Work to improve gender identity healthcare services remains a priority of this Government. That includes the establishment of a multidisciplinary team of senior clinical advisers to Scottish Government who are considering the recommendations of the Cass Review in the contest of NHS services in Scotland. The Chief Medical Officer will provide a written update to Parliament on the outcome of that clinical consideration process before the summer recess. The outcome of that process will also feed into work on national commissioning of young person’s services.

The Scottish Government recognise that people in rural areas can experience particular challenges in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.

We have a specific focus on rural communities within the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. Across the first two years of the Fund, over 700 awards have been made to projects supporting people disadvantaged by geographical location (including rural areas).

We have also provided £50,000 per year to fund the National Rural Mental Health Forum managed by Change Mental Health. The Forum focuses on exchanging knowledge, experience and learning about mental health and wellbeing in rural areas, enabling it to better understand and support rural communities.

We are committed to supporting rural mental health services to develop their workforce and increase service provision. We also provide tailored support to those Boards with the longest waits to ensure that those who need care can receive it in a timely manner, including regularly engaging with remote and rural Boards, providing access to professional advice.

SEPA have developed a new analytical technique to screen environmental water samples for a range of chemical substances, including a range of pesticides and pharmaceuticals (human and veterinary).

Through targeted screening methodology, this helps identify and provide estimated concentrations for approximately 450 chemical substances including medicines used to control parasites. Monitoring began late 2023, with initially around 100 monitoring locations (rivers and lochs) expanding to over 300 locations in 2024.

This investigative monitoring programme was designed to help SEPA understand chemical pressures on Scotland’s water environment. SEPA are finalising monitoring results for substances used in veterinary medicines to treat parasites in companion animals and will share as it becomes available, with other UK regulators and agencies through the UK cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment group. In addition, SEPA are also exploring options for making this data more widely available.

We will give full consideration to new research in this area, and we are supportive of efforts to examine evidence on the wider impacts of microplastics which will be material to helping shape any future regulation.

EU legislation designed to protect the environment from exposure to microplastics means that, from 2031, rubber crumb infill material will no longer be available for use on artificial pitches within the EU. We are working with the UK and Welsh Governments to better understand the impacts microplastics have on the environment and will consider the need for future legislation under for example the UK REACH regulation on the safety of chemicals.

We have no current plans to offer incentives. Local Authorities and other Public Bodies will need to make an assessment as to which materials are best suited for their projects.

Scottish Government only holds information on meetings between Dr Hilary Cass and Scottish Government officials that are attended by Scottish Government.

Scottish Government has met with Dr Hilary Cass and members of the Cass Review team on a number of occasions. Several of these meetings included clinicians from Health Boards in Scotland. Scottish Government understands separate meetings between clinicians and/or NHS Health Boards and Dr Hiliary Cass and the Cass Review team may have taken place, but does not hold information regarding frequency or dates of such contact.

b) Available information indicates that Scottish Government officials have met with Dr Hilary Cass in her capacity as Chair of NHS England’s independent review of gender identity services for children and young people in either direct meetings, or meetings where Dr Cass was also an attendee, on:

21-09-2022

21-11-2022

17-01-2023

20-09-2023

16-11-2023

22-11-2023

19-12-2023

Dr Cass also updated MSPs on the ongoing work of her review on 29-09-2022. Officials attended that MSP-chaired meeting as observers.

Established in 2022, the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group advises on the ongoing implementation of actions outlined in our 2021 Framework. The Reference Group includes NHS Board representation, LGBTIQ organisations, clinicians, academics and people with lived experience of using gender identity healthcare.

This reference group is not a clinical oversight forum. It brings together a wide range of stakeholders for the collective aim of improving provision of gender identity healthcare in Scotland.

The specific clinical recommendations of the Cass Review are being considered by a multidisciplinary team of senior clinicians within the office of the Chief Medical Officer.

An update on the work of the multidisciplinary team of senior clinicians within the office of the Chief Medical Officer considering the specific clinical recommendations of the Cass review will be provided to the National Gender Identity Healthcare Reference Group at a future meeting.

Re-instating the Regulatory Review Group (RRG) was a priority for business when developing the New Deal for Business recommendations and is pivotal in supporting Ministers understand and mitigate challenges associated with implementing regulations. Within its first six months, the RRG scrutinised regulation implementation on high-profile proposals, including Alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing, Vaping, Heat in Buildings and Circular Economy Bill.

To ensure transparency, all meeting minutes and advice sent to Scottish Ministers are published on its webpage found on the Scottish Government website. The minutes from the RRG meeting on February 17 have now been published on Regulatory Review Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government is not proposing any change in requirements that landlords will have to comply with as part of proposed amendments to EPC regulations, and therefore is not aware of the need for any incentives to do so. It will remain a legal requirement for landlords advertising a property for rental to ensure that there is a valid EPC.

We have proposed reducing the validity period from 10 years to 5 years and so in these circumstances a landlord may have to update their EPC more frequently. As set out in our consultation on EPC reform in 2023, this will ensure the EPC provides a more up-to-date assessment for current and prospective tenants of a property.

As part of the wider reform of EPCs in Scotland, we are currently reviewing the EPC operational framework in Scotland. This includes a review of the current enforcement mechanisms in place.

The Scottish Government is currently considering responses to the consultation and as set out in our response to S6W-26036 we intend to publish our response to the EPC reform and Heat in Buildings Bill consultations at the same point later this year.