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No private marketing company has been used for work relating to the Draft Framework for Pain Management Service Delivery .

When minimum unit pricing for alcohol was introduced on 1 May 2018, we said we would review the level two years after its introduction, so from May 2020. With the arrival of COVID-19, this work was paused as responding to the pandemic became the Scottish Government’s top priority.

The review work is now back underway. The impacts of the pandemic, and to some extent Brexit, however, make both the review and the evaluation more challenging. The pandemic, in particular, caused people’s drinking habits to change and, early signs are that this is having an impact on alcohol harms.

As regards the timescale for reviewing the level of MUP, it is currently too early in the process to set out when this might happen.

We remain convinced that MUP is one of the main drivers in reducing alcohol harm.

Since the emergence of the Omicron, the Scottish Government has undertaken a series of regular meetings with NHS Chief Executives to discuss contingency and resilience planning. These include meetings that were Chaired by the NHS Scotland Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer as well as regular meetings between health and social care officials and NHS Scotland Chief Executives. The System Response Group meetings also include representations from wider stakeholder interests and Local Government.

I have held regular update meetings to discuss System Pressures to which all Boards are invited. I have also held meetings with COSLA and officials every Monday to receive updates on the Winter Package.

Finally, I held a number of meetings with specific Local Authorities, Health Boards and HSCPs on a one to one basis where the need arose.

These meeting dates are detailed in the following table:

The contract with KPMG to construct the business case for the National Care Service has not been suspended.

Officials were informed that KPMG had withdrawn from bidding for UK government contracts on 17 December 2021.

Following the procurement exercise the award decision was communicated to all bidders on 7 December 2021, with the contract being signed on 13 December 2021. It was subsequently published on the Public Contracts Scotland website on 10 January 2022.

There is no conflict of interest between existing Scottish Government Civil Servants and the specialist consultancy services procured from KPMG in a fair and open procurement exercise. The Scottish Government has a clear contract award and management processes in place to prevent conflicts of interest and to support the delivery of fit for purpose outcomes. This includes clear requirements for separation of duties between finance and procurement decisions.

The contract was awarded under the Crown Commercial Service Management Consultancy Framework Three following a fair and open procurement exercise in line with Scottish Government guidance.

As set out in our 2021-22 Programme for Government , the Scottish Government will introduce a Public Health Bill that includes restrictions on unhealthier food and drink promotions in this Parliament.

We will consult again on our proposals to restrict unhealthier food and drink promotions in the spring. This will help us consider the impacts of EU exit and the COVID-19 pandemic on our proposals, as well as explore the potential opportunities for alignment across the UK.

As required by the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002, Ministers establish the policy context within which charges are determined by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland (WICS). The charging policies for the 2021-27 period were published on 7 December 2020 https://www.gov.scot/publications/principles-of-charging-2021-2027/ .

WICS is required to determine the price caps for households through its Final Determination. For the 2021-27 period, WICS confirmed that overall charge increases for households are capped at CPI+2%. In line with the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002, Scottish Water must submit a charges scheme to WICS for approval, ensuring it is consistent with Ministers’ Principles of Charging and the Final Determination.

Whilst there is no formal requirement to consult the Scottish Government, Ministers were made aware of the outcome of the independent process, including the rationale underpinning the decision by Scottish Water's Board on the scheme of charges for 2022-23.