Chamber and committees

As noted in the answer to PQ S6W-30096, planned engagement with stakeholders will commence in the next few months. This will include assessing the various views offered in the responses received to the previous Scottish Government consultation on occasional licence policy.

As noted in the ‘Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 - fee review: consultation responses’ document on the Scottish Government website, some respondents suggested a scalable fee structure. i.e. the level of the occasional licence fee should be dependent on the size of the event.

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

Section 119 of the Procurement Act 2023 amends the scope of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, Utilities Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2016, and Concession Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2016, so as to be clear that they extend only to devolved Scottish authorities.

Devolved Scottish authorities will continue to be subject to these regulations when awarding contracts or framework agreements, and there is no reason for this to delay the procurement or award of such contracts.

When devolved Scottish authorities award a contract from a framework advertised and awarded under the terms of the Procurement Act 2023, then relevant elements of the rules established by that Act will apply to the call-off procedure. Similarly, when other authorities award contracts from a framework agreement awarded under the Scottish regulations, then relevant elements of those rules will apply to the call-off procedure. Regulations made under section 115 of the Procurement Act 2023 will set this out.

The aim of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol is to reduce health harms caused by alcohol consumption by setting a floor price below which alcohol cannot be sold. In particular, it targets a reduction in consumption of alcohol that is considered cheap, relative to its strength. It aims to reduce both the consumption of alcohol at population level and, in particular, those who drink at hazardous and harmful levels. In doing so, it aims to reduce alcohol related health harms among hazardous and harmful drinkers, and contribute to reducing harm at a whole population level.

Public Health Scotland's independent evaluation of MUP, commended by internationally-renowned public health experts, found that evidence pointed to the policy having a positive impact on health outcomes – during the period study it was estimated to have reduced alcohol specific deaths by 13.4% and likely to have reduced hospital admission wholly attributable to alcohol by 4.1%. There was also a finding that MUP was estimated to have reduced alcohol consumption by 3% when compared to England.

Overall, the evidence supports that MUP has had a positive impact on health outcomes, including alcohol-related health inequalities.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the availability of medicines that patients in Scotland need.

A national headache pathway was launched in October 2023 by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee. This is to aid clinicians in the diagnosis and management of headache disorders, including migraine, and offers guidance on management of conditions.

Through the Neurological Care & Support Framework, the Scottish Government awarded £221,176 in total to the Migraine Trust across 2022-24, to work with community, primary and secondary care pharmacists In NHS Grampian to help people with migraine manage their symptoms and treatments more effectively.

Through the success of this project, a further seven NHS Boards are working towards adopting this model of care in future.

In Scotland, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises the clinical and cost-effectiveness of newly licensed medicines, following receipt of a submission from the manufacturer. Where the SMC accepts a medicine, or accepts it with restrictions or on an interim basis, there is an expectation that NHS Boards will consider the medicine and make it (or its equivalent) available. This is considered by each NHS Boards’ Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee.

NHS Boards are expected to reach a decision within 90 days of being informed of the SMC advice, which provides time to consider any issues associated with the implementation of the medicine, such as changes to the care pathway and staff training. Boards should publish their decision on their website within 14 days of the decision.

The SMC appraisal is undertaken independently of Scottish Ministers and is based on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the medicine at a population level.

The Pain Management Task Force oversees the implementation of the Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery in Scotland. Discussions at the Task Force are centred around delivery of the actions in the Implementation Plan rather than condition specific issues. While there have been no specific discussions on migraine-related issues at the Task Force, many of the actions in the Plan discussed at each Task Force meeting will benefit people with migraine, such as updated quality prescribing guidelines and the creation of a chronic pain Knowledge Hub, a resource available to all NHS Scotland staff and third sector organisations to deepen their understanding of chronic pain.

a) A national headache pathway was launched in October 2023 by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery at NHS Golden Jubilee. This pathway aids clinicians, including GPs, in the diagnosis and management of headache disorders, including migraine. The pathway specifically includes guidance for the treatment of migraine in primary care.

b) Through the Neurological Care & Support Framework, the Scottish Government provided £221,176 in total to the Migraine Trust across 2022-24, to work with community, primary and secondary care pharmacists to help people with migraine manage their symptoms and treatments more effectively. The work has been undertaken in NHS Grampian, and is being expanded into further NHS Boards who are working towards adopting this model of care.

Through this work an eLearning programme and resource page has been developed on NHS Education for Scotland’s platform TURAS. This comprises a suite of training materials available for all pharmacists and pharmacy teams to access.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government continues to support the Centre for Sustainable Delivery in updating their national headache pathway for Scotland, which was launched last year, which will help to improve care for migraines and headache.

The Scottish Government received no requests for funding to support Migraine Awareness Week 2024. No funding was provided.

Scottish Government’s Fair Work policy sets out actions to promote fair and inclusive workplaces across Scotland. Becoming a 'fair work employer' includes creating a healthy and safe environment where individuals' wellbeing is actively supported.

Scottish Government supports employers to do this via several interventions, including:

• Providing occupational health support for employers via Health Scotland's Healthy Working Lives website and Working Health Services Scotland. Access to occupational health can help enable early intervention and personalised support where required.
• Promoting flexible and hybrid working by providing over £1.1 million in funding through Fair Work and Social Innovation Partnership budgets. Flexible working practices can help people to manage their condition without dropping out of the workplace and incurring a loss of income.

Those who experience a substantial and long-term impact on their lives due to migraine have a right under the Equality Act 2010 to have their employer make reasonable adjustments in the workplace.

Our records indicate that since 2021:

a) The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has not met with the Migraine Trust.

b) The former Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health & Sport, Maree Todd MSP, met with the Migraine Trust once.

The current Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto MSP, has met with the Migraine Trust three times.

c) The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport has not met with the Migraine Trust.

Discussions between the former and current Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health & Sport and the Migraine Trust have focussed on the charity’s activities and publications and more generally the improvement of care in Scotland for those with migraine.

The most recent Ministerial engagement with the Migraine Trust was 20 August 2024, when the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health visited NHS Grampian to learn more about the collaborative project undertaken between the charity and the health board.