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The most frequently reported side effects have included mesh exposure, pain, sexual problems, mesh erosion and occasionally injury to nearby organs such as the bladder or bowel.

Information is not held centrally on the number of women who have been affected by side effects.

Two clinicians working in Scotland have reported adverse incidents about transvaginal mesh products to the Incident Reporting and Investigation Centre of Health Facilities Scotland, which is part of NHS National Services Scotland.

No information is held on the number of clinicians in Scotland who have reported adverse incidents or concerns about transvaginal meshes to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Ambulance Service have advised that they do not use private ambulance services, or other private sector transport (including taxis), in place of ambulances or patient transport.

The Scottish Ambulance Service has a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Red Cross Society (BRCS), which helps the Service respond to patient needs, for example, during adverse weather. The BRCS make ambulance vehicles available should these be required. The Service also works with the BRCS during periods of anticipated high demand, such as the festive period and other key dates during the year such as pay days. This arrangement delivers an additional layer of resilience and support at times of peak demand.

The Service works with approximately 200 volunteer car drivers across the country, who undertake patient transport journeys where this is clinically appropriate, particularly in remote and rural areas.

This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service, the information requested is not held centrally.

Please note that specific coding for transvaginal mesh implant procedures was introduced in 2006. Annually complete data is only available since 2007-08.

Officials are working with colleagues in National Services Scotland to identify options for implementing an implant register starting with hip replacements and which could be used for a range of implants.

Neither the Scottish Government nor the Care Inspectorate collects information on numbers of foster carers broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government does not set the level of payments to either kinship carers or foster carers. Payments are the responsibility of local authorities. However, the Scottish Government recognises that financial support needs to be more consistent, if it is to be fair and is currently reviewing financial support to kinship carers with an aim to publish its findings by autumn 2013.

Scottish Ministers encourage and welcome all forms of communication with them, including from board members and staff of public bodies. Public body board members are required to act, at all times with integrity and propriety, in accordance with the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000. The Scottish Government expects public body staff to adhere to the same principles. This is made clear in the public bodies’ guidance on the Scottish Government website.