Chamber and committees

The last couple of years have seen input prices increase for pig farmers in Scotland. Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has seen feed and fuel costs for pig farmers increase significantly. Through the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group we are working with other administrations to monitor the farmgate price.

It is positive that in recent months we have seen an uplift in pig prices but we recognise that many pig farms will still be making a loss per pig. We will continue to monitor the situation and engage with representatives of the sector.

We consulted, alongside the UK Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland DAERA, on the contractual practices in the UK pig sector to understand whether contract reform could provide greater certainty to both pig producers and processors.

In 2021 and 2022 via the Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme the Scottish Government provided funding to producers who had been affected by the temporary closure of the Quality Pig Processors plant at Brechin and the loss of the plant’s export licence to China. There were three tranches of the scheme deliver over £1.8 million in support.

The following table shows the remaining £50 million play park allocation for each local authority. This information can also be found on the Scottish Government website Renewing Scotland’s play parks - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

We are committed to delivering on the priority in the Women's Health Plan (WHP) to improve access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis.

There has been substantial progress since the publication of the Women’s Health Plan and our first report on progress, published on 26 January 2023, sets this out in more detail.

We will support the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme to raise awareness of the Endometriosis Pathway for Scotland. The pathway was approved in January 2023 and will be distributed to all NHS Boards for implementation. It provides a streamlined, integrated pathway across primary, secondary and tertiary care that aims to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms.

We will also continue to work with our Endometriosis Advisory Group and Lived Experience Forum to support and inform our policy actions to deliver on the priorities within the plan.

The Women's Health Plan : A Plan for 2021-2024, published in August 2021, outlines our ambition to improve access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis.

The Plan sets out actions which aim to ensure that the average diagnosis time for endometriosis is reduced, that women are able to access the right support and effective treatment for endometriosis, and that women can access a specialist endometriosis centre if required.

There has been substantial progress since the publication of the Women’s Health Plan. The Women's Health Plan Report on Progress , published in January 2023, sets this out in more detail.

We are supporting people who want to self-build through the extension of the Self-Build Loan Fund for up to five years from November 2022, with a further £6m recyclable loan funding available to borrowers.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), adopted and published by Scottish Ministers on 13 February 2023, also supports new homes that improve affordability and choice, and address gaps in provision, including self-provided homes.

The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced a requirement for planning authorities to prepare and maintain a list of persons who have registered interest with the authority with the intention of acquiring land in the authority's area for self-build housing. A planning authority is required to publish the list and have regard to this list in preparing their local development plan. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these requirements will come into force from 19 May 2023. We are preparing further guidance on these requirements, informed by stakeholders, as part of the Local Development Plan guidance to be published shortly.

Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (formerly known as Early Cancer Diagnostic Centre) are established within existing NHS infrastructure.

RCDSs provide primary care with access to a new fast-track diagnostic pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss and fatigue. So far, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Fife, NHS Dumfries & Galloway and NHS Borders have established a RCDS with NHS Lanarkshire expected to be operational by June 2023.

The majority of divorce actions are undefended and therefore do not require the non-applicant party to incur the expenses involving in entering the proceedings.

Where a divorce action is defended, either party may be eligible for civil legal aid.

The courts may make orders on how legal expenses incurred in a case should be met. The Scottish Government’s understanding is that in doing so the court can take account of a party’s behaviour in making or defending their case.

If the member wishes to write to me with additional information, I may be able to offer further comment.

The Scottish Government response to the recommendations of the Report of the Independent Review of Mediation in the Civil Justice System in Scotland was published in December 2019. As set out in that response, we confirmed our intention to work with key stakeholders on a collaborative basis to fully understand the implications of those proposals in order to assist help shape any potential future legislative reform.

The Scottish Government established a Dispute Resolution Group consisting of key organisations and agencies representing a wide range of interests including dispute resolution organisations, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and consumer bodies to develop and shape an evidence-based package of reform aimed at mainstreaming the use of mediation in the civil justice system in Scotland. The Group met in 2020 but the work of the Group ceased due to the combined pressures of responding to Brexit and COVID 19.

The Scottish Government is using its existing powers to provide funding to key Mediation and Arbitration delivery organisations to give our citizens access to flexible, affordable and less stressful means of settling disputes benefitting them and saving time in courts.

We are also working with key stakeholders to continue the expansion of the availability of mediation services across Scotland to ensure access to justice for all our citizens.

HIV Scotland, along with all our third sector organisations, have made a significant contribution to Scotland’s goal of eliminating HIV Transmissions by 2030.

We were saddened to hear of the decision to close the organisation, and thank HIV Scotland for their support for people living with HIV in Scotland, and their valuable input across the sector.

Whilst their contribution will be missed, Scotland has a number of other excellent third sector organisations who share our ambition to eliminate HIV transmission within Scotland by 2030, and to improve the lives of those living with HIV. By working in partnership, I remain confident that we will meet those goals.

As one example, HIV Scotland were previously funded to lead the HIV self-test pilot which expands testing services so people can order a test in the privacy of their own home. Terrance Higgins Trust will now be funded to provide the service and mitigate any risk to the at-home testing service.

The Scottish Government remains fully committed to achieving the elimination of Hepatitis C in Scotland by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

Scotland already has a renowned approach for tackling Hepatitis C, with NHS Tayside eliminating it within the health board area, 11 years ahead of the World Health Organisation (WHO) target.

The last Public Health Scotland report (2022) demonstrated the major progress that has been made so far; for example, the prevalence of a chronic Hepatitis C infection amongst people who inject drugs has almost halved between 2015 and 2020 and there has been as much as a 70% reduction in some parts of Scotland. In addition 80% of individuals with a chronic hepatitis C infection have also been initiated onto treatment, exceeding the World Health Organisations treatment target.

However, we know that to achieve elimination and meet our target will take a concerted effort on a national scale. We will continue to proactively collaborate with the Hepatitis C Elimination Implementation Strategy Group to ascertain where our support is most required as we work towards our goal of elimination.