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The Scottish Government commissioned NHS Health Scotland to undertake research with women into the reasons for non-uptake of the screening invitation at the end of 2015. A large part of this research focused on the facilitators and barriers to uptake. The results of this work has informed the communications strategy which supports the cervical screening programme and has fed into the development of an upcoming awareness raising campaign.

While information on how many cleaning staff have been directly employed in each NHS board in each year since 1999 is not centrally held, information on the pre-agenda for change ancillary staff group from 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2006 is published by Information Services Division Scotland (ISD) and can be found in the following link:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Historic-Data/WFG01_HB_REG.xls

Information on the number of whole time equivalent staff working in hotel services from 30 September 2007 to 31 March 2016 is published by ISD Scotland and can be found in the following link:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-06-07/Non-Medical_Trend_M2016.xls

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) are currently trialling three heart Autopulse machines in the south east of Scotland as part of their approach to Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). There are also two Autopulse machines available to SCOTstar, the national specialist transport and retrieval service.

SAS continually reviews the available evidence about the best way to respond to OHCA to give patients the best chance of survival and recovery, and reviews its training and equipment requirements based on this evidence.

It is for each NHS board to ensure that they provide care that is safe, effective and person centred, taking into account local service needs, national guidance and clinical standards. There are Respiratory Managed Clinical Networks in place to ensure a co-ordinated approach to improving respiratory services locally.

NHS National Services Scotland commission services such as Respiratory Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) and the home oxygen service on behalf of all NHS boards in Scotland. NSS has a role in ensuring that the services provided are of the highest quality and can be accessed by patients from all parts of Scotland.

<>The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring parity in public sector funding for adult and children’s hospices. An interim funding arrangement which reduces the gap has been agreed for 2016-17. We have initiated a review of hospice funding to report by December 2016 which will include proposals for achieving parity.

The Scottish Government works closely with independent expert advisory group the UK National Screening Committee, who advise ministers and the NHS in the four UK countries about all aspects of screening.

The Scottish Government and the Medical Research Council are investing £4 million and £2 million respectively to the Scottish Genomes Partnership for whole genome sequencing, in collaboration with Genomics England. This will contribute towards research to improve the understanding of genetic diseases and cancers and support the development of new diagnostic tests and treatments, including precision medicine.

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities, to support implementation of policy.

The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities are the responsibility of relevant local agencies. It is therefore the responsibility of NHS boards and local authorities to work with their partners and regularly review spending decisions to deliver fit for purpose services which respond to local needs.

Funding on mental health promotion, early intervention and appropriate services and treatment for people with mental health problems, including veterans, will continue to be drawn from the overall funds allocated to NHS Scotland and local authorities by the Scottish Government.

Allocations relating to veterans’ issues made from the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Division since 2007-08 are set out in the following table:

Scottish Government Mental Health Division Allocations	2007-08 (£)	2008-09 (£)	2009-10 (£)	2010-11 (£)	2011-12 (£)	2012-13 (£)	2013-14 (£)	2014-15 (£)	2015-16 (£)
Combat Stress - specialist mental health services	0	0	0	18,000	1,224,090	1,224,090	1,224,090	1,224,090	1,224,090
Combat Stress - specialist mental health services - Travel Expenses	0	0	10,204	11,348	11,659	12,600	11,829	7,640	0
Combat Stress - community mental health services	0	159,801	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000
Veterans First Point Lothian	250,000	130,000	130,000	130,000	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000	200,000
Veterans Scoping Review	0	0	13,215	0	0	0	2,471	0	0
SAMH Poppy Scotland Conference	0	0	8,500	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	250,000	289,801	361,919	359,348	1,635,749	1,636,690	1,638,390	1,631,730	1,624,090

Since July 2013, all NHS boards in Scotland have offered a maximum of two full IVF cycles for eligible patients. The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendation in the national infertility group’s report, published on 13 June 2016, to increase the maximum number of IVF cycles from two to three. Work will now begin to develop a sustainable implementation plan, including timescales for the introduction of the criteria changes in the group’s report.

The National infertility group’s report was published on 13 June 2016 at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/06/9960. The group was asked to look at a number of areas, including widening access criteria and increasing the number of full IVF cycles from two to three. The Scottish Government has accepted all recommendations in the report from the national infertility group, except the recommendation to remove eligibility for couples where the woman is aged between 40 and 42. The existing criteria in this area will remain. Work will now begin to develop a sustainable implementation plan, including timescales for the introduction of the criteria changes in the group’s report.

Our national agency for sport, sportscotland, invests Scottish Government and National Lottery funding in recognised Scottish governing bodies of sport. Scottish disability sport (SDS) is the coordinating body for all sports for people of all ages and abilities with a physical, sensory and learning disability and has the lead role for developing the quality of disability sport for disabled people in Scotland. Sportscotland is investing up to £2,601,400 into SDS for the period 2013-17, an increase of 26% from the previous investment cycle (2009-13). sportscotland reviews its investment into Scottish governing bodies on an annual basis.