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I will have lead responsibility for the proposed Wellbeing and Sustainability Bill.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS healthcare workers in Scotland to follow best practice when providing care for people with UTIs. In support of this, guidelines on management of suspected UTIs were developed by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) in 2020. These support clinicians to provide advice to patients and carers on appropriate treatment, risks and lifestyle and behaviour issues which can support management and prevention of UTIs.

The Scottish Government remains committed to introducing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service in Scotland.

Work is ongoing to establish the most effective means of further expanding the national thrombectomy service, including how funding will be broken down by NHS Board. Thrombectomy services are run on a regional basis with North, East and West of Scotland hubs. The Scottish Government has asked that regions provide spending forecasts, including workforce plans, which reflect the most effective means of further expanding access to thrombectomy and to maximise the number of patients able to benefit from this treatment.

Curriculum for Excellence is a flexible curriculum, and History sits within the wider curriculum area of social studies, with experiences and outcomes that allow for teaching and learning of a very wide range of topics. This ensures that practitioners are able to deliver a curriculum that is best suited to their learners in their circumstances and local context.

It also means that for the “broad general education” phase in particular (ages 3-15), whilst individual schools are able to draw on education resources which may include specific teaching on the British Empire, content on the British Empire is not embedded in a specific way within curriculum framework documentation. Nonetheless, within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire, including Scotland’s role, within the people, past events and societies section of social studies. Education Scotland provide a range of resources to support teachers, including for example on historical enslavement.

There is also an opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the History qualifications in the senior phase, for example through the ‘Migration and Empire’ topic (for instance, the National 5 SQA Course Specification references “impact of the Empire on Scotland” and the Higher History SQA Course Specification refers to “the impact of Scots emigrants on the empire” and “The effects of migration and empire on Scotland, to 1939”) and ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ topic.

More broadly, ensuring that the curriculum is taught in a culturally-responsive way that acknowledges Scotland’s role in historical world events, including trans-Atlantic enslavement and colonial histories, and their continuing impact today is part of a much wider set of ambitions which are included in the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme.

Education Scotland’s guidance on promoting and developing race equality and anti-racism in education notes the value of nurturing a historical literacy in learners which helps them to understand all of Scotland’s history, including our historical role in empire, colonialism and trans-Atlantic slavery, and helps learners understand how Scotland’s colonial past plays a role in their current everyday lives.

In response to question (a) There were a total of 44 deaths in SPS custody during 2022.

In response to question (b) There have been a total of 4 deaths in SPS custody during the first quarter of 2023.

The SPS publishes information regarding all deaths in our custody in calendar years on the SPS website. This information is updated on a quarterly basis and can be accessed using the following link: Prisoner Deaths (sps.gov.uk) .

The next quarterly update will be published on the SPS website in April 2023 which will provide information on deaths in custody up to and including 31 March 202

The role of the Scottish Government is to monitor each of the three deposit schemes for compliance. This includes being satisfied that the tenancy deposit schemes have clear and substantial processes in place that meet the requirements laid out in the regulations.

The three approved tenancy deposit schemes are private businesses and the Scottish Government is not involved in their business operations. We do not hold information on the salary bands of the Chief Executives.

The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 gives powers to local authorities to take enforcement action where a building is defective or dangerous. Responsibility for repair in tenement properties lies with the building owners and the Tolerable Standard requires that all homes are structurally stable. Local authorities are required to have a strategy for ensuring that below standard houses are brought up to standard and have broad discretionary powers to assist homeowners with work needed to meet the standard.

We recognise the importance of financial wellbeing and understand the impact that debt and money worries can have on mental health and wellbeing and are working with stakeholders to tackle this issue. In our Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan we have committed to further develop a response to those whose mental health has been affected by issues relating to debt. We are working closely with a range of advice organisations, including Citizens Advice Scotland, to better understand and tackle these issues. We will consider the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form as part of this work and promote to Health and Social Care Partnerships accordingly.

The aim of the Pre-Action Protocol for rent arrears is to sustain a tenancy, as far as possible, so that tenants can remain in their homes. Before taking action to repossess a property, landlords are required to have carried out certain steps to support their tenant to address any arrears. This includes providing tenants with clear information on how to access information and advice on financial support and debt management. In any subsequent eviction action, a landlord must demonstrate how they have complied with the protocol.

There are no plans at this time to formalise the referral of private tenants for free independent money advice. Guidance for private landlords on complying with the pre-action protocols includes sample letters which help ensure tenants are provided information on their rights and sign-posted to available support, including free independent advice from the Money Talk Team. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-private-landlords-on-seeking-repossession-of-private-rented-housing-on-rent-arrears-grounds/pages/summary/ .

Medicines used in prisons related to drug misuse and dependence will be made available in line with the UK-wide Guidelines on Clinical Management and should be approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. Records of medicines used in prisons are maintained by NHS National Services Scotland. From its records the list of medicines can be found below:

Methadone - Methadone is prescribed to prevent the illicit use of opiate and opioid drugs.

Buprenorphine –Buprenorphine is also prescribed to prevent the use of illicit opiate and opioid drugs.

Naltrexone –Naltrexone would be prescribed to prevent relapse use of opiate and opioids (not widely prescribed treatment).

Dihydrocodeine (DHC) – DHC is used as part of the safe management of withdrawal protocols. The objective of the DHC safe withdrawal symptom is to manage withdrawal symptoms and prevent patients from seeking opiates or opioids.

Diazepam – Diazepam is used as part of a safe management of withdrawal protocol for those who come into custody and have a positive urine test for a benzodiazepine. Diazepam is prescribed in a reducing dose protocol to safely manage withdrawals.

Acamprosate – is used to maintain abstinence in alcohol use in those who were previously heavy drinkers.

Disufiram – is an alcohol deterrent drug . Both acamprosate and disulfiram must be accompanied by appropriate supportive treatment.