All non-domestic properties are valued periodically at a revaluation and the resulting ‘Rateable Value’ applies for the full period of the valuation cycle. Values are benchmarked against same date for all properties which is called the ‘tone date’. Both of these features ensure fairness for all ratepayers. The tone date for the current 2017 revaluation cycle was 1 April 2015. For the next revaluation cycle taking effect on 1 April 2023, the tone date is 1 April 2022.

The valuation of all non-domestic property is a matter for the Scottish Assessors, who are independent of central and local government. The Assessor uses the established legal framework to determine premises’ rateable values based on the notional rental value that they could be expected to attract on the open market if they were vacant and to let.

Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have benefitted from over £4.5 billion in support from the Scottish Government. This includes COVID-19 non-domestic rates reliefs which have saved businesses around £1.6 billion in reduced rates bills since 1 April 2020. Responding to a key ask from the business community to avoid a cliff edge return to full rates liability from 31 March 222, we are continuing relief for properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors at 50% for the first three months of 2022-23, capped at £27,500 per ratepayer.

Like all governments we were constrained by affordability and consequently it was necessary for difficult decisions to be taken. To date we have spent almost half a billion pounds more in support of Scottish businesses, compared with the funding we have received for that purpose from UK Government.

A 2017 review of the use of sodium valproate in pregnancy by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that babies exposed to sodium valproate are at higher risk of malformations or developmental problems. Following this review, the EMA agreed new measures to avoid the use of sodium valproate in women and girls of child bearing potential. This included the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

On 7 January 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the results of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) review of the safety of anti-epileptics in pregnancy. The CHM recommended that the MHRA should review whether the available data raises any new safety concerns or changes current understanding about the safety of other epilepsy medicines during pregnancy. The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with the MHRA on issues around medicines safety, including those relating to sodium valproate.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government is funding the roll-out of a pilot Scottish Epilepsy Register in three NHS Health Boards (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire). This will help identify patients taking sodium valproate, as well as any other anti-epileptic medicines, some of which may also have the potential to cause harm. Alongside the data we already collect on prescribing, this has the potential to form the basis of a Scotland-wide epilepsy registry and, with further adaptation, could collect outcome data. This can help support better shared decision making to reduce the risk of harm and improve delivery of and access to care and support.

The Scottish Budget 2022-23 ensures the lowest poundage in the UK for the fourth year in a row and supports a generous package of reliefs.

Table 1 shows the tax rates and thresholds that will apply in 2022-23.

There are also a number of rates reliefs available in each of the three countries, including up to 100% relief for small properties. Table 1 sets out the eligibility thresholds for 100% relief in each of the schemes across Scotland, England and Wales in 2022-23.

Table 1: Property rates and rates relief for small properties, Scotland, England and Wales, 2022-23

KPMG have advised that there are 23 contracts across Scottish Government public bodies that they would have considered bidding for, were it not for them having stepped back from bidding for Scottish Government work. The combined value of these opportunities is estimated to be over £137,000,000, but KPMG are not conducting internal assessments of these opportunities and so may not have bid for them all, and would be unlikely to have won everything that they bid-for.

As tenders are ongoing it would not be appropriate to list the contracts at this stage as, were bidders to understand that a potential competitor was not participating, it could distort the competition, either reducing quality or increasing costs to the public purse. However, the tenders cover a range of service types, including research, analytical services, business-planning, and economic modelling.

The information requested is not held centrally. Public Health Scotland publishes a quarterly report on Diagnostic Waiting Times which covers eight key diagnostic tests. These diagnostic tests are used for a range of conditions, including cancer.

Information on the value of Chinese inward investments into Scotland can be found in the publicly available report Businesses in Scotland, which shows that there are currently 20 Chinese owned businesses in Scotland, with an estimated employment of 3,910 and a turnover of £1.33 billion. The Scottish Government does not hold data on the overall value of investment in Scotland specific to Chinese state-owned firms as this data is commercial in nature.

Scottish Government works with its enterprise agencies to ensure robust due diligence and proper consideration of human rights is undertaken on inward investments from China as well as from any other country. Additional safeguards are provided by the National Security and Investment Act 2021, which protects against acquisitions within sensitive areas of the economy that could cause harm to the UK’s national security.

The ongoing costs of the COVID Status App are publicly available via Public Contracts Scotland . The costs of developing and maintaining the App are broken down between Netcompany and Jumio who provide the core App and Identity Verification systems respectively.

The most recent update from Public Contracts Scotland as of 4 March 2022 places the total value of development of the core App from Netcompany at £2,400,000.00 and the Identity Verification systems from Jumio at £4,373,360.00.

The ongoing and future costs of the COVID Status App will be published as and when these figures are available.

The Scottish Government has been discussing the need for better data on metastatic breast cancer over several months including seeking advice from Public Health Scotland and breast cancer specialists. Additionally, officials have met with the Third Sector to discuss evidence of need. Dialogue continues as we seek to improve data collection methods.

In March 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued new measures to limit exposure to sodium valproate in utero, including the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

Following this, new and strengthened information materials for healthcare professionals and patients have been issued, including an updated Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet, new education materials for professionals, as well as updated packaging stamped with a new pictogram. Furthermore, updated guidance on the use of sodium valproate has been issued by both the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

Prescribers in Scotland are expected to follow current drug safety information and the new measures in relation to sodium valproate to ensure women being prescribed this medicine are fully apprised of the risks and are able to make informed decisions.

The impact of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many health and social care services, including some cardiology services, had to be suspended or reduced in scope and scale. In some instances, novel modes of delivery were adopted to maintain important services (for example, some local services implemented drive up clinics for pacemaker checks).

Evidence based caution has been, and continues to be, at the forefront of our decision making around the provision of services throughout the pandemic. To support this, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport published a national Clinical Prioritisation Framework for Supporting Elective Care across NHS Scotland on 16 November 2020, updated on 8 December 2021. The expectation is that NHS Boards will follow the principles of this Framework to ensure that the patients with the greatest need are treated quickest.

Furthermore, addressing the backlog of care while continuing to meet the ongoing urgent health and care needs of the country is a priority. We published an NHS Recovery Plan in August 2021 which sets out our plans for health and social care over the next 5 years and is backed by over £1 billion of funding,

Regular pacemaker checks typically take place in outpatient clinics and so it is relevant to note that the Recovery plan includes a focus on increasing outpatient activity through supporting sustainable improvements and new models of care.

We are also taking specific action to minimise preventable heart disease and ensure that everyone with suspected heart disease in Scotland has timely and equitable access to diagnosis, treatment and care, through the implementation of our Heart Disease Action Plan (2021).