Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is committed to expanding electronic monitoring use across a broader range of licences and community orders, including exploring use of remote alcohol monitoring as provided for by the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019.

A new national contract for electronic monitoring was procured in 2020 that would allow for use of new technologies. In May 2022, provisions in the 2019 Act were commenced to allow electronic monitoring as part of bail and to allow electronic monitoring with Community Payback Orders at first disposal.

As work continues to embed these recent changes, we are now engaging with justice partners to explore the potential uses of new technologies, including remote substance monitoring technologies.

In developing narrower proposals on alcohol marketing the Scottish Government will take account of both the potential public health benefits as well as potential impacts on industry, business and consumers. The next phase in this work will be targeted engagement early in 2024, which will include engagement with a range of stakeholders including those representing business and consumer interests.

Edinburgh City Council has indicated their strong interest in Safer Drug Consumption Facilities and have commissioned a feasibility study. The findings of which are being finalised and should be released early 2024.

At present there has not been, and currently are no plans for a feasibility study in Dundee. However, a feasibility study focusing on heroin assisted treatment was completed and was presented and discussed by Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership. This study will also be made public sometime in the New Year.

The Scottish Government is aware that the National Supply Disruption Service (NSDR) has been managing a shortage of 10-year copper coils since June, which affected multiple suppliers and was due to a manufacturer running short of copper. Alternative devices are available, including an alternative 10-year and 5- year copper coil. The NSDR advise that production of the 10 year coil has now resumed.

Advice to clinicians was published by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and can be found here: FSRH Statement: Update on national copper IUD shortages - Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

The campaign is not targeting children and young people through radio and outdoor advertising. These channels, along with online news sites, digital and social media are being used to reach and engage the parental audience across Scotland.

To reach children and young people, we have engaged with schools, parents and third sector organisations who work directly with children and young people, equipping them with resources, information and tips (via NHS Inform and Parent Club) to prompt awareness of, and have informed discussions with their children and young people, on the dangers and consequences of vaping.

To reach the parental audience in Scotland, we worked with a procured Scottish Government roster media agency to identify the most effective media channels. In this instance, within the parameters of the identified budget, outdoor advertising, radio, online news sites and social media were recommended. These channels have allowed for creation of engaging content that encourages parents to click through to NHS Inform and Parent Club for information, advice and tips on having open, honest, informed conversations with their children and young people.

Following the inclusion of squash in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, squash will now be eligible for the UK Sport investment process. UK Sport strategically invests in the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major championship events to maximise the performance of UK athletes.

The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of Scottish Squash and recognises its contribution to raising Scotland’s profile on the international sporting stage, as well as promoting the wider benefits of sport and physical activity.

sport scotland, our national agency for sport, is investing up to £494,700 into Scottish Squash in 2023-24, an increase of 14.9% in investment from the previous year. sport scotland’s investment supports a wide range of activity that encourages and supports people to participate in squash at all levels, including school, club and coach development, and its performance programme. The additional investment in 2023-24 is specifically aligned to the continued development of a broader and more inclusive player pathway.

The effectiveness of the Brush Up campaign will be assessed using an on-line questionnaire of patients. Questions will focus on patients’ awareness of both the campaign itself and the accompanying dental reform.

The budget for the ‘Brush Up’ campaign to increase awareness of NHS dentistry reforms was £250,000.

As part of the annual Homelessness in Scotland publication, the Scottish Government releases national statistics on the number of households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness by former armed forces status. Table T22 in the main tables, in the supporting documents of the most recent publication, provides data from 2018-19 to 2022-23. These statistics are available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-2022-23/

Additional statistics about veteran homelessness in Scotland, including the number of homelessness applications by former armed forces status, is available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/homelessness-in-scotland-veteran-homelessness/

Note, these figures have been rounded to the nearest 5 for disclosure control purposes and totals may not sum due to rounding.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has accepted a cannabidiol (Epidyolex ® ) for three severe treatment-resistant epilepsies:

• as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome (DS) in conjunction with clobazam, for patients 2 years of age and older
• as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in conjunction with clobazam, for patients 2 years of age and older
• as adjunctive therapy of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) for patients 2 years of age and older

The biggest barrier to the prescribing of other Cannabis Based Products for Medicinal Use (CBPMs) on the NHS is that most products remain unlicensed with a limited, or non-existent, peer-reviewed clinical evidence base for their use.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently leading on the design of CBPM clinical trials into epilepsy. The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer continues to engage on the progress of these trials, which will be critical in building the evidence for CBPMs.