Further to the answer provided to question S6W-14445, according to information gathered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) in financial year 2022-23, 8 out of 474 public libraries closed in Scotland.

The data for the total number of libraries in Scotland provided by SLIC for financial year 2022-23, relates solely to static library venues and does not include mobile library services.

Information for financial year 2023-2024 is not yet available.

The Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS) continues to be an integral part of the remuneration package for teachers in Scotland. A Defined Benefit scheme, it offers the security of a guaranteed income in every year of retirement for all its members. Pensions in payment to retired members are inflation proofed and adjusted each April in line with the Consumer Prices Index. In April 2023, pensions increased by 10.1% and in April 2024 by a further 6.7%.

The impact of the recent teacher pay settlement will be taken into account as part of the 2024 scheme actuarial valuation. The valuation measures the costs of the benefits being provided and informs the future contribution rates to be paid by employers in order to ensure sustainability.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuous improvement in maternity safety across Scotland, in partnership with NHS Boards and clinicians and service users, to deliver the best and safest care for mothers and babies.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to ensure the SHTG recommendations on PlGF-based testing published on 23 March 2023 are implemented effectively and consistently. We will be writing to NHS Boards to get an update on their current position regarding PIGF testing and to determine if further support is necessary to progress implementation plans.

The Scottish Government will publish the findings from the second phase of the Local Governance Review’s community engagement process, Democracy Matters, in Summer 2024. Alongside this we will provide an update on our wider work with COSLA to conclude the review including the development of place specific, single authority, governance models. We will also set out the next steps in our work to deliver reforms that can further empower communities to take a greater role in local decision-making.

We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and so a number of Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) programme initiatives are currently supporting Primary Care referral.

The Scottish Referral Guidelines (SRG) for Suspected Cancer were developed to support primary care clinicians to identify those with symptoms suspicious of cancer and identify those who require urgent assessment by a specialist. A clinical refresh of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer is underway to help ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time.

In addition to this work, a new primary care cancer education platform funded by Scottish Government – Gateway C – was launched on 30 April in NHS Scotland, supported by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Gateway C provides innovative, and tailored information to support earlier cancer diagnosis efforts and enable effective decision-making. This free online platform has a number of available courses, including myeloma, and is accessible to all primary care clinicians to help support rapid referral for those who require it most.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-26002 on 18 March 2024, which provides an update on implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (the 2020 Act). 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/questions-and-answers .

This answer refers to a submission to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in relation to Petition PE1968 outlining our position on implementation of the 2020 Act and the commencement status of provisions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice & Home Affairs also provided the Criminal Justice Committee with an update on implementation of previously passed legislation, including the 2020 Act, in the context of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill: Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs .

I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-26002 on 18 March 2024, which provides an update on implementation of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020. 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/questions-and-answers .

On child contact centres, the Scottish Government is preparing Scottish Statutory Instruments on the regulation of these services. We hope to be in a position to lay these SSIs before Parliament later this year.

The recently published University of Strathclyde evaluation report showed that 3% of cancers diagnosed through the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) were myeloma.

The Scottish Government doesn’t hold data on exact numbers, however a national RCDS data-set has been created with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and submission of this data from relevant Health Boards will commence in summer 2024.

The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) undertakes the role of Scheme Manager of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme, on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Scheme members can raise any concerns or enquiries with the SPPA by using the Contact Us page at www.pensions.gov.scot/contact-us or by calling the Agency.