Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

The latest publication of Ready Steady Baby contains information for new mothers on the importance of pelvic-floor muscles in preventing stress incontinence. It gives mothers examples of exercises they can make part of their daily routine during everyday tasks. It highlights that if mothers have any problems or concerns they should mention it to their GP or health visitor. All pregnant women are offered a copy of Ready Steady Baby by their midwife.

Midwives would routinely discuss physical and emotional health and wellbeing with women in antenatal and postnatal care, including advice on perineal/wound hygiene and give pelvic floor/other exercise information after giving birth.

The use of mesh in procedures to treat conditions other that pelvic organ prolapse or stress urinary incontinence is accepted, not only in Scotland, but throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. This is supported by a substantial body of evidence and reports of true adverse responses to mesh are rare.

With particular reference to the use of mesh in hernia repair, NICE views this as being established clinical practice (performed for decades) whose safety and efficacy is well understood. NICE is not aware of any published evidence or professional advice which has called into question the procedures’ efficacy and safety. Current guidance remains on the NICE ‘static’ list. However, if NICE is notified of a significant change to the evidence base at any stage in the future, this could trigger a formal review proposal.

This notwithstanding, Scottish Government officials are mindful of public anxiety and are in regular liaison with the MHRA (responsible for the regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom), to appraise and respond to new information as it emerges. In addition, the Chief Medical Officer has written to Health Board Medical Directors to highlight the emerging, broader anxiety about the use of mesh in other sites. Medical Directors have been asked to ensure clinical colleagues discuss the use of mesh as part of acquiring informed consent, in line with guidance on consent and the principles of Realistic Medicine . Furthermore, the Chief Medical Officer has emphasised that all options should be considered, including non-operative management and non-mesh surgery. In addition, Medical Directors and thus their colleagues, have been reminded of their obligations with regard to medical devices and adverse event reporting.

Information on the number of people who have moved into residential care due to incontinence management issues is not held.

Data are collected from all care homes registered with the Care Inspectorate via the Care Inspectorate's web based "eForms" system and annual data are published by the Information Services Division. However, this data refers to people already resident in a care home and does not contain any information on the reason why an individual moved into residential care.

Ports and harbours are crucial gateways to Scotland. We recognise the existing contribution of port operators to the economy of Scotland and their continued importance in a post-Brexit context.

Our shipping industry is resilient. We are confident that it will be able to adapt to any changes. But we acknowledge that this will be challenging while uncertainty over future arrangements remains. Changes to port infrastructure and IT systems to accommodate new customs arrangements are likely to require long lead-in times, and so it is imperative that ports know what is required so they can plan effectively.

Ministers and officials are engaging with industry and the UK Department for Transport to ensure that Scottish interests are well represented in discussions being led at Westminster. We will continue to engage with our stakeholders to provide support.

Information Service Divisions of NSS Scotland publish information relating to the number and rate of emergency hospital admissions resulting from a fall within the annual Unintentional Injuries publication available at http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Emergency-Care/. Information is not available on whether an injury was the result of a fall in or on the way to the toilet.

The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 does not require individuals requesting information to identify their occupation or whether they represent a particular organisation. On that basis the Government, in respect of requests it receives under that statute, does not require details of whether the requester is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), acting on behalf of an MSP, or any particular political party to be recorded.

The system used by the Government to log requests can identify instances where a requester has identified themselves as an MSP or confirmed the organisation they represent. However there is no requirement for Government officials handling requests to include these details. It is not therefore possible to provide the requested information with certainty as to whether it is either accurate or complete.

The Government does hold details of requests where it is possible to identify whether the requester is an elected representative, which would include Members of the House of Commons, the European Parliament and Councillors as well as MSPs. This enables the Government to provide an annual breakdown of such requests, broadly in line with statistical information contained in annual reports published by the Office of the Scottish Information Commissioner.

Our annual reports on information request handling are available on the Scottish Government website at https://beta.gov.scot/publications/information-request-handling-annual-report-2016/. The number of requests in each of the last five years recorded as being from elected representatives are set out in the table below.

This is a matter for individual Health Boards. The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Information broken down to the level requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. However, the total number of operations for SUI and POP, involving mesh tape inserted transvaginally, are shown in the following table.

The Scottish Government are in regular dialogue with the Scotch Whisky Association. We agree with their assessment that it would not be in the industry's best interest that all bottling of Scotch Whisky should be done in Scotland. This is based on the long-term nature of bulk trade. Any move to "repatriate" bottling for all categories of Scotch is likely to raise unwelcome concerns from important trading partners. Given the challenges the industry faces around maintaining and opening markets following Brexit, such a protectionist move on bottling could result in complaints about distorting competition, leading to possible international trade disputes and the potential for damaging retaliatory measures on the industry, such as higher tariffs.

The Scottish Government believe that the systems for Geographical Indications is vital for the Scottish food and drink products that currently enjoy these protections.

Ministers have written on a number of occasions over the past year spelling out the importance to Scottish holders in maintaining our Protected Food Names and other Geographical Indications. We have urged the UK Government to set the record straight and commit to not only guaranteeing continued protection for current holders of GI status, but also to provide the assurance being desperately sought by stakeholders that protection for our iconic products will be integral to future trade deals. We note that the UK Government's recent publication "The Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union" does propose the establishment of a UK GI scheme and for continued protection of UK GIs, such as Scotch Whisky, in the UK. However it is silent on the necessary protection for UK GIs in the EU and further afield.