Chamber and committees

Membership, remit and operation of the Islands Transport Forum are still to be agreed.

However, it will be essential that the Forum considers all the issues and opportunities relevant to islands transport. This will require engagement across a broad range of sectors and stakeholders.

Since 4 August 2020, all Type IIR masks supplied to NSS were from Alpha Solway with the following exceptions:

• When NSS demand outstripped Alpha Solway capacity, and
• for specialist Type IIR masks that were of a type not manufactured by Alpha Solway

NSS placed orders which have resulted in the procurement of over 250 million Alpha Solway manufactured items of pandemic PPE during the pandemic. The vast majority of those items have now been received by NSS with a very small amount still due to arrive from those orders. The last order for Alpha Solway products was placed on 30 March 2022.

The sum of £67,232 has been spent on safety improvements on the A90 Toll of Birness junction since 1 April 2017. This cost was primarily associated with the provision of three vehicle activated signs (VAS) recommended from previous safety studies. Two signs were erected in 2017 with a third sign to supplement the northbound VAS erected in 2021. Other work involved an additional northbound advance direction sign.

An evidence based approach is central to the development of our policy to restrict promotions on less healthy food and drink.

Further to our 2018/19 consultation , we recently consulted again on our proposals on restricting the promotions for foods high in fat, sugar or salt to further inform the evidence base and development of this policy. This provided an opportunity for people and organisations to share their views on these proposals in the current context, including relating to cost of living pressures. Responses to this consultation are now being analysed and will help to inform development of this policy.

We continue to engage with a range of stakeholders and update our wider evidence base to inform a suite of impact assessments in order to assess whether the proposed measures are proportionate as well as to consider their impact on health inequalities. This includes engagement with businesses to inform a Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment that will set out the anticipated costs and benefits of these measures. These impact assessments will be published upon introduction to Parliament of the Public Health (Restriction of Promotions) Bill.

An evidence based approach is central to the development of our policy to restrict promotions on less healthy food and drink.

Scottish Government published economic modelling that estimated that removal of price promotions such as temporary price reductions, multi-buy and 'Y for £X', just on discretionary foods such as cakes, biscuits, confectionary, crisps, etc., has the potential to reduce calorie intake by 613 calories per person per week.

While this research was commissioned in 2019, publication of this modelling was delayed to May 2022 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The data used for this analysis is from the Kantar World panel dataset for Scotland from 2013 to 2018, which provides information about purchases at the level of products by households and whether they were made under a price promotion (e.g. x GBP pounds less). A 5 year period was used for the modelling to ensure that as many possible households could be included in the estimation and to avoid the effects of specific annual fluctuations.

This modelling is only one part of the wider evidence base on this policy. We are using a wide range of evidence and data sources to consider the potential impacts of restricting promotions, ensuring we have a robust and balanced evidence base to inform policy making.

The Scottish Government has not permanently closed any trunk road bridges in the South of Scotland regions. Decisions on the closure or re-opening of Local Authority bridges is a matter for the relevant Local Authority.

Following consultation, Local Authority colleagues have indicated the following local bridge closures:

Between Ellon (from & including the roundabout at the junction with the A948) to the junction with the A982 at Peterhead

The following table sets out the number of fatal casualties on the A90 between Emmock roundabout Dundee and where the A957 Slug Road crosses the A90 at Stonehaven.

The Scottish Government deemed that the most sensitive way of investigating previous post-mortem practice in Scotland was the Independent Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post Mortem Examination which was established in September 2000 by the then Scottish Executive. The final report was published in November 2001.

In addition, Audit Scotland was instructed by the then Auditor General for Scotland to undertake an exercise to validate the information provided to the Review Group by NHS trusts (now known as NHS boards). The Audit Scotland report summarises the findings from the validation exercise and the systems review undertaken during the period November 2001 to January 2002.

The Scottish Government wants to ensure that women are having informed and empowered conversations with their GP in order to support the diagnosis process for endometriosis. We continue to explore new ways and approaches to support people to seek advice in a way that best meets their needs, whilst also ensuring access to face-to-face appointments where required.

We recognise the benefits that virtual treatment tools like Near Me could bring to many of those suffering with endometriosis and the potential impact they could have on diagnosis delays. Near Me is a confidential and secure service that allows people to attend a pre-arranged appointment using a video call, rather than attending in person. However, we are clear that where clinically necessary, face-to-face consultations will be available to those who need them.

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the imposition of Infection Prevention Control (IPC) measures in order to contain its spread. These IPC measures, which have recently been deescalated, changed the way GPs see their patients. The Scottish Government wants to see greater availability of face-to-face appointments and is working with the British Medical Association (BMA) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

We will continue to support the health and care system through what is anticipated to be an extremely challenging winter, including supporting GPs to offer an appropriate mix of pre-booked, same day, face to face and remote appointments. Additionally, the NHS Inform pages on endometriosis have recently been reviewed and updated, in collaboration with endometriosis specialists and those with lived experience, to ensure that people across Scotland are able to access accurate and up-to-date information on endometriosis in a range of languages and formats.