Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is in regular discussions with its agencies, health and medical organisations as well as third sector bodies with health and industry interests on all aspects relating to e-cigarettes.

The Scottish Government considers that e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco cigarettes and recognises the role that e-cigarettes can play in helping some smokers quit.

The Scottish Government continues to monitor data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use in both adults and young people through the Scottish Health Survey and Scottish Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey. We work closely with Scotland's research community to ensure our policies are based on best evidence on the health impacts of e-cigarettes.

The Scottish Government is of the view that the health implications from passively inhaling vapour from e-cigarettes are significantly lower than those from traditional cigarettes. However e-cigarettes are not risk free. More research is required to determine the long-term health consequences of exposure to e-cigarette vapour.

Research and analysis on e-cigarettes is being conducted on a global scale but there is a lack of data on the long-term impacts of use. The Scottish Government commissioned research and analysis which explored awareness, experiences and attitudes towards e-cigarettes among young adults aged 16 - 25. The research was conducted between October 2015 and February 2016.

The Scottish Social Services Council is responsible for the publication of official statistics on social services workforce data. Their recently published Scottish Social Services Workforce Data Report 2015 reports that the workforce has increased to 203,200, an increase of 1.8% on the previous year. 31% of workers are employed in the public sector, 28% in the voluntary sector and 42% in the private sector (note that due to rounding, the percentages sum to more than 100%).

Scottish Government condemn the inappropriate use of zero hour contracts.

The Scottish Government expects all employers to adopt fair working practices. The Fair Work Framework states that zero hours contracts can be a barrier to providing employees an appropriate level of security. We believe that the operational flexibility offered to employers by zero hours contracts can be gained by offering flexible guaranteed hours contracts that meet the needs of the employer without burdening workers with uncertainty of income.

The Scottish Government has taken action in a number of ways to discourage the inappropriate use of Zero Hours Contracts and address fair work practices through the measures in the statutory guidance and by encouraging fair work more generally through promotion of the Scottish Business Pledge.

The information requested is not held centrally. Terms and conditions of employment is a matter for individual employers.

In line with the Scottish Government’s evidence-led approach to unconventional oil and gas, only boreholes to extract core samples are not included in the moratorium. Boreholes for test fracking or hydrocarbon flow testing are prohibited under the terms of the moratorium. Core sampling allows analysis of data including stratigraphy and rock properties.

Any proposal for a borehole would also need to demonstrate that it will be undertaken in collaboration with an independent research body (such as the British Geological Survey) or academic institution.

A company seeking to drill a borehole to acquire a core sample would also need to obtain all the necessary regulatory consents. These would include planning permission from the relevant planning authority and an environmental permit from SEPA. It would then be for regulators to determine whether or not the site is acceptable and whether drilling should be allowed.

All GPs are expected to demonstrate through both work based learning and self-directed learning, the knowledge and skills in end of life care to satisfy the core competencies of a GP.

The requirements and content of the GP training curricula is a matter for the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and is approved by the General Medical Council as regulator of the medical profession.

All Healthcare professionals including GP’s at all levels are expected to assess and address their learning needs to deliver the high quality services required by patients in primary and secondary care and also third party settings; this includes end of life/palliative considerations.