Public Health Nurses-Health Visitors promote a range of information and resources, for example Bookbug, and NHS Health Scotland’s publications including Ready Steady Baby! and Ready Steady Toddler!. They provide further additional information to meet the needs of individual families as appropriate.

Guidance on the 27-30 month review as it is now known, to be distributed to NHS Boards shortly, includes health promotion resources for Public Health Nurses-Health Visitors to share with families as part of the review, tailored to meet their individual needs.

No date was set for implementation of the recommendations in A New Look at Hall 4: The Early Years: Good Health for Every Child.

All NHS Boards are currently in the process of implementing the role of the Named Person.

NHS Boards have introduced, or are working towards introducing, 2 categories of HPI as set out in A New Look at Hall 4: The Early Years: Good Health for Every Child.

A short-life working group was set up to determine the core issues to be addressed and recorded at the 24-30 month review, and recommended the review be carried out between 27 and 30 months. Guidance on the 27-30 month review will be issued shortly, requiring NHS Boards to introduce the review from 1 April 2013.

Electricity storage already plays an important role in optimising Scotland’s power network system, with the pumped hydro storage facilities at Ben Cruachan and Ben Foyers. An application for a new hydro pumped storage scheme near Loch Lochy has been received by Scottish Ministers, and is under consideration.

Our draft Electricity Generation Policy Statement highlighted the increasingly important role electricity storage could play in Scotland’s future power network. As stated in the recently published update to our 2020 Renewable Routemap for Scotland, the Scottish Government is working with engineering institutions and other expert stakeholders to assess the potential for emerging storage technologies to contribute to our energy objectives for Scotland.

In the meantime, the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise are supporting an innovative hydrogen project in Aberdeen, which will include the production and storage of hydrogen for use as a transport fuel and other energy uses.

In addition, the UK-wide Electricity Market Reform proposals represent an opportunity to encourage the cost-effective potential of demand-side management and electricity storage to contribute to security of supply. We are working with the Department of Energy & Climate Change in this area and will review our position on electricity storage technologies as part of the final Electricity Generation Policy Statement.

The Scottish Government published the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland 2012-15 in August 2012. In it we recognise that there are strong links between depression and drinking above recommended guidelines, and make a commitment to work with NHS Boards and partners to more effectively link the work on alcohol and depression and other common mental health problems to improve identification and treatment, with a particular focus on primary care.

The Scottish Government provides funding to NHS Boards and Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (via NHS Boards) in order that they can deliver the range of services required to meet the needs of their local population including alcohol misuse and psychiatric health services.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people with a mental illness or disorder, including those with an alcohol or drug problem, have access to the right help at the right time to support their recovery. The Scottish Government is already committed to delivering faster access to psychological therapies for those with mental illness or disorder.

The Scottish Government has set a HEAT Target to improve access to psychological therapies. This states that by December 2014 the standard for referral to the commencement of treatment will be a maximum of 18 weeks, irrespective of age, illness or therapy. This complements the HEAT target that by March 2013, 90% of clients will wait no longer than 3 weeks from referral received to appropriate drug or alcohol treatment that supports their recovery. NHS Boards are making good progress towards meeting both these targets.

This information is held in the public domain, and can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland–Information Services Division Psychology Services Workforce data webpage at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Psychology/

Information about the number of psychologists is held in the public domain, and can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland–Information Services Division Psychology Services Workforce data webpage at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Psychology/

However it is not possible to state how many of these psychologists assist with changing peoples’ behaviour to improve their health and wellbeing.

In addition to applied psychologists, a range of other professionals including nurses, allied health professionals and voluntary sector workers, are involved in delivering psychological interventions, which may be aimed at changing people’s behaviour or thinking, and improving their health and wellbeing.

Psychological therapies are delivered by a variety of professionals, including nurses, allied health professionals and voluntary sector staff, as well as psychologists.

The Scottish Government has national supports in place to assist Boards in meeting the psychological therapies HEAT access target. We have already seen improvements in service performance across Scotland since the HEAT target was set.

We are also committed to a health promoting and preventative approach whereby we increase support for access to self-management, self help, information and advice and low level interventions such as referral to exercise or bibliotherapy which may prevent people from experiencing more serious psychological distress.

Information on the number of psychologists employed is held in the public domain, and can be found on the NHS Education for Scotland–Information Services Division Psychology Services Workforce data webpage at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Psychology/.

In addition to interventions delivered by psychologists, a range of other work is being undertaken through the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector, in delivering information and advice, self help approaches, counselling and other low intensity treatments including exercise to support early interventions, which may be aimed at promoting positive mental health and wellbeing.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable economic benefits and employment opportunities snowsports bring to Scotland. The Scottish Snowsports Strategic Review recommended greater collaborative working among the Scottish centres to develop the sector as a whole, along with further development of non-snowsports activities. High priority recommendations included:

Collective working on strategic issues through the established snowsports sector working group, including all five centres, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise.

Campaign to address high UK taxation, in comparison with other countries.

Improve marketing and promotion to generate additional revenue.

Identify further opportunities for diversification.

We are working closely and collectively with the centres, our enterprise agencies, sportscotland and VisitScotland to ensure that the recommendations are progressed, enabling this important sector of our tourism industry to benefit from a more focussed and strategic support structure. That process has included a series of meetings with the centres, including a post 2011-12 season meeting held at the Lecht Snowsports Centre on 24 May, which I chaired. The most recent engagement took place on 3 October when I met with representatives from the BBC, STV and the centres to explore how information on winter sports is publicised in the broadcast media, how information could be shared between the centres and broadcasters and the potential for improving information on snow conditions to allow snowsports enthusiasts to plan excursions more effectively, thereby increasing participation.

The competitive disadvantage high UK taxation placed on the centres had been raised with the UK Government over a number of years and the announcement in March 2012 that VAT would be reduced to 5 per cent was therefore welcomed. The Scottish Government made representation to HM Treasury on 18 June and 11 September seeking introduction of the reduced VAT rate in January 2013, slightly earlier than is currently proposed, to allow the centres to benefit from the change during the 2012-13 season. We are currently awaiting HM Treasury’s decision, following the closure of its consultation on 17 October, on how the changes should be implemented.