Chamber and committees

Any sound, including live music, can damage hearing if it is loud enough and audiences are exposed to it long enough.

It is unlikely that the majority of audience members will attend live music events frequently enough to develop Noise Induced Loss of Hearing exclusively due to attending these events. However, it is clear that the louder an event the more likely that it will contribute to the overall sound exposure that individuals receive during their life including noise from other leisure activities, at work and at home.

Whilst the Scottish Government recognise the importance of raising awareness in promoting hearing harm reduction methods, there are resources already available on the NHS Inform website which offer information and advice around this - How to prevent hearing loss through NHS Inform - available using https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/ears-nose-and-throat/hearing-loss/ This includes specific reference to using ear-protection equipment at loud concerts and at other events where there are high noise levels.

In addition there is a range of Best Practice guidance available for event organisers to refer to, such as the Events Industry Forum Purple Guide for Events: this industry-led guidance includes a specific chapter dedicated to noise management, including advice on minimising noise levels and protecting attendees and workers from excessive noise exposure.

With regard to statutory duties involved in noise reduction, issues of noise nuisance are dealt with by relevant licensing authorities whilst the Health and Safety Executive also provide detailed information to help those organising events control or reduce exposure to noise.

Workplace support via income replacement benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit, which provide financial support to people of working age who are unable to work due to illness, are reserved to the UK Government. However, our Adult Disability Payment provides financial support to recognise the additional costs of being disabled or living with a long-term health condition.

As this is a reserved area the Scottish Government is not currently considering legislation to entitle people to paid leave for symptoms of pain caused by endometriosis or other chronic menstrual conditions.

The health and wellbeing of women at work is a key element of fair work and we know that lack of support for women experiencing menstrual or reproductive health conditions can have a detrimental impact on their employment.

Our Fair Work First Guidance provides good practice examples for supporting women and allowing them to maintain their careers. For example, access to flexible working is of vital benefit to workers who may need to balance work with managing health conditions. Asking employers to offer flexible working from day one of employment has been a principle of Fair Work First since October 2021.

Through our Women’s Health Plan, a national Menopause and Menstrual Health Workplace Policy for NHS Scotland was published in October 2023 seeking to better support employees and their line managers. The resources are intended for use more widely across a variety of employment sectors and are available on the National Wellbeing Hub, which is accessible to the public.

The Scottish Government published the Population Health Framework (PHF) on 17 June 2025. The PHF includes a commitment to publishing a Health and Work Plan later this year. This will be a sector wide action plan, developed in partnership with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and employers, to deliver actions aimed at mitigating trends in economic inactivity.

The Scottish Government undertake a range of regulatory and advisory activities to support the delivery of good indoor air quality in our homes. This includes:

• All new homes and new building work are subject to building regulations which include provisions on the supply of outside air and removal of pollutants to address indoor air quality.
• To comply with the statutory Tolerable Standard, all housing in Scotland must have satisfactory provision for lighting, ventilation and heating.
• Our Warmer Homes Scotland programme requires a ventilation plan for each home, to make sure the right ventilation systems are properly planned and installed where needed.
• Our Area Based Schemes (ABS) programme requires councils to plan projects that ensure adequate ventilation for households as part of a broader compliance to the PAS 2035 design and installation standard.
• The importance of warm homes as a factor in prevention of respiratory conditions is recognised in our clinical Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-38617 on 17 June 2025. 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 national guidance on Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI) was last published in 2018.

In response to the national review of ABI we will be working with Public Health Scotland on refreshing and updating guidance and training advice as part of our new approach to alcohol care and support.

The Scottish Government is engaging widely on the creation of a new approach to care and support for people impacted by alcohol. The recommendations made in the Public Health Scotland review of ABI are a key component of our engagement.

Our aim is to publish our new approach in 2026. This will include actions for re-affirming our commitment to brief interventions in all settings as well as how we will meet the recommendation to embed conversations about alcohol over 10 years.

The Scottish Government is engaging widely on the creation of a new approach to care and support for people impacted by alcohol. That new approach will include plans for a national specification setting out the interventions required to reduce harm as well as improved standards for implementing those. Standards for alcohol care and support in the justice system are the same as standards in the community.

The Scottish Government has oversight groups in place to help provide national and local leadership with a clear steer on the services which need to be in place in all settings.

The Scottish Government’s national guidance on Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI) was last published in 2018. It includes advice on training as well as advice for carrying out and recording ABI in justice settings.

In response to the national review of ABI we will be working on updating this guidance and working with Public Health Scotland on refreshing and updating related advice as part of our new approach to alcohol care and support.

Specialist courts such as the Glasgow Alcohol Court are the responsibility of Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, rather than the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

There are other good practice examples of problem solving courts, including the Pan-Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drugs Problem Solving Court, which secured funding via the CORRA foundation and launched in December 2023.

If there was a desire to see this approach extended to other areas on the basis of evidence of effectiveness, we would be supportive.

Both the Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF) and the Population Health Framework (PHF) place prevention and early intervention at their core. The actions in the PHF – promoting healthy eating, investing in sport and active living, and work to reduce the harms of smoking – will support the prevention of cardiovascular (circulatory) disease.

The SRF includes a focus on early detection to support intervention and treatment to reduce the level of harm. For example, our CVD Risk Factors programme seeks to improve the identification and management of key risk factors (obesity, smoking, high blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol). As part of this programme, we will support 100,000 patients, who may be at risk of cardiovascular disease, with extra GP appointments by March next year.

Preventative measures, such as those detailed above, should help to address cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, including hospital admissions.