Chamber and committees

The Cancer Strategy for Children and Young People in Scotland is set to run until 2026. This strategy is delivered by the Managed Service Network for children and young people with cancer (MSN CYPC). A progress update to the strategy will be developed by the MSN as part of its annual reporting cycle.

To date the Scottish Government has paid £160,000 to deliver the Young Islanders Network.

No, I attended the Astley Ainslie Hospital on 25 August to visit NHS Lothian’s Mental health After Covid Hospitalisation (MACH) service. During the visit, I met with staff from the MACH team, service users who have been involved in group therapy delivered by MACH, and members of the MACH National Specialist Advisory Group.

The Scottish Government works closely with the tourism sector to identify priorities to support the growth of the sector. These priorities, agreed with the sector, are articulated through Scotland Outlook 2030, Scotland’s national tourism strategy, and the Tourism Recovery Programme. The Scottish Clans & Historical Figures Events funding has not been identified as a strategic priority through this process.

We are all shocked by the devastating effects of the floods in Pakistan, with children reported to be the most vulnerable; UNICEF has reported that some 17,566 schools nationwide have been damaged or destroyed. The Scottish Government has made £500,000 in funds available to be split between the Disasters Emergency Committee and the Humanitarian Emergency Fund. This is a clear example of loss and damage caused by climate change, speaking to the importance of Scotland’s leadership in this area. It is important that we stand in solidarity with Pakistan, its people, and the diaspora community during this crisis. I met with the Pakistan Consul General in Glasgow on 7 September to hear first-hand the situation on the ground, and to offer Scotland’s support. We are working with the Pakistani community to ensure that we provide consistent messaging on how they might best assist the people of Pakistan during this time.

The Scottish Government expects all health and social care services to provide high quality care that is safe, effective, and sustainable, and has the person and their family and carers at the centre. Where possible, we want people to receive this care where they feel most comfortable.

The Scottish Government has no plans to develop a specific “No One Dies Alone” strategy. We are, however, committed to developing a new end of life and palliative care strategy.

We continue to work jointly and engage closely with delivery partners to develop a new strategy to achieve the very highest standards of care right up to the end of life, and to ensure that everyone who needs it can access seamless, timely and high quality palliative care.

No, I attended the Astley Ainslie Hospital on 25 August to visit NHS Lothian’s Mental health After Covid Hospitalisation (MACH) service. During the visit, I met with staff from the MACH team, service users who have been involved in group therapy delivered by MACH, and members of the MACH National Specialist Advisory Group.

Employment Law is reserved to the UK Government. Without control over employment law, the Scottish Government continues to promote Fair Work practices in workplaces across Scotland and encourages employers to treat workers undergoing fertility treatment fairly and with sensitivity.

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the impact that the recent price rises in the cost of energy will have on people, especially those using medical equipment at home, such as CPAP machines for the treatment of sleep apnoea.

Decisions about the reimbursement of energy costs associated with CPAP machines and other medical machines in individuals’ homes are made by NHS Boards. The Scottish Government continues to work with NHS Boards to address financial pressures across the healthcare system, including the impacts of the increase in energy costs. In May 2022, we published our Resource Spending Review that set out investment of £73 billion in health and social care to 2026-27.

The Scottish Government will also use the Emergency Budget Review to increase the Fuel Insecurity Fund to £20 million in 2022-23. The Fuel Insecurity Fund is aimed at helping people who are at risk of self-rationing their energy use, or self-disconnecting entirely because they cannot afford their energy bills.

The authorisation of plant protection products (PPPs) is an area devolved to the Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers have arranged for functions related to regulating PPPs to be exercised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on our behalf. Whilst Asulox does not currently hold a full approval for use, the Scottish Government carefully considered and consented to, the HSE’s recommendation to authorise limited and controlled emergency use of Asulox for bracken management during 2022.

Delivery of PPPs by drone falls under the HSE regulations covering aerial spraying. To ensure safety on the ground and in the air both the HSE and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are involved in considering any such applications. Scottish Ministers encourage our regulator and stakeholders to look to solutions that decrease risks to human and environmental health.