budgets.

The Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care: The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland 2021–2026, is a dedicated cancer strategy for children and young people, in Scotland.

The strategy sets out our ambitions and actions to provide the best possible treatment and care, as early as possible, to children and young people with cancer. There are several actions that specifically relate to an early, precise diagnosis of cancer. The Managed Clinical Network for Children and Young People with Cancer (MCN CYPC) are responsible for the implementation and evaluation of the Children and Young People’s cancer strategy.

We published the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer on 6 August this year, with updates on supporting a diagnosis of cancer in children and young people specifically. This includes considerations for non-specific symptoms of cancer for under-18s, like those considered for Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services.

The Scottish Government does not hold data for diagnostic waiting times and routes to diagnosis for children and young people presenting with potential cancer symptoms.

The veterans budget for this year will cover:

• The Scottish Veterans Fund, covering 12 projects which support the Armed Forces and Veterans community.
• The Unforgotten Forces Consortium, to support their work connecting older veterans to services, help and advice.
• Veterans Scotland for their role in coordinating support for veterans across Scotland.
• The National Education and Transitions Officer, which is a role jointly funded with the Scottish Government’s Additional Support for Learning team which aims to improve policy and practice affecting service children and veterans children in Scotland.
• Legion Scotland’s national commemorative event in Scotland to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
• Miscellaneous spend throughout the financial year, including wreaths, medal replacements and various publications of Scottish Government documents.

It is worth noting that while this budget represents the dedicated spend of the Scottish Government's Veterans Unit, there is other funding to support veterans across different areas, such as the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway.

The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 began as a private members bill which received Government and cross-party support in England and Wales.

The legislation seeks to prevent and deter criminals from targeting items of plant and machinery, the theft of which can have a major financial and personal impact on owners and rural communities.

While the legislation only applies to England and Wales, the Scottish Government will continue to monitor its implementation and impact, working closely with Police Scotland, industry partners and rural stakeholders to assess any implications for Scotland’s approach to tackling rural crime. The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) will also consider any learning from the Act that could help inform prevention and enforcement activity here.

We held a public consultation to formally hear views on the introduction of a potential cruise ship levy and point of entry levy, and to consider further the impacts on business, local government, and others. The analysis of the responses will be published shortly and the Scottish Government will consider next steps in due course.

Prioritising the mental wellbeing of health and care professionals, including nurses, midwives and other frontline NHS staff, is vital to help them to navigate complex challenges and continue to provide person-centred, high-quality support. The Scottish Government are supporting staff throughout the NHS through funding of over £2.5m annually to support staff wellbeing.

This funding provides our workforce with access to psychological interventions and therapies, self-service resources through the National Wellbeing Hub and the National Wellbeing Helpline delivered by NHS 24. Registered staff also have access to confidential mental health services through the Workforce Specialist Service (WSS).

Further, the national ‘Supporting Work Life Balance’ workforce policies provide staff with a range of flexible working options to help them to balance their lifestyle, to improve their mental wellbeing, whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service to our patients and service users.

The Scottish Government actively works with stakeholders to support and enhance workforce wellbeing. In September, National Wellbeing Week, delivered by our National Wellbeing Champions Network with Scottish Government support, provided healthcare staff with valuable tools, practical insights and positive mental health benefits.

There are no NHS boards in the Highlands and Islands region that have formally established a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service for patients with non-specific symptoms of cancer.

In line with recently revised Scottish Referral Guidelines for Urgent Suspicion of Cancer all NHS territorial Health Boards now have pathways in place for those presenting with non-specific symptoms of cancer.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with waste sector representative bodies, including those representing commercial operators/Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities such as the Scottish Environmental Services Association (SESA), through channels such as the Waste and Resources Sector Forum.

This includes recent engagement with both public (local authority) and commercial sector representatives in relation to policies including the ban on landfilling biodegradable municipal waste (BMW), the proposed expansion of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include incineration and waste treatment capacity, among others.

All NHS territorial boards in the Highlands and Islands region have been allocated funding as part of the additional £200m Operational Improvement Plan investment to deliver and expand their Hospital at Home services.

All territorial boards are currently providing a Hospital at Home service. Some of these services are more established while others are still developing. What matters most is that these services are proportionate to the population's needs and effectively connected to community support, enabling people to receive safe and timely care, in the most appropriate location.

Local government is a crucial partner in helping to deliver better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That is why we have provided councils with a record £15.1 billion this year, a real terms increase of 5.5%, and have delivered a wide range of powers for local councils.

Our joint Local Governance Review with COSLA will conclude by the end of the Parliament, setting out how power and resources can be better shared between national and local government and with communities.

In addition, this year the Scottish Government has allocated nearly £2.2 billion for social care and integration, representing an increase of over £1.2 billion since
2021-22. This goes almost £350 million beyond the Scottish Government’s original commitment to increase social care funding by 25% (£840 million) over the lifetime of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government has been investing heavily in the social care workforce through its fair work commitments. We will continue to work with local government partners to ensure the people of Scotland can access the services they need when and where they need them.