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The recently published NHSScotland Menopause and Menstrual Health Policy is intended as an example of best practice so that employers across Scotland can adapt it for their organisation, should they wish. The supporting resources, includes line managers’ guidance and workplace adjustment guidance and are intended for use more widely across a variety of employment sectors. They are available on the National Wellbeing Hub .

Transport Scotland's involvement in Project CAVForth demonstrates the Scottish Government's belief that a modern transport system is fundamental to sustainable and inclusive economic growth and has the potential to deliver economic and societal benefits.

Transport Scotland’s involvement in Project CAVForth, as a partner, came to a conclusion at the end of July 2023 when the funding period for the project ended. The project aim of delivering an autonomous bus service was successfully achieved and my officials obtained considerable operational knowledge relating to the steps required to support the safe implementation of such a service. The trial service will continue until March 2025 under a successor project and the ongoing evaluation of the project and the next steps are being taken forward by Stagecoach as the operator of the service. In Transport Scotland’s role as roads authority for the majority of the route my officials will continue to support the project where possible.

My officials are also continuing to engage with the DfT around UK Government plans to introduce new legislation to support self-driving vehicles.

The way Social Security Scotland delivers disability benefits is fundamentally different to the UK – people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

A significant change is that Social Security Scotland will collect information to support someone's application if needed. Under the DWP, people are forced to do this themselves.

To support faster decision making on applications, listening to feedback from clients and third parties, improvements include

• improved wording on the application to help clients understand what supporting information to supply,
• early phone engagement with clients who have submitted applications without supporting information to establish if they have readily available information to allow a decision to be made,
• improved communication with health and social care professionals and introducing a payment to support third sector organisations who provide supporting information at the agency’s request.

The Scottish Government has several sources of funding available to children and young people with cancer, in Scotland, to assist with the travel expenses incurred for travelling for cancer treatment. These include the Patient Travelling Expenses Scheme and The Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS) for outpatients. All Health Boards also have the discretion to reimburse patient travel expenses where it is viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and deemed to be clinically necessary.

Care and Review (M:CR) service replaced the Chronic Medication Service in all community pharmacies in February 2021. Patients who are registered for M:CR can receive serial prescriptions for their regular repeat medicines in agreement with their GP prescriber.

A serial prescription can be written for medicines, medical sundries or appliances and are generated for a period of 24, 48 or 56 weeks. However, controlled drugs listed within Schedule 1-4 of The Misuse of Drugs Regulations’ 2001 and cytotoxics such as methotrexate are not permissible on a serial prescription.

As the majority of medicines for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are controlled drugs, they are not are suitable to be dispensed under a serial prescription.

Where certain medicines are not suitable for a serial prescription, or where the GP wishes to monitor the patient’s condition more closely, they would be provided on a repeat prescription, which does not exceed a maximum quantity of 30 days’ supply of Schedule 2, 3 and 4 controlled drugs. The patient needs to ensure they request their repeat prescription in good time and their GP practice can advise how they manage requests for repeat prescriptions.

The Scottish Government acknowledges that that it can be difficult for patients when there is a need to refer them outwith Scotland for specialist treatment.

Ministers expect Health Boards to be mindful of this, to discuss patients’ circumstances with them, and make suitable arrangements to ensure that the necessary treatment can be provided in a patient-centred way. This includes helping to identify and access financial support available for eligible patients and authorised escorts, such as through the Patient Travelling Expenses Scheme and the Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme (HITS).

All Health Boards also have the discretion to reimburse patient travel expenses where it is viewed to be an extension of treatment costs and deemed to be clinically necessary.

The National Cancer Medicines Advisory Group (NCMAG) will review the use of Anastrozole as a preventative treatment for post-menopausal women at a moderate or high risk of breast cancer, along with several other medicines for the chemoprevention of breast cancer at their Council meeting on 21 March 2024 and will publish their advice on 25 April 2024.

Alongside the NCMAG advice, consideration is being given to how it may fit into a chemoprevention care pathway in NHS Scotland, including screening and monitoring.

The Scottish Government continues to deliver on its commitment on building the case for an independent Scotland within the EU, through the development of a prospectus to give people the information they need to make an informed choice about their future, and I can confirm that today we are publishing “Our marine sector in an Independent Scotland”.

This is the eighth paper in the Building a New Scotland series, which focuses on Scotland’s marine sector, describing how independence would allow it to achieve its full potential to get the support it needs and the prioritisation it deserves. It includes proposals for how an independent Scotland in the EU would benefit fisheries and seafood businesses, coastal communities and marine science sector, and how Scotland could make a constructive contribution to the development of current and future EU strategic priorities such as reforms of the Common Fisheries Policy, the transition to renewable energy and growing the blue economy. It also sets out details of how Scotland would have a voice on the world stage, with the ability to negotiate for fisheries and other interests at international level, join international bodies and work in partnership with other countries on global marine agendas in our own right.

The Scottish Government is continuing to prepare further papers in the Building a New Scotland series and more will follow shortly.

Building a New Scotland: Our marine sector in an Independent Scotland is available to view on the Scottish Government website from today at www.gov.scot/newscotland

In 2021, Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) as a share of GDP was estimated at 2.98% in Scotland. This statistic is sourced from the latest GERD Scotland report, available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/gross-expenditure-on-research-and-development-scotland-2021/

Note that the GERD estimates for Scotland are provisional and subject to future revision. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) have recently changed their measurement of Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) expenditure which has led to significant uplift revisions to GERD estimates. Work is currently underway between the Scottish Government and the ONS to further quality assure the new methodology.

We continue to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the Young Patients Family Fund (YPFF) and keep this under review.