Chamber and committees

The area of the revised closure is based on sediment distribution in the Firth of Clyde, with greater protection for those sediment types known to be favoured by spawning cod. Full details and coordinates are available at: Fishing closures: Firth of Clyde - 2022 and 2023 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and https://www.gov.scot/publications/cod-spawning-areas-research/

The non-continuation of the exemptions is based on scientific evidence that, while spawning, cod are extremely vulnerable to disturbance . They are focussed on mating, and the males are unwilling to leave their hard-won leks, so both sexes are less likely to try and evade oncoming fishing gear which means that mating adults are at risk of being caught. In addition, physical disturbance within the relevant areas of the Firth of Clyde during the mating period will disrupt the mating activity and potentially destroy the lek areas, and cod so disturbed may not return (and therefore may not spawn that year). Removal of all fishing activity in the closure areas should significantly mitigate this risk. If the stronger males are caught or disrupted leaving the weaker males, those males that remain may not be able to attract females. Moreover, stressed males are less likely to initiate mating. Noise may also disrupt mating, with females potentially unable to hear mating calls (Slabbekoorn et al 2010).

Although we carried out a consultation on this issue in autumn 2021, we acknowledged the strong reaction from the fishing industry around this change of policy in January 2022 and engaged further with them and other stakeholders to refine the policy. We have worked at pace to develop revised closure areas which minimise disruption to fishers (through a reduction in size of the overall closure areas) while increasing protection for cod in the areas where they are spawning.

A seasonal spawning closure in the Firth of Clyde has been in place for over 20 years to provide an area to protect cod during their spawning season (14 February – 30 April). Since its introduction in 2001, the closure has included exemptions to allow Nephrops trawlers, creels and scallop dredgers to continue to fish in the area, due to the low numbers of cod they catch. However, despite the ongoing seasonal closure, the stock has shown little sign of recovery. The Scottish Government has therefore decided to introduce a revised and more targeted closure. The overall size of the closure compared to previous years has been reduced by 28%, while providing increased protection to spawning cod by prohibiting all fishing activity in the closed areas for 11 weeks from 14 th February in both 2022 and 2023.

This decision is underpinned by analysis of sediment distribution in the Clyde, as well as by scientific research which suggests that any fishing activity within 10m of the seabed (which would include trawling, dredging and creeling) has the potential to impact on cod spawning activity. Given the vulnerability of cod to any disturbance during the spawning season, we believe that it is appropriate not to continue the exemptions in order to provide a higher chance of stock recovery and contribute to a more sustainable fishery in the West of Scotland in the medium-longer term. We will be increasing monitoring in the area during the period of the closure. We will also arrange a review meeting with stakeholders at the end of the closure to assess its effectiveness and practicality.

The Sea Fish (Prohibition on Fishing) (Firth of Clyde) (No. 2) Order 2022 introduces a closure for 11 weeks from 14 February in both 2022 and 2023. Both the timing of the closure and the statutory approach are consistent with the approach the Scottish Government has taken to this closure since 2001. There are no plans at this time to amend the statutory instrument cited above.

The Scottish Government acted on requests by retail organisations not to launch the consultation in the run-up to Christmas which is the busiest trading period and may not have allowed retailers the full opportunity to share their views. We took the opportunity to liaise with a short-life working group and update the consultation in line with the most recent emerging evidence.

a) There are six breast screening centres across Scotland. For women aged 53-70 years who were screened between 1st April 2020 and 31st January 2021, the average interval between screening episodes was 41 months across Scotland.

The average interval between screening episodes, broken down by screening centre, was as follows:

East – 46 months

North – 40 months

North East – 42 months

South East – 41 months

West – 38 months

South West – 39 months

b) It is not possible to provide information on the current longest interval between screening episodes; however, within the period between 1 April 2020 and 31 January 2021, 2% of those screened had an interval between screening rounds of greater than or equal to 51 months.

It should be noted that the data provided to answer this question is management information that has not been subject to quality checks applied on an official publication.

As of 31st January 2022, 54,726 women in Scotland have waited more than 36 months since their last breast screen. Data presented in relation to S6W-06127 on 28 February 2022 sets out the average length of time between screening appointments by screening centre. Historically, the Scottish Breast screening Programme has invited around 260,000 women per year. In 2019-20 just under 270,000 women were invited.

The programme continues to recover from the March 2020 Covid-19 related pause, and the National Screening Oversight, Scottish Screening Committee and Breast Screening Programme Board (BSPB) continue to work with health boards to increase the number of available appointments, including through deploying additional mobile breast screening units and providing additional appointments during evenings and at weekends.

It should be noted that the data provided is management information that has not been subject to quality checks applied on an official publication.

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 is committed to resuming the pause to self-referrals for those aged 71 and over as soon as it is feasible. The Breast Screening Programme Board (BSPB) agreed that the option for women over 70 to self-refer into the breast screening programme should resume once all screening centres are able to offer those aged 53-70 their breast screening appointments within 39 months of their previous screening. However, in recognition of the anxiety the pause is causing, the screening programme is exploring whether there are other options that will accelerate the restart without unduly impacting appointment times for the eligible screening population. Any decision will be informed by clinical advice and the on-going pandemic.

In the meantime, the programme is working hard to increase capacity, including by deploying additional mobile units and offering appointments at evenings and weekends.

Regardless of their age, women should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.

In light of the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wellbeing of our health workforce, wherever they work, remains a key priority. The 2021/22 pay uplift saw staff receive an average 4% pay rise, the highest in the UK. The Scottish Government is committed to ensure that NHS Scotland nursing staff continue to benefit from the best pay and conditions in the UK.

In 2021-22, the Scottish Government made £12 million available to support the wellbeing of the workforce. This includes £8 million from the NHS Recovery Plan to provide ongoing wellbeing support for the workforce alongside an additional £4 million to provide further support to address winter pressures.

To complement this at a local level, we also have a range of resources including the National Wellbeing Hub, a 24/7 National Wellbeing Helpline, confidential mental health treatment the Workforce Specialist Service and funding for additional local psychological support. We are also providing further support for practical measures to aid rest and recuperation alongside additional resources such as Coaching for Wellbeing and grief and bereavement support.

Nursing and midwifery staffing is also at a record high, up by 13.1% since September 2006.

People with certain neuromuscular conditions, such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis, are eligible for antiviral medication The eligibility criteria for direct access to new COVID-19 treatments were developed by an independent expert working group commissioned by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and is based on detailed clinical evidence. The criteria are set out in a UK-wide clinical commissioning policy . The policy targets those higher risk individuals who have the potential to both be least likely to generate a material immune response to vaccines and be at highest risk of disease progression, hospitalisation and death.

Further information is available on NHS Inform .

In addition to the direct access arrangements described above for the most vulnerable, coronavirus oral antiviral treatments are being evaluated through a UK-wide study called PANORAMIC, run by the University of Oxford. Full details about the eligibility criteria for the study can be found at: https://www.panoramictrial.org/

The outcomes from the study will enable the NHS to fully understand how best to make use of these treatments in the future.