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One of the key aims in the Women’s Health Plan is to ensure that all women will have access to a healthcare professional with an interest in menopause through primary care, and that in the longer term, we build a basic understanding of menopause amongst all healthcare professionals.

In order for primary care professionals to be able to enhance their skills in menopause care, the Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland to create a bespoke training package and framework which is focussed on menopause and menstrual health for general practice and others working in Primary Care.

There is now a menopause specialist in every mainland NHS Board, with a buddy system in place for the Island Boards. Through the National Menopause Specialists Network these local specialists support primary care teams through the provision of access to a menopause specialist for consistent advice, support, onward referral, leadership and training.

The Scottish Government provides £29m support across a range of Gaelic and Scots organisations, whose activities include the provision of Scots and Gaelic language materials but is not all they do. For Scots, grant funding is provided to the following organisations: Association of Scottish Literary Studies, Scottish Book Trust, Scots Hoose, Scots Radio, Scots Language Centre, Dictionaries of the Scots Language, Yaldi Books and the Doric Board. For Gaelic, grant funding is provided to Storlann, Bòrd na Gidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Local Authorities, E-sgoil, Tobar an Dualchais, Keep Scotland Beautiful, University of Edinburgh, and MG Alba for Speak Gaelic and Film G.

We will continue to work with the UK Government, the other Devolved Administrations and the Gambling Commission over proposals included in the White Paper, which include further restrictions on advertising of gambling across the UK.

In the 2022-23 Programme for Government, the Scottish Government reaffirmed our commitment to explore a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill to support greater implementation of the National Performance Framework and ensure that the interests of future generations are considered in decisions made today.

Ministers and officials have been engaging with several stakeholders including meeting with Ms Boyack MSP earlier this month. This has assisted with developing policy proposals.

The proposed Bill may seek a statutory requirement that ensures public bodies and local authorities consider the long-term consequences of their decisions for the wellbeing of people in Scotland, including those not yet born. We are considering whether a Future Generations Commissioner is the most appropriate way to ensure the support and accountability which would need to accompany such duties. It will be important to consult widely on this broad policy area to ensure that any legislation is effective.

As this is an operational matter for Scottish Water, I have asked its Chief Executive to respond. His response is as follows:

Scottish Water regularly reviews its generator strategy across the country for all water and wastewater treatment works to minimise disruption in the event of wide scale power outages. Significant work has also been undertaken to understand the medium to long term investment needs. This has identified additional sites that will receive a standby generator, or a hook up, to allow quicker deployment of temporary generators at pumping stations when needed.

The term ‘malnutrition’ can be used to mean a range of different conditions. The definition used here comprises a specific group of diagnoses which would be used to identify cases of protein/energy malnutrition (ICD-10 codes E40-E46 only).

The number of patients admitted to hospital as a result of malnutrition in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age, is as follows:

The Cabinet Secretary and myself have had no discussions with the Scottish Ambulance service since their appointment regarding neonatal transport. The Scottish Ambulance Service and ScotSTAR are members of the Perinatal Sub Group that conducted the Options Appraisal report and continue to be closely involved through that forum in discussions about implementation. The Best Start recommended that a review be undertaken to look at the staffing model for the neonatal transport service and funding was provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Ambulance Service to take this forward.

A review of the expressive arts curriculum as outlined in the Scottish Government’s response to recommendations made by the National Partnership for Culture, is being coordinated by Education Scotland. The review is currently at the planning stage, the aim being that the review will move to examine the role of knowledge in the expressive arts curriculum framework in partnership with educators and stakeholders later this academic year.

The Scottish Government has received the report from NHS National Services Scotland on the options appraisal process on Mother and Baby Unit provision in Scotland. It is intended to publish the report once those options have been fully considered and next steps determined.

Social care workers have always been, and continue to be, able to choose to wear a mask.

The Scottish Government’s guidance on the extended use of face masks and face coverings was first published in June 2020. It was an adjunct to guidance for social care workers on the use of face masks within the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) and the Care Home Infection Prevention and Control Manual (CH IPCM). In September 2022, the face mask guidance for adult social care settings was amended and staff, visitors and service users of adult social care settings stopped routinely wearing face masks. Guidance on the use of face masks had therefore reverted to circumstances as set out in the NIPCM/CH NIPCM with one addition: “Staff, visitors and those receiving care and support may choose to wear a mask and this should be supported”. It was this line of guidance that was withdrawn in May 2023.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland recommended that this line of guidance was removed as it was unnecessary and increased the risk of confusion and misinterpretation, and that guidance on the use of face masks in adult social care settings should revert to the NIPCM, which is based on clinical need and risk assessment. The withdrawal of the extended guidance on the use of face masks and face coverings in social care settings and reversion to the NIPCM/ CH NIPCM does not prevent social care workers from wearing a face mask.