The Scottish Government has received the report for a Single Building Assessment (SBA) based on the specification published on 21 June 2024 for one of the pilot entries in Glasgow.

An invitation to tender has been issued to undertake SBAs based on the specification published on 21 June 2024 for a further twelve of the pilot entries. Seven of which are in Glasgow and that are SG led. It is expected that these SBAs will be completed by the end of February 2025.

Pilot works to mitigate or remediate risks have started for five of the pilot entries. Four of which are in Glasgow. Works in this context refers to any action taken to address known cladding-related risks, including Urgent Interim Measures.

These numbers relate to known works on a pilot entry only, as developers or other organisations could have carried out works without informing the Scottish Government, and therefore the true numbers may be higher and could increase as further information becomes available.

Works to remediate risks have not been completed following recommendations within SBA Reports for any of the SG led pilot entries.

We have made significant progress in the last few months, including the passage of the Housing (Cladding Remediation) Scotland Bill and publication of the technical specification for the Single Building Assessment (SBA).

We will publish the SBA Standards this month which will set out the basis for assessment, remediation, compliance, and assurance in Scotland and commence the Act in January 2024.

We are aware that there are potentially a larger number of buildings in Scotland affected by cladding beyond those in the pilot phase.

We are continuing to take steps to improve our understanding of the number and nature of these buildings (for example, whether they fall within the scope of the Cladding Remediation Act) and will collaborate with relevant authorities in considering the action required.

For many such buildings, taking forward assessment and any remediation required will be a matter for the relevant developer or other responsible body.

The Scottish Government has received the report for a Single Building Assessment (SBA) based on the specification published on 21 June 2024 for one of the pilot entries. An invitation to tender has been issued to undertake SBAs based on the specification published on 21 June 2024 for a further twelve of the pilot entries.

Pilot works to mitigate or remediate risks have started for five of the pilot entries. Works in this context refers to any action taken to address known cladding-related risks, including Urgent Interim Measures. These numbers relate to known works on a pilot entry only, as developers or other organisations could have carried out works without informing the Scottish Government, and therefore the true numbers may be higher and could increase as further information becomes available.

Works to remediate risks have not been completed for any of the pilot entries. Although work on the external wall cladding system has been carried out on one building, a Single Building Assessment carried out to the standard to be specified by Scottish Ministers under section 32 of the Housing (Cladding Remediation)(Scotland) Act 2024 is required to ensure that all works required have been identified and completed ahead of being designated as complete.

We are aware that there are potentially a larger number of buildings in Scotland affected by cladding beyond those in the pilot phase. Full remediation of a building is a complex process encompassing, assessment, design, remediation, and assurance, with physical completion of work dependent on the entirety of any remediation design and the commercial capacity to undertake such work.

We are continuing to take steps to improve our understanding of the number and nature of these buildings (for example, whether they fall within the scope of the Cladding Remediation Act) and will collaborate with relevant authorities in considering the action required.

For many such buildings, taking forward assessment and any remediation required will be a matter for the relevant developer or other responsible body.

The Scottish Government continues to take significant steps to tackle alcohol harm as a public health priority.

The National Mission focuses on actions and initiatives to address the harms associated with drugs, but these can and do support people affected by all substances including alcohol. For example, through an increase in residential rehabilitation places; initiatives to tackle the stigma and support the workforce and an increased understanding of the co-occurring nature of problem substance use and mental health issues.

This Government’s work to continue and increase the world leading Minimum Unit Pricing policy is an example of our approach to take concrete action to reduce alcohol harms. It is estimated that our world-leading policy has saved hundreds of lives, likely averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and contributed to tackling health inequalities.

However, we have been clear that Minimum Unit Pricing is not a silver bullet – but one of the ways in which we are tackling alcohol harm including our investment in treatment and work to consider alcohol marketing restrictions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to progressing work on protecting children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing. Public Health Scotland (PHS) are being commissioned to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government under devolved powers and will bring focused proposals forward should the evidence support it.

The Scottish Government remains committed to progressing work on protecting children and young people from exposure to alcohol marketing. It was clear from our earlier public consultation that there was a wide range of views on alcohol marketing proposals, including uncertainty about the existing evidence base for many proposals.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) are being commissioned to carry out a review of the evidence for the range of options that are available to the Scottish Government under devolved powers. This will ensure that our work is evidence based and will deliver clear public health outcomes. We will consider PHS’ findings, and consider where the evidence supports further action or consultation on alcohol marketing restrictions.

If the evidence supports it, the Scottish Government will return with a further consultation on a range of targeted proposals. Ensuring public health policy is based on clear evidence is vital in delivering progress on alcohol harm and ensuring that the right balance is struck between improving population health and the potential impacts and effects on the economy, business and industry.

The 2023 Scottish Health Survey shows that among those aged 16-24 vape use is 22%.

The Smoking and Vaping Among Scottish Adolescents Key findings - Vaping and smoking among Scottish adolescents - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) (2024) showed that 19% of those aged 11-17 had tried vaping even once. Amongst ever vapers, 75% of young people aged 11-17 stated that they used disposable vapes.

While we do not disaggregate data down to specific kind of vape used, high puff-count vapes are more likely to be single use.

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 set out that in order for a vape to be considered reusable, it must be both refillable and rechargeable.

High puff-count vapes are typically designed to include a USB charging port to allow for the battery to be recharged. Many of these devices contain an extra 10ml container of e-liquid as well as the standard 2ml already built inside the vape.

However, if they do not allow for the coil to be replaced or for the replacement or refilling of the e-liquid container by the user, they remain single-use in practice.

We will continue to work with Trading Standards to monitor developments in vape design to ensure that the definition is fit for purpose and that manufacturers comply with the ban on single-use vapes.

The Scottish Government welcomes the UK Government’s commitment in the Autumn budget to introduce a duty on vapes from 2026 and renew the tobacco duty escalator. Our Tobacco and Vaping Framework recognises that price can be a critical factor in people’s decisions on starting to smoke and vape. Increases in the price of tobacco have helped reduce the number of young children smoking, so we know this type of policy is effective. We are pleased that the UK Government have also stated that the price differential between tobacco and vapes will be maintained, this is essential as it can encourage smokers to quit smoking using vaping as a cessation tool. As of 14 November 2024 the Scottish Government has not had any engagement with the UK Government regarding the possibility of bringing forward the implementation of excise duty on vapes from 2026 to 2025.

Increases to tobacco duty and vaping duty are reserved and will apply in Scotland.

A refreshed cross-government and cross-sectoral approach to population health - focused on prevention - is being progressed. Increasing healthy life expectancy and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for this Government. It is clear the reform of health and care services alone will not be enough to stem the current tide of population health decline in Scotland.

The Population Health Framework is being developed jointly by the Scottish Government & COSLA and in collaboration with Public Health Scotland, Directors of Public Health and key local, regional and national partners. The Framework will consider a broad range of population health drivers, including alcohol harm prevention. The Scottish Government continues to work with partners to identify what actions we, and they, can take to reduce inequalities and to improve the health of people in Scotland over the next decade.

There are no diagnostic tools, such as blood tests, currently available in NHS Scotland to assess brain tumours in primary care.

However, the new Headache Referral pathway can be used as a triage tool across Scotland based on presentation at General Practice. The pathway lists red flag symptoms that indicate the need for urgent and/or emergency assessment to exclude a secondary cause, such as a brain tumour, and is suitable for use within remote and rural settings.

Further to this, the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care (NCRRHC) was launched in October 2023. The Centre is working in an efficient, innovative way with health and social care providers that serve all of Scotland’s remote, rural and island populations, aiming to improve the capability and sustainability of primary and community care-based service delivery.

Through our 10-year cancer strategy, the Scottish Government continues to have a focus on the less survivable cancers, including brain tumours, and improving their outcomes. We will assess the suitability of any new diagnostic tests specifically for brain tumours as the evidence develops.

The Scottish Government is taking various actions to help ensure the right patient is on the right pathway at the right time, and they receive an appropriate diagnosis as early as possible. These actions include:

• A clinical review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer
• Publication of a new Headache Referral pathway, which lists red flag symptoms that indicate the need for urgent and/or emergency assessment to exclude a secondary cause, such as a brain tumour
• Publication of a Clinical Management Pathway for adult brain tumours, to ensure consistency, equity of treatment and care, and improve outcomes across Scotland.

Brain cancer is one of 11 priority testing pathways with Scottish Government funding provided to NHS National Services Division (NSD) in 2023 to commission enhanced genomic testing for patients with brain cancer in Scotland. NSD are working with the laboratory service on an implementation plan for this testing.