Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on 2 June 2026. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on 2 June 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government’s public health approach to violence has prevention at its core and our focus is aimed at preventing and reducing harm for people in Scotland’s communities.

My heartfelt condolences go to Lisa Petrie for the heartbreaking loss of her son, John. I commend Lisa on the work she has been doing to educate young people on the dangers of carrying knives as well as her campaign to roll out bleed kits which helped inform our commitment.

The SG will now engage with partners to inform how bleeding control kits are rolled out to community settings and engage with areas which have already done so.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00406 on 2 June 2026. 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.

The Scottish Government remains committed to taking action against strategic lawsuits against public participation. We are considering proposals for legislation in light of responses to the recent consultation. At this time the forward legislative programme for the Scottish Government has yet to be agreed and it is therefore not possible to provide an introduction date or estimate a coming into force date for any legislation which is yet to be brought forward.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposals to criminalise creating or requesting the creation of purported intimate images of another person without their consent and to criminalise the production, supply and the offering to supply of digital tools and services designed solely or principally to generate intimate images and videos. This consultation can be found at: Improving protections in the justice system for women and girls: consultation - gov.scot.

As is standard practice, we will set out the timetable for the next legislative programme in due course.

The Sexual Offences Court was legislated for as part of the landmark Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. The Act makes a range of significant reforms to the justice system to deliver meaningful improvements for victims and witnesses. Implementation of its provisions is being phased, reflecting the constrained financial environment and the time needed by justice partners to plan and deliver fundamental change in an effective and managed way.

The establishment of the Court will be led by the judiciary and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and will involve close collaboration with a range of stakeholders. Given the scale and complexity of this change, when the transformational court will become operational will be determined by a range of factors including the capacity of the partners and agencies involved in delivering this milestone reform. The Scottish Government will work closely with all those involved to support the effective implementation of the Court. Ministers will keep Parliament updated on anticipated timescales for the establishment of the Court.

I refer the member to the answer to question S7W-00062 on 2 June 2026. 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.

I have asked Linda Pollock, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS’ Maternity and Parenting policy was last reviewed in partnership with trade unions in April 2026. It applies to all staff who are entitled to maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave and forms part of the employee contract of employment and sets out specific rights and benefits when applicable.

The policy is compliant with equalities and employment legislation and has been subject to an Equalities and Human Rights Impact Assessment, which was published alongside the finalised policy.

There are no further plans to review the policy at this stage.

The Scottish Government, along with the other nations of the UK, follows the advice of the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group, when setting screening policy.

The UK NSC does not currently recommend a universal screening programme for prostate cancer. However, on 28 May, the Committee recommended two yearly screening for men aged 45-61 who have both a BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancer. The Committee concluded that there is sufficient evidence in this group to determine that the benefits of screening outweigh potential harms. The Scottish Government will set out how we will implement this recommendation in due course.

The UK NSC did not recommend screening more widely because they have concluded that there is not yet sufficient evidence to show that the benefits for other men would outweigh the risks. Evidence shows that current methods of screening can miss some cancers and are not accurate enough at identifying which men with prostate cancer will require treatment. This can lead to the detection of cancers that would not have caused harm in a person’s lifetime, resulting in unnecessary tests and treatments with potentially serious, long term side effects.

Research into alternative screening methods is ongoing, including the use of MRI and blood tests. Of particular note is the TRANSFORM study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Prostate Cancer UK, which will run over ten years and recruit hundreds of thousands of men. Early findings will be shared with the UK NSC to inform future decisions, and the Scottish Government will monitor progress of the trial closely.