The Scottish Government does not hold information on waiting times for each step of a patient’s cancer pathway. The most recently published Cancer Waiting Times data can be found here: Cancer waiting times - 1 October to 31 December 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Our NHS remains under pressure, which is reflected in the fact that we're treating more patients on 62- and 31-day pathways than before the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re also treating more patients with cancer on time, within both standards, compared to pre-pandemic and 10 years ago. Despite this, there will always be instances where some patients wait longer depending on their health, complexity of disease and agreed treatment plan.

Scottish Government officials continue to engage with Health Boards’ Cancer Management Teams frequently to identify challenges, explore solutions and spread best practice.

To support efforts to reduce cancer waiting times, £11.3 million of non-recurring Cancer Waiting Times funding has been made available in 2023/24 across NHS Scotland. The majority of funding is being directed to urology, colorectal and breast – the three most challenged tumour types and NHS Boards have agreed performance improvement plans in place to ensure cancer cases continue to be prioritised.

The Scottish Government also published our ten year Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 along with an initial three year Cancer Action Plan ( Cancer Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 ) in June 2023.

Over the next 10 years, our strategic aim is to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. The Strategy and Plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care, and have people living with cancer, their families and carers at their very heart.

The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) Secondary teachers with Physical Education reported as their main subject by each local authority. Head teachers and Depute head teachers are not included.

Teacher FTE numbers for individual subjects in Secondary schools are published in Table 8.9 in the annual Teacher Census Supplementary statistics available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/teacher-census-supplementary-statistics/ .

Secondary school teachers (FTE) with Physical Education as main subject taught 2023 - Excludes head and depute head teachers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26878 on‎ 29 April 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26878 on‎ 29 April 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 recognise the important role programmes like MCR Pathways can play in supporting young people.

Mentors, who are volunteers from local communities, can support young people, including care-experienced young people, towards better outcomes.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of soil biodiversity including earthworm populations which bring multiple benefits to both Scotland’s ecosystems and natural environment as well as food production.

We are taking steps to protect the health of our soils and thereby protect and conserve earthworms in Scotland. In the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill, one of the four Objectives is ‘the adoption and use of sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices’, and the Bill states that Scottish Ministers must prepare and publish a Code of Practice providing guidance on sustainable and regenerative agriculture. With actions to promote soil health being the cornerstone of regenerative agriculture, the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill shows the Scottish Governments clear commitment to soil health.

Further to this, the Agricultural Reform List of Measures published in 2023, were drafted to meet Outcomes that included; improving soil biodiversity, and increase soil carbon/organic matter content. This List of Measures gives an indication of the type of soil health measures that are being developed through the Agricultural Reform Programme that will directly benefit earthworms in Scotland. Support is available to farmers and crofters as part of Preparing for Sustainable Farming?(PSF) which is helping businesses prepare for changes with support for conducting soil sampling and analysis.

We recognise the important role that programmes like MCR Pathways can play in supporting young people towards positive outcomes. Coordinators, who are often employed directly by local authorities, play an important role within the MCR Pathways programme, including building relationships with young people and supporting mentors.

Since 2021-22 the Scottish Government has provided approximately £5.5M to MCR Pathways to allow it to expand its programme.

We have already implemented significant reforms to the planning system to reduce pressures by streamlining processes and providing a robust and up to date policy framework. We have significantly extended permitted development rights, to remove certain applications from the planning system, providing certainty and reducing processing for authorities and agencies.

Our current consultation Investing in Planning aims to support improvement in the delivery of planning services, including streamlining the assessments required to support applications, project managing applications, improving engagement and taking a proactive approach.

In addition to system changes, we fund Scotland’s National Planning Improvement Champion who is working with individual planning authorities to pilot a new National Planning Improvement Framework (NPIF) to identify areas of improvement and support authorities to take actions forward.

The Self-Build Loan Fund (“the Fund”) offers short-term loan funding of up to £175,000 to self-builders who are unable to access standard bank lending, to assist with development costs to support build completion. The Fund is not intended to replace market lending and provides short-term loan funding to borrowers who have exhausted finding alternative market options. The focus is on supporting projects with the necessary consents in place to allow work to commence quickly, and already delivers genuinely additional new homes primarily but not exclusively in rural areas.

On 18 April 2024 I wrote to Kevin Hollinrake MP, with a list of 15 straightforward draft amendments to the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Bill which would have the effect of extending the scope of that Bill to cover Scotland. In doing so I urged him to table these amendments and bring certainty and clarity for those who have suffered wrongful convictions in Scotland.

Minister Hollinrake responded on 22 April 2024 to note that the UK Government was not seeking to extend the territorial extent of the Bill to Scotland, whilst at the same time noting that the UK Government would however be tabling amendments to the Bill to include convictions in Northern Ireland with the Bill's scope.

The UK Bill is due to next be debated on 29 April 2024, and draft amendments to extend the Bill to Scotland have been tabled. Should they not be accepted into the UK Bill then Scottish Government will bring forward Scottish legislation to ensure that sub-postmasters in Scotland receive justice.