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There has been no national formal assessment of contraceptive education however the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people across Scotland have timely access to contraception, and to information which allows them to make informed decisions about their own sexual and reproductive health. This is recognised as a priority in our recently published Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus (SHBBV) Action Plan, and we have allocated multi-year funding to a range of projects in both community and NHS settings that will help to deliver this goal. The projects include developing new information resources, such as a national sexual health microsite on NHS Inform, as well as supporting staff training and development around contraception. Details of these projects were published alongside the SHBBV Action Plan on 28 November 2023.

To measure the effectiveness of the Take Hold Marketing campaign, the paid-for-media marketing campaign will be evaluated.

Pre and post campaign qualitative evaluation is conducted by an independent research company, with a representative sample of the target audience of parents, to measure changes in attitudes and behaviours on seeing and engaging with the campaign. In addition a short survey will be shared with schools to evaluate the use and effectiveness of materials provided to them.

Digital metrics will also be used to gauge the impact of the campaign, including but not limited to, numbers of visits to the NHS Inform vaping pages, visits to Parent Club vaping pages, numbers of click throughs from social media and digital advertising and numbers watching campaign digital videos through to completion.

The vast majority of spending on mental health is delivered through NHS board budgets – and this is not directly affected by the Path to Balance reprioritisation. Between the Scottish Government and NHS boards we expect spending on Mental Health to be well in excess of £1.3 billion in financial year 2023-24.

The 2023-24 direct mental health budget of £260.3 million is still more than double the 2020-21 mental health budget of £117.1 million and will support delivery of the new ten-year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and recently published delivery plan. The Delivery Plan has been produced with affordability and deliverability within that financial envelope as a primary consideration.

The total cost of non-domestic rates relief policies depends on other decisions taken in the Scottish Budget including the Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates. Decisions on non-domestic rates for 2024-2025, including the Property Rates, will be announced in the Scottish Budget 2024-2025 on 19 December 2023.

The Scottish Government is aware that the National Supply Disruption Service (NSDR) has been managing a shortage of 10-year copper coils since June, which affected multiple suppliers and was due to a manufacturer running short of copper. Alternative devices are available, including an alternative 10-year and 5- year copper coil. The NSDR advise that production of the 10 year coil has now resumed.

Advice to clinicians was published by the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) and can be found here: FSRH Statement: Update on national copper IUD shortages - Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare

Throughout the development of the Scottish Government and COSLA’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy, we engaged with NHS Boards, Integration Joint Boards, professional bodies, third sector and equalities organisations, and many other partners and stakeholders covering interests across the whole mental health system. This was invaluable in helping to shape the Strategy and subsequent Delivery and Workforce Action Plans.

As an example of feedback from professional bodies following the Strategy’s publication, the British Psychological Society issued a statement supporting the direction of the Strategy, saying they are encouraged by its focus on a promotion of positive mental health, early intervention and prevention, and provision of support. The BPS have welcomed our ‘mental health in all policies’ approach which recognises that factors such as poverty, housing and employment can all have an impact on people’s mental wellbeing. They state that looking holistically at the whole person, considering not just psychological factors but also the social determinants of health, is the right approach.

We will continue to engage widely with medical professionals and other stakeholder groups on future refreshes of the Delivery Plan. This will ensure that we continue to develop actions that make further progress towards the Strategy’s outcomes.

Due to the interruption of dental studies during the pandemic and the need for students to repeat a year of teaching, student places for academic years 2021-22 and 2022-23 were reduced in order to manage capacity within institutions.

Targets for the 2023-24 academic year reflect the resumption of full intake cohorts, aligned to pre-pandemic intake, and can be found here on the Scottish Funding Council website.

The Scottish Government is currently reviewing demand as part of intake modelling for the 2024-25 academic year, and targets will be published by Scottish Funding Council in June 2024.

Edinburgh City Council has indicated their strong interest in Safer Drug Consumption Facilities and have commissioned a feasibility study. The findings of which are being finalised and should be released early 2024.

At present there has not been, and currently are no plans for a feasibility study in Dundee. However, a feasibility study focusing on heroin assisted treatment was completed and was presented and discussed by Dundee Alcohol and Drug Partnership. This study will also be made public sometime in the New Year.

The campaign is not targeting children and young people through radio and outdoor advertising. These channels, along with online news sites, digital and social media are being used to reach and engage the parental audience across Scotland.

To reach children and young people, we have engaged with schools, parents and third sector organisations who work directly with children and young people, equipping them with resources, information and tips (via NHS Inform and Parent Club) to prompt awareness of, and have informed discussions with their children and young people, on the dangers and consequences of vaping.

To reach the parental audience in Scotland, we worked with a procured Scottish Government roster media agency to identify the most effective media channels. In this instance, within the parameters of the identified budget, outdoor advertising, radio, online news sites and social media were recommended. These channels have allowed for creation of engaging content that encourages parents to click through to NHS Inform and Parent Club for information, advice and tips on having open, honest, informed conversations with their children and young people.

Following the inclusion of squash in the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics, squash will now be eligible for the UK Sport investment process. UK Sport strategically invests in the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major championship events to maximise the performance of UK athletes.

The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of Scottish Squash and recognises its contribution to raising Scotland’s profile on the international sporting stage, as well as promoting the wider benefits of sport and physical activity.

sport scotland, our national agency for sport, is investing up to £494,700 into Scottish Squash in 2023-24, an increase of 14.9% in investment from the previous year. sport scotland’s investment supports a wide range of activity that encourages and supports people to participate in squash at all levels, including school, club and coach development, and its performance programme. The additional investment in 2023-24 is specifically aligned to the continued development of a broader and more inclusive player pathway.