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Fixed Penalty Notices are a matter for Police Scotland.

You may be referring to Penalty Charge Notices, which were discussed within the Penalty Charge Notice for Parking Enforcement Consultation. The analysis report of this consultation is due to be published within the next few weeks.

Despite the continued and unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme report, published on 28 June, highlights areas where a high level of care is provided for stroke patients, including improvements in the number of patients who receive brain imagining within 12 hours of arrival to hospital.

We recognise that there are areas within stroke care that have proven particularly challenging and we are committed to continued improvement. We expect health boards to identify aspects of their stroke services which do not meet the Scottish Standards and to work to improve standards of care locally.

The Scottish Government recognises that delivery of the acute stroke care bundle is of crucial importance to the provision of high quality stroke care. Monitoring of performance against stroke bundle standards through the Scottish Stroke Care Audit allows the Scottish Government to identify where challenges are being faced in the delivery of high quality stroke care.

We continue to expect Health Boards to identify aspects of their stroke services which do not meet the Scottish Stroke Care Standards and to work to improve standards of care locally.

The Stroke Improvement Plan has been in place since its introduction in 2014 and has provided the framework for the provision of stroke care in Scotland.

The Stroke Improvement Plan emphasises the importance of the delivery of the stroke bundle, to ensure that all appropriate patients receive timely access to key interventions. The latest Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme annual report (published in June 2022 and available at: https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme/scottish-stroke-improvement-programme-2022-national-report/ ) contains data collected in 2021. This demonstrated improvements in the initiation of aspirin therapy within one day (92% in 2021 v. 89% in 2020) and stroke patients receiving brain imaging within 12 hours (89% in 2021 v. 86% in 2020). Stroke bundle performance data for 2022 will be available in the 2023 national report, due to be published in June 2023.

In line with the Stroke Improvement Plan’s priority relating to the need for a skilled and knowledgeable workforce, in 2022 the Scottish Government has continued to support Stroke and TIA Assessment Training (STAT+), a standardised programme of thrombectomy education for trained healthcare professionals. We have provided funding to enable Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland to continue to deliver these education sessions to NHS Boards across Scotland to ensure increased knowledge, skills and management of thrombectomy patients. The delivery of this education package will support the ongoing rollout of a national thrombectomy service.

Following the publication of the National Advisory Committee for Stroke’s Progressive Stroke Pathway, work is underway to develop a refreshed Stroke Improvement Plan by the end of 2022. This will outline how recommendations in the Progressive Stroke Pathway will be prioritized and implemented, as well as a continued emphasis on the importance of the Scottish Stroke Care Standards.

The Scottish Stroke Care Standards are regularly reviewed in line with current evidence and updated guidelines. We monitor the implementation of these standards through the Scottish Stroke Care Audit to ensure that stroke patients in Scotland are receiving high quality care.

All beavers that have been captured in Tayside and translocated to projects in Scotland, England and Wales are subject to disease screening and appropriate treatment as a licence condition prior to release. This screening ensures that beavers released under licence from NatureScot are not carrying Giardia prior to any translocations.

Health boards can take a range of actions in response to any breach of terms by a pharmacy contractor as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and the National Health Service (Discipline Committees) (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The Health Board may, having any regard to the Disciplinary Committees recommendations, take a number of actions as set out in the Regulations, including recovery of remuneration.

The Scottish Government recently consulted on proposals for our new National Litter and Flytipping Strategy, including measures to strengthen enforcement measures.

We will publish the final National Litter and Flytipping Strategy later this year, which will set out effective system-wide action to prevent and address littering.

Enforcement is one of the Strategy’s key themes.

Circularity Scotland Ltd, announced the return handling fees for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme earlier this year. Any decision to update this information will be for them to take after consultation with industry.

The Scottish Government is not considering the introduction of special measures for community pharmacies that are struggling to meet required standards. Community pharmacies, along with other primary care contractors, are wholly independent private entities providing NHS services on behalf the Health Board. Any challenges faced by community pharmacy contractors in delivering existing pharmaceutical care services should be discussed with the Health Boards who will be able to consider actions to support service provision.