Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government Consulted extensively with retailers and retail interest groups on proposals in Scotland''s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0/.

The following table provides a breakdown of meetings held to discuss proposals:

Organisation	Number of  Meetings
The Scottish Grocers'' Federation (represents 350 retailers across Scotland with over 900 stores)	5*
The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (represents some 1,600 retailers)	3
The Scottish Retail Consortium (represents 75% of the retail market)	3*
Scottish Wholesale Association	2
The Independent Scottish Specialist Tobacconists'' Association	1
Tobacco Retailers Alliance (represents 25,000 retailers across the UK)	1
Sinclair Collis (vending machine operator)	1
Visits to tobacco retailers	2
Meetings with individual tobacco retailer	1
Scottish Licensed Trade Association	1*

Note: *Includes the Scottish Ministerial Working Group on Tobacco Control meeting in November 2008.

The primary purpose of the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was to consider the impact of proposals on business and, in particular, on small businesses. Almost 65 per cent of meetings held to discuss the RIA were with tobacco retailers and 60 per cent of written representations in relation to the RIA were from tobacco retailers. Other representations made in relation to the RIA were from local government, health interest groups and tobacco manufacturers. Just over 80% of letters received by the Scottish Government in response to proposals in Scotland''s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan were from retailers. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0/

The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) on proposals contained in Scotland''s Future is Smoke Free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan considered the impact of further regulating tobacco vending machines. The RIA recommended an outright ban of tobacco vending machines as being the most effective way of reducing sales to under-18s.

In developing the regulatory impact assessment on proposals to reduce the availability of tobacco from vending machines to under-18s, the Scottish Government met with Imperial Tobacco and its subsidiary Sinclair Collis, which provides, operates and maintains the majority of tobacco vending machines in Scotland. The Scottish Government attempted to make contact with the National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators on a number of occasions with no response. The Scottish Licensed Trade Association were also consulted on proposals.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing the uptake of self-directed support (SDS) as a way of giving those receiving social care choice, flexibility and control over the services they receive. We are funding three test sites (Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Highland Councils) to consider three specific interventions (bridging finance, leadership and training, and cutting red tape). Legislation already allows the inclusion of health money in a SDS package in Scotland. This enables long-term conditions to be managed holistically. Evidence suggests that there can be distinct advantages for service users receiving care in this way.

The personalisation of health care is central to our approach to enabling people to live well with long-term conditions. Aside from funding work with NHS Lothian to consider how health money can be used more routinely in SDS packages, we will of course be interested in the outcomes from the UK Government pilots.

Chlamydia tests undertaken by the NHS are processed by NHS laboratories with statistics on the number of tests and positive diagnoses collated and analysed by Health Protection Scotland. Chlamydia tests which are undertaken as part of the community pharmacy contract will feed into this process and be monitored in the same way.

NHS boards, through their Health Promotion Departments, undertake local targeted work on the risks of contracting sexually transmitted infections and on the importance of testing and treatment.

In addition the government is in the process of developing a national social marketing campaign which will aim to raise awareness and create a conversation on sexual health generally. This campaign, which will begin in summer 2009, will be supported by a national website and written information encouraging those who may have put themselves at risk of a sexually transmitted infection to be tested.

The Scottish Government has published sexual health outcomes for 2008-11. One of these outcomes, being led by NHS boards and local authorities, is the provision of young people''s drop-in services in or near every school in Scotland offering general health advice, Chlamydia testing, pregnancy testing and condoms.

The recent Quality Improvement Scotland Standard on sexual health and young people sets out a target to increase chlamydia testing in under 25s. This includes a specific target to increase the number of young men being offered a test. Every young person who visits a sexual health service is asked if they have put themselves at risk and, if so, offered a test.

In addition, health boards are responsible for putting in place a range of measures which will reach young people in their local area and many are taking innovative approaches to reach young men, such as postal testing kits which can be given directly to young men or to a young woman to pass on to her partner.

Human Reproduction and The Lancet medical journals published Swedish research in spring 2008 which stated that there is a robust and independent association between failure to conceive and chlamydia antibodies in men, independent of semen quality.

The Scottish Government has been advised however that while chlamydia infection can reduce male fertility, further research is required to determine the actual effect on fertility, as this is not clear.

We know that men are less likely to access health services generally. Recent NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Standards on Sexual Health set out a target to increase chlamydia testing in those under 25, and contain a specific target to increase the number of young men being offered a test.

Health boards are responsible for putting in place a range of measures which will reach young people in their local area and many are taking innovative approaches to reach young men.

The information requested is not held centrally.