Chamber and committees

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

We have made no assessment of the impact of the six-month freeze on alcohol duty on alcohol harm in Scotland. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

The Scottish Government believes that the stronger the beverage, the higher the duty should be, as it is the alcohol that causes the harms and stronger alcoholic drinks allow for faster consumption of alcohol. This is in line with the rationale behind our world leading minimum unit pricing policy which targets high strength, low-cost alcohol.

Our Alcohol Framework sets out our priorities for preventing alcohol-related harm. We take a whole population approach to tackling alcohol-related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

We have made no assessment of the impact of the six-month freeze on alcohol duty on alcohol harm in Scotland. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is a top priority for the Scottish Government. We are committed to improving support for children and young people’s mental health, in order to ensure early intervention and prevention of suicide.

We do not take a prescriptive approach to the education curriculum in Scotland. The curriculum is not statutory and therefore it is for individual schools and local authorities to decide which approaches they use to help them deliver relevant and engaging learning.

Schools are encouraged to develop the curriculum to suit their local context and meet the needs of children and young people, this can include delivering learning on suicide prevention. It is good practice for schools to consult with children and young people and respond to their views appropriately, to ensure this meets the needs of all children and young people in the school or educational setting.

Education Scotland's National Improvement Hub contains resources and learning for school staff to support young people in relation to self-harm and suicide. In addition, in June 2021, we published an online professional learning resource aimed at school staff to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The resource includes a section on suicide.

Alcohol duty is reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government would strongly recommend that the UK Government considers public health as part of any review to alcohol duty.

We have made no assessment of the impact of the six-month freeze on alcohol duty on alcohol harm in Scotland. We remain committed to reducing alcohol related harms, in line with the World Health Organization’s focus on affordability, availability and attractiveness of alcohol.

The importance of farming and crofting to our rural and island areas is fully appreciated by the Scottish Government.

We have committed over £580m investment for ports and vessels which will support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the next five years, as part of our wider Infrastructure Investment Plan. We continue to work constructively with partners and key stakeholders to progress a sustainable and efficient fleet replacement programme; noting the recent purchase of the MV Loch Frisa, as well as the chartering of vessels such as the MV Arrow.

The vast majority of cancelled sailings, particularly at the start of 2022, related to weather impacts. In January and February alone, 92.75% of cancellations were due to either weather or Covid-19. Weather accounted for 16.3% of all cancellations in February alone, which is unprecedented.

It is a decision wholly for a ship’s master as to whether or not a vessel should sail and it would not be appropriate for me to question that professional judgement – which is made on safety grounds. Farmers, like the Masters who sail CalMac’s ships, make these judgments every day and it is important those with expertise are given the respect to do so.

I am aware that the NFU have raised an issue in relation to agricultural vehicles and CalMac’s systems. I am more than happy to meet with the NFU Union to discuss their concerns and to ensure systems are improved to support agricultural traffic when using the CalMac fleet.

The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland continues to promote the use of remote consultations, including NHS Near Me, as a means to support access to services and reduce the need to travel to appointments.

As an example of this support, Community Hubs are also being established in areas of Scotland where people could more easily attend and access appointments remotely. These Hubs provide a private space and equipment for members of the public to access digital services, such as video consultations.

More recently, Midwives in NHS Grampian have used Near Me Group s Consultations to provide Antenatal Classes which reduces the need for pregnant women to travel to their appointments. NHS Near Me has provided a short film which contains more information - Near Me Groups for Antenatal Classes, NHS Grampian - YouTube

Work to widen eligibility for PrEP in Scotland is well underway. This has been progressed by a dedicated PrEP Short Life Working Group, comprising clinical and third sector representatives, which is developing guidance for new eligibility criteria. The goal is to ensure that anyone who is at risk of acquiring HIV is eligible to receive PrEP.

Widening eligibility will also require ensuring appropriate capacity to provide PrEP. In December 2022, the Scottish Government committed to support a pilot for an online service providing access to PrEP. Work on this is now being taken forward. If successful, in the long term, an online service could improve access, including for those living in remote or rural areas.

Yes, the Scottish Government has taken significant steps to promote the use of video, through NHS Near Me, and telephone consultations where appropriate to support access to services for women.

Key actions have included:

• Targeted social media campaigns via the NHS Near Me Twitter account throughout 2022, including a targeted campaign in March for International Women’s day and Endometriosis month to establish stronger partnership engagement.
• Direct engagement with women and health services; the initial focus has been on Endometriosis with the view to expand this further.
• Partnerships with third sector organisations such as Endometriosis UK, Endo Warriors, Endo Bonds, Endoborders, ALLiance, Lets Get on With Scotland and Sports Scotland.

The rollout of the Women’s Health Plan also sets out commitments to ensure that all women enjoy the best possible health throughout their lives. The Near Me programme aims to ensure that healthcare services are responsive and adaptive to the individual needs of women, with practitioners adequately trained to be able to help women, particularly those who have been affected by trauma or adversity and where choice of appointment is offered routinely.

In addition, use of remote consultations continues to be explored within Family Nurse Partnerships and community maternity services.

A number of high-calibre candidates have been interviewed for this important role and the appointments process is in the final stages. Ministers will provide an update to Parliament shortly.