Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04313 on 3 December 2021. 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.

Further to this answer, I can update that the public consultation on the draft Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery is now available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/draft-framework-chronic-pain-service-delivery .

Responsibility for the routine maintenance, upkeep and management of burial grounds in Scotland rests with the relevant burial authority. A burial authority may be a local authority or a private owner. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (as amended), owners must ensure any premises they are responsible for are maintained to a safe standard for both employees and visiting persons.

The Scottish Government is currently in the process of implementing the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016. Under this Act Scottish Ministers have powers to appoint Inspectors of Burial and to make regulations about the management of burial grounds. The Scottish Government have reconvened the Burial Regulations Working Group to consider the regulation of burial authorities and grounds in Scotland, with the next meeting due to take place on the 9th December 2021.

At this time the Scottish Government has no plans to provide financial support to local community groups for the maintenance of burial grounds.

We recognise that more must be done to reduce inequalities in health outcomes for women, to improve information and support for women to manage their health, and to reduce the stigma associated with menstrual health, and conditions such as PCOS.

In August 2021 we published our Women's Health Plan . As part of the Plan’s commitment to improve information and support for women we are working to build a comprehensive women’s health platform on the NHS Inform website. That work began recently with two information campaigns, the first of which included information about periods Women's Health | NHS inform . The next phase will focus on menstrual health and wellbeing and will launch by Spring 2022.

Our aim is for all women to have access to high quality and appropriate information and support throughout all stages of life. This includes raising awareness of women’s health conditions widely, including amongst healthcare practitioners to improve access to information on menstrual health, management options and improve access to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and the best treatment options.

The Woman’s Health Plan further commits to establish a Women’s Health Research Fund with the aim of closing gaps in scientific and medical knowledge in women’s health. The exact cause of PCOS is unknown and applications for research funding for PCOS (including research into the underlying causes, diagnosis, prevention, disease-modifying treatments, care pathways etc.) are welcomed by the Chief Scientist Office.

The Centre for Sustainable Delivery, based at the NHS Golden Jubilee, plans to develop a pelvic pain pathway in 2022 that will improve how women access care and support for conditions such as PCOS in Scotland. This will place importance on equipping GPs with materials and access to specialist advice to inform early diagnosis and intervention, and onward referral to specialist support for physical and psychological symptoms.

In 2021-22, we increased our Primary Care Fund from £195 million to £250 million, which includes support for the new GP contract and for wider Primary Care reform. Our Programme for Government also announced primary care spend will be increased by 25% over the course of this Parliament. Over half of all frontline health spend will be invested in community health services that will ensure more care for people with conditions such as PCOS in a place and way that meets their needs.

(a) In terms of Scottish Government support, we have set out our commitment to people with a learning disability, including those with Down’s Syndrome, and their families through the Keys to Life Learning Disability strategy and the Towards Transformation Learning Disability and Autism Plan . Both plans focus on outcomes intended to ensure people with a learning disability live healthier lives, enjoy choice and control over the services they use, and are supported to be independent and active citizens.

To this end, we have committed to introducing a Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill as part of the Programme for Government. This Bill will ensure that the rights of people with Down’s Syndrome, among others, are respected and protected. Additionally, we will create a Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodiversity Commissioner to champion the new law.

The Scottish Government works closely with a range of third sector partners and funds Down’s Syndrome Scotland as delivery partners in achieving the Keys to Life Learning Disability strategy and the Towards Transformation Learning Disability and Autism Plan as well as to allow them to provide direct support to people with Down’s Syndrome and their families.

Additional funding was also awarded to develop changes in Down’s Syndrome Scotland’s programme of work during COVID-19 and supporting families through the pandemic and the recovery phase, including their vital helpline.

(b) Whilst the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is for the regional health & social care partnerships to determine the level of services that are required to meet local needs and to arrange an appropriate and suitable range of services to meet these local needs, as mandated under statute in the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act. The Scottish Government expects that the needs of people with Down’s Syndrome are identified, acknowledged and met, ensuring positive outcomes are achieved.

Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) used in the National Testing Programme are routinely evaluated and reviewed to detect early signals of changes in performance with emerging variants to ensure they can detect new variants of concern as soon as possible after they are identified.

LFDs that have passed validation at UKHSA Porton Down are currently being assessed against the Omicron variant, with priority being given to the LFDs currently deployed in the UK National Testing Programme.

LFDs used in the National Testing Programme have been evaluated against, and successfully detect the Delta variant, which is currently the dominant variant in Scotland.

Shooting with lead shot over wetlands has been banned in Scotland by the Environmental Protection (Restrictions on the use of lead shot) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2004. This was achieved before current GB-wide chemical safety regulations were in place. Both NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland have committed to ending the use of lead ammunition to shoot deer on Scotland’s national forests and land over the next five years, and non-lead ammunition is used in approximately 95% of circumstances.

Work is ongoing under the restriction mechanism of the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation, that operates across England, Scotland and Wales, to produce a restriction dossier for lead in ammunition. This is the first step towards potential future GB-wide legislation.

The restriction dossier, which will be published in April 2022, will propose options for consolidating and extending the current national bans. Once published interested parties can submit comments on the dossier to the UK Chemicals Agency. The UK Chemicals Agency will then form an opinion on the most suitable restriction option and its timing for introduction based on control of risks to the environment, socio-economic factors and comments received, before April 2023.

The Agency’s opinion is then communicated to UK Government and the Devolved Administrations for a decision, which can only be made with the consent of Welsh and Scottish Ministers. Legislation would follow through powers included in the UK REACH regulation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04721 on 8 December 2021. 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 .

Once they have completed breast cancer treatment and follow-up with the symptomatic breast service, women aged 71 and over are ordinarily able to self-refer into the Scottish Breast Screening Programme for screening every three years. However, self-referrals for women in this age-group are currently suspended due to capacity challenges in the programme associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is important to stress that any woman, regardless of their age, who is concerned about possible symptoms of breast cancer should consult their GP straight away so these can be investigated, rather than wait for their next screening appointment.

Additional funding of £10.881 million has been provided to Edinburgh City Council for the remainder of the financial year 2021-22. These additional funds are to support: the standing up of interim care arrangements (£3.567 million); enhancing multi-disciplinary team working (£1.784 million) and expanding care at home capacity (£5.53 million).