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The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding women who have been potentially exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES).

The regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. They are responsible for investigating any safety concerns regarding licensing of diethylstilbestrol (DES). Scottish Government officials meet regularly with the MHRA to discuss known medicine safety issues and to agree required actions.

To support delivery of the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan the Scottish Government has allocated funding of £93,588 over three years to NHS Education for Scotland to develop education and training materials which will raise awareness, knowledge and understanding of HIV and reduce stigma amongst non-HIV specialist healthcare staff.

To expand and enhance this work, we are currently assessing bids for a workforce education project for health and social care staff to raise awareness of HIV, improve support and reduce stigma across these key settings. We expect to be able to announce the outcome of this process soon.

Scottish Government officials will work with project leads to ensure that the resources developed are appropriately tailored and targeted to key professional groups, including mental health practitioners.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone living with fibromyalgia in Scotland is able to access clinically appropriate, safe, effective and person-centred healthcare, treatment and support.

In November 2023, we published an update to our Pain Management Service Delivery Framework Implementation Plan. As part of the framework, the National Pain Education Group developed a Chronic Pain Learning Toolkit for all health and social care staff across Scotland.

It is Scotland’s first national chronic pain training resource and will look to enhance understanding and care for people living with chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, across all levels health and social care staff. The toolkit went live November 2024.

The Scottish Government has not provided any advice to GPs regarding women who have been potentially exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES).

The regulation for the licensing, safety and efficacy of medicines is reserved to the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. They are responsible for investigating any safety concerns regarding the licensing of diethylstilbestrol (DES). Scottish Government officials meet regularly with the MHRA to discuss known medicine safety issues and to agree required actions.

The most recent guidance published by the Department of Health, which also applies in Scotland, advises that daughters of individuals exposed to DES in utero are at an increased risk of clear cell cancer of the cervix and vagina but no other forms of cervical cancer and that local arrangements should be made for the follow up of individuals who are DES daughters and have the stigmata of DES exposure. This would usually be via annual colposcopy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-31648 on 4 December 2024. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government, along with the other UK nations, relies on advice about screening programmes from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group. The UK NSC is not currently considering a targeted screening proposal for those who have been exposed to diethylstilbestrol. It has also not received a request or proposal to do so during its annual call for topics to consider.

However, in line with the UK NSC’s current recommendations, all women aged between 50 to 70 years old are invited for breast screening every three years. In addition, those aged between 25 and 64 are invited for routine cervical screening every 5 years. The individual may be invited for more regular cervical screening or until they are aged 70 if previous results have found changes that need to be monitored.

The Scottish Government does not hold any information about the numbers of women who have been found to have cancer through those screening programmes and who may also have been prescribed diethylstilbestrol.

The latest data on people living with HIV in Scotland and not attending for HIV treatment and care can be found in Public Health Scotland’s HIV in Scotland surveillance report, which is available at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/hiv-in-scotland/hiv-in-scotland-update-to-31-december-2023/. It is important to note that changes to service delivery during and since the COVID-19 pandemic mean that the reported proportion of diagnosed individuals receiving treatment may be an under-estimate and work is underway to ensure the accuracy of this reporting.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people living with HIV receive the care and support they need, and we are working with partners across public service and the third sector to ensure that this happens. Our HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan sets out our approach to ensuring equitable access to high quality care and treatment.

Through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults we are funding a number of projects offering peer support and practical assistance which can help people living with HIV to stay well and engage or re-engage in care.

Through our 10-year cancer strategy, the Scottish Government continues to focus on improving cancer survival rates and provide excellent and equitable care for all people facing cancer.

As clear cell carcinoma is not confined to one organ, there is no single management pathway for this type of cancer. Clinical management and treatment of such cancers will be determined by the organ of origin and should therefore follow existing clinical guidelines for those.

We know that person-centred care and support is important and we are committed to supporting patients to deal with the financial, emotional, and physical health effects of cancer. We are working in partnership with Macmillan through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme. The programme ensures that every person with cancer in Scotland has access to a specialist key support worker, who can provide emotional, financial, and practical support to those who need it.

Our education and skills system is already adapting in response to the transition to net zero with colleges and universities acting as key anchor points for research, innovation, and training.

The Scottish Government is aware of a number of reports that set out the potential opportunities for workers in the renewable energy and electricity grid sectors. For example Robert Gordon University research suggests that there could be between 7,000 and 33,000 offshore renewables sector jobs in the North East of Scotland by 2030 while SP Energy Networks suggest that there could be between 40,000 and 80,000 jobs in 2035 in Scotland in electricity networks and related infrastructure.

Independent analysis prepared by EY to better understand our energy requirements as we transition to net zero suggests that with the right support, there could be almost 80,000 low carbon energy production sector jobs in Scotland in 2050.