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The Scottish Government recognise that uncertainty while waiting can have an impact on health and wellbeing. That is why we are undertaking a new programme of work, ‘Waiting Well’, which aims to support an active waiting well period by providing access to good information, signposting to local services and community assets, and to professional support and services as required.

We also recognise the impact that long waiting times can have on a patient’s mental health. The Healthy living | NHS inform page provides advice and tools which includes information on mental wellbeing.

The Scottish Government has not met with COSLA or individual local authorities to discuss reusable nappies. We promote and raise awareness of reusable nappies direct to families by including a voucher for one waterproof nappy wrap, with five stay dry nappy pads inside Scotland’s Baby Box.

We have not undertaken any assessments regarding the affordability of nappies in Scotland and food banks do not currently publish data on nappies and other baby products. However, we will continue to work with partners to ensure that our financial offerings are maximising the support available for young families.

This includes our work to increase the value of the Scottish Child Payment to £25 per child per week and expanding it to all eligible children under the age of 16 from November 2022.

Our five family payments, including the Scottish Child Payment, could be worth over £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns 6 with Scottish support providing over £20,000 by the time an eligible child is 16 years old.

The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that low income families in Scotland will be around £28,000 better off by the time their child turns 18 as a result of more generous support and lower costs for childcare provided by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government is aware that there has been and are challenges in delivering complex surgery (such as ovarian) across all regions. Regional action plans have been developed to address the specific issues in those areas.

The NHS continue to prioritise emergency, urgent and cancer care, and where there is an urgent suspicion of cancer, they make every effort to ensure a patient is seen as quickly as possible, with the majority receiving appointments within the appropriate time frame.

Significant pressures may result in longer waiting times and efforts are being made to reduce waiting times and support patients to be seen as quickly as possible.

There is one Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) accredited undergraduate course currently available in Scotland, provided by the University of West of Scotland. The University of West of Scotland are able to provide data over the past 9 years on the number of people who have graduated with this degree:

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with COSLA and representatives from local authorities regarding the expansion of free school meals.

As set out in the answer to parliamentary question S6W-16999 on 2 May 2023, within the broad general education phase there is the opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the people, past event and societies section of social studies, and in the senior phase, there is an opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the History qualifications, for example through the ‘Migration and Empire’ and ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ topics.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) 2021-2022 Incident Statistics outline that the total number of fatal casualties from fires in dwellings during 2021-2022 was 30. As further information may yet come to light, for example from coroners reports, this figure is subject to change.

SFRS Fire and Rescue Incident statistics are published annually and include figures on fire fatalities and trends. These can be found here https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx .

According to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Incident Statistics, in 2020-2021 the total number of dwelling fire fatalities was 46. For 2021-22 the total number of fatal casualties from fires in dwellings were 30.

SFRS Fire and Rescue Incident statistics are published annually and include figures on fire fatalities and trends. These can be found here https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/about-us/fire-and-rescue-statistics.aspx .

Any death from fire is one too many and that is why effective fire safety, to prevent fires and reduce their impact, remains a priority for the Scottish Government and SFRS. Whilst fire safety priority groups, themes and actions are operational matters for SFRS, the Scottish Government actively supports measures to reduce fires and fire fatalities.

Curriculum for Excellence is a flexible curriculum, and History sits within the wider curriculum area of social studies, with experiences and outcomes that allow for teaching and learning of a very wide range of topics. This ensures that practitioners are able to deliver a curriculum that is best suited to their learners in their circumstances and local context.

It also means that for the “broad general education” phase in particular (ages 3-15), whilst individual schools are able to draw on education resources which may include specific teaching on the British Empire, content on the British Empire is not embedded in a specific way within curriculum framework documentation. Nonetheless, within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire, including Scotland’s role, within the people, past events and societies section of social studies. Education Scotland provide a range of resources to support teachers, including for example on historical enslavement.

There is also an opportunity to teach the topic of the British Empire within the History qualifications in the senior phase, for example through the ‘Migration and Empire’ topic (for instance, the National 5 SQA Course Specification references “impact of the Empire on Scotland” and the Higher History SQA Course Specification refers to “the impact of Scots emigrants on the empire” and “The effects of migration and empire on Scotland, to 1939”) and ‘Atlantic Slave Trade’ topic.

More broadly, ensuring that the curriculum is taught in a culturally-responsive way that acknowledges Scotland’s role in historical world events, including trans-Atlantic enslavement and colonial histories, and their continuing impact today is part of a much wider set of ambitions which are included in the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme.

Education Scotland’s guidance on promoting and developing race equality and anti-racism in education notes the value of nurturing a historical literacy in learners which helps them to understand all of Scotland’s history, including our historical role in empire, colonialism and trans-Atlantic slavery, and helps learners understand how Scotland’s colonial past plays a role in their current everyday lives.