Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan (WHP) will be published within the first 100 days of this new government and includes a number of actions to improve access to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis.

We are working closely with organisations and support groups representing women with endometriosis to implement these actions and work is already underway, for example, through the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme to develop a pelvic pain pathway for Scotland. This integrated care pathway will assist women to access and be better informed and empowered to make choices about treatment and management for endometriosis.

Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scottish Government. As such, the information requested is not held by the Scottish Government and would have to be obtained directly from individual local authorities or from COSLA.

The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were approved by the Scottish Parliament on 10 February 2021 and will come into force on 1 September 2021. These regulations are concerned with modernising the licensing of dog, cat and rabbit breeding activities, pet selling - including the trade in young dogs, the operation of animal sanctuaries and animal rehoming activities.

Additionally, the Scottish Government works closely with a number of animal welfare organisations, other UK Government departments, the veterinary sector and enforcement agencies on the Puppy Trade Working Group to disrupt the activities of unlicensed and/or low welfare breeders and educate the public about how best to buy a puppy safely.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01751 on 6 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Scottish Government expect Local Public Bodies to engage inclusively with autistic people about decisions that affect them. However, it is the decision of Local Authorities on what engagement should take place and how this is monitored.

While Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland it is for local Health & Social Care Partnerships to assess local need and arrange support services, as mandated under statute in the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act. Local Authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers are set out in statute and as such are entirely separate from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government continues to be committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland. We work closely with autism organisations in the third sector and the public sector and actively seek the views of people with lived experience on autism services. This is reflected in our “Towards Transformation” plan and in specific pieces of nationally funded work, such as the National Post Diagnostic Support pilot for Autistic People.

While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, it is for the regional health & social care partnerships to determine the level of services that are required to meet local needs and to arrange an appropriate and suitable range of services to meet these local needs, as mandated under statute in the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act.

Local Authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers are set out in statute and as such are entirely separate from the Scottish Government, however it is also the expectation of the Scottish Government that Local Public Bodies will engage with the third sector regarding local autism services.

In October 2019 the Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG) recommended that: “Where patients understand and are willing to accept the demands, risks and uncertainties of treatment, autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) should be considered as a treatment option for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have evidence of significant inflammatory disease activity that has not responded to adequate treatment with licensed high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs).”

Following comprehensive clinical assessment, relevant diagnostic testing and consideration by a specialist multi-disciplinary team, AHSCT can be offered to MS patients from Scotland where they meet this criteria and when it is clinically judged that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. In these circumstances such patients can be referred by their NHS Consultant for this specific treatment at a specialist centre in England.

Stem cell transplantation is currently undertaken in Scotland for other clinical reasons, however specific expertise in its use for the treatment of MS is still developing. In order to ensure that patients receive the highest level of safe, patient-centred care, clinical consensus is that this is currently best delivered by one of the most experienced centres globally, located in Sheffield. Although delayed by the need to focus resources on COVID-19, key stakeholders within NHS Scotland are continuing discussions regarding a potential Scottish pathway for this treatment.

AHSCT is an intensive treatment which carries a very high risk of infection for many weeks, due to severe immunosuppression as part of the treatment pathway. In March 2020 the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) recommended postponing this treatment in patients with MS until the risk of coronavirus receded, due to the potential for severe illness in those with compromised immune systems. As of November 2020, the ABN advises its use only in exceptional cases of relapsing disease.

Glasgow School of Art is an autonomous Higher Education Institution, and as such has responsibility for its own strategic and operational decision making, including those related to the restoration of the Mackintosh Building.

The Scottish Funding Council continue to engage regularly with the Glasgow School of Art at Senior Management and Board level on a range of issues including institutional governance and staff and student wellbeing.

A key milestone, however, is the outcome of the fire investigation. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service anticipate that they will be in a position to publish the fire investigation report by the end of November 2021.

The Scottish Government has recently announced a suite of measures to continue to support NHS dentistry, including a vital funding package of up to £5M for improved ventilation in dental premises, and an extension of free PPE for the dental sector, which from this month has increased by up to 50%. This builds on the continued phased remobilisation of NHS dental services, ensuring that as many patients can be seen within the current set of infection, protection and control measures required for the safe operation of dental treatment.

NHS dental services are largely provided by independent dental contractors. Information on appointments is held by each individual dental practice.

The removal of all dental charges for NHS dental treatment is a Scottish Government manifesto commitment and more detail will be published in due course. These changes will take place in the lifetime of this parliament and the processes are currently underway.

The Women’s Health Pan will be published by the end of this month, August 2021, and within the first 100 days of the new session of the Parliament.