To support delivery of the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan the Scottish Government has allocated funding of £93,588 over three years to NHS Education for Scotland to develop education and training materials which will raise awareness, knowledge and understanding of HIV and reduce stigma amongst non-HIV specialist healthcare staff.

To expand and enhance this work, we are currently assessing bids for a workforce education project for health and social care staff to raise awareness of HIV, improve support and reduce stigma across these key settings. We expect to be able to announce the outcome of this process soon.

Scottish Government officials will work with project leads to ensure that the resources developed are appropriately tailored and targeted to key professional groups, including mental health practitioners.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone living with fibromyalgia in Scotland is able to access clinically appropriate, safe, effective and person-centred healthcare, treatment and support.

In November 2023, we published an update to our Pain Management Service Delivery Framework Implementation Plan. As part of the framework, the National Pain Education Group developed a Chronic Pain Learning Toolkit for all health and social care staff across Scotland.

It is Scotland’s first national chronic pain training resource and will look to enhance understanding and care for people living with chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, across all levels health and social care staff. The toolkit went live November 2024.

Following the Bayoh family’s request to extend the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference, the Government started the process of gathering views, including consulting with the Chair of the Inquiry.

All relevant matters will be given full and careful consideration in order for a decision to be made. This work is ongoing and a decision will be made as soon as possible.

Through the consultation, Scottish Government is keen to understand what further support mechanisms, and practical measures, could be explored within a collaborative framework to reduce the time needed to provide consultation responses.

Through the consultation, Scottish Government is keen to understand what further support mechanisms, and practical measures, could be explored within a collaborative framework to reduce the time needed to provide consultation responses.

At present there is no mechanism by which consents for large overhead electric lines may be varied, or by which consents may be varied quickly in minor ways by the Scottish Government.

These limitations can present barriers to the development of infrastructure which are essential to energy security.

Through the consultation, Scottish Government is keen to understand what further support mechanisms, and practical measures, could be explored within a collaborative framework to reduce the time needed to provide consultation responses.

We continue to work with CMAL and a range of other port owners including Local Authority, Trust Port, and Private operators, to invest in essential infrastructure required to maintain and enhance the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles routes. The Islands Connectivity Plan (ICP) sets out the Scottish Government’s long-term objectives and policies for ensuring necessary and sustainable transport links for our islands.

As a key element of the ICP, the Vessels and Ports Plan provides detail on the Scottish Government’s objectives for the Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) and Northern Isles Ferry Services (NIFS).

The ICP consultation report and responses were published on 3 September – there was overall support for our proposals and some suggestions for improvement. We aim to use the consultation responses to inform the final versions of the Strategic Approach and the Vessels and Ports Plan.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31648 on 4 December 2024. 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

The Scottish Government has not provided any advice to GPs regarding women who have been potentially exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES).

The regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. They are responsible for investigating any safety concerns regarding the licensing of diethylstilbestrol (DES). Scottish Government officials meet regularly with the MHRA to discuss known medicine safety issues and to agree required actions.

The most recent guidance published by the Department of Health, which also applies in Scotland, advises that daughters of individuals exposed to DES in utero are at an increased risk of clear cell cancer of the cervix and vagina but no other forms of cervical cancer and that local arrangements should be made for the follow up of individuals who are DES daughters and have the stigmata of DES exposure. This would usually be via annual colposcopy.