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From April 2021 to the end of September 2023, the Heat in Buildings Programme has spent £340m, with an additional estimated spend of £163m over the remainder of this financial year.

• The programme forecasts are showing an increased demand that supports a continuing increase in capital support across the range of schemes offered by the HiBs programme. Final outturn will be based on actual demand for schemes and final budget allocations for 24-25 and beyond.
• We are continuing to make long term commitments to funding – for example, we have recently re-procured the Warmer Homes Scotland successor scheme at a contract value of £700 million over the next 5 years.

I last met with the COSLA Culture Conveners group on 21 September 2023.

During this meeting we discussed ways in which we can collaborate to progress our shared priorities for culture in Scotland.

The next meeting of the Culture Conveners, which I will attend, is scheduled to take place in early 2024.

The total funding for the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championship is in the process of being finalised and will be confirmed in due course. It includes contributions from the Scottish Government, UK Sport, British Cycling, Glasgow City Council and a number of other local authorities, as well as from commercial revenue streams. Any additional funding that may be required will be managed centrally by the Scottish Government and will not be derived from the Culture portfolio’s budget.

One of the key aims in the Women’s Health Plan is to ensure that all women will have access to a healthcare professional with an interest in menopause through primary care, and that in the longer term, we build a basic understanding of menopause amongst all healthcare professionals.

In order for primary care professionals to be able to enhance their skills in menopause care, the Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education for Scotland to create a bespoke training package and framework which is focussed on menopause and menstrual health for general practice and others working in Primary Care.

There is now a menopause specialist in every mainland NHS Board, with a buddy system in place for the Island Boards. Through the National Menopause Specialists Network these local specialists support primary care teams through the provision of access to a menopause specialist for consistent advice, support, onward referral, leadership and training.

The Cabinet Secretary and myself have had no discussions with the Scottish Ambulance service since their appointment regarding neonatal transport. The Scottish Ambulance Service and ScotSTAR are members of the Perinatal Sub Group that conducted the Options Appraisal report and continue to be closely involved through that forum in discussions about implementation. The Best Start recommended that a review be undertaken to look at the staffing model for the neonatal transport service and funding was provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Ambulance Service to take this forward.

The Scottish Government provides £29m support across a range of Gaelic and Scots organisations, whose activities include the provision of Scots and Gaelic language materials but is not all they do. For Scots, grant funding is provided to the following organisations: Association of Scottish Literary Studies, Scottish Book Trust, Scots Hoose, Scots Radio, Scots Language Centre, Dictionaries of the Scots Language, Yaldi Books and the Doric Board. For Gaelic, grant funding is provided to Storlann, Bòrd na Gidhlig, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Local Authorities, E-sgoil, Tobar an Dualchais, Keep Scotland Beautiful, University of Edinburgh, and MG Alba for Speak Gaelic and Film G.

The Women’s Health Plan recognises that it is important all women know about the menopause and have access to consistent information and care when they seek help with menopause symptoms.

The Scottish Government continues to promote the comprehensive menopause resource on the NHS Inform Women’s Health Platform . This resource was launched in October 2021 to ensure women have access to information on menopause, including the signs and symptoms of perimenopause. The resource includes 11 videos including common myths around the menopause, and personal stories. The resource is accessible in five language translations, British Sign Language translation and an Easy Read version of the content.

To raise awareness of the symptoms of menopause – and how to mitigate them – work has recently begun on the development of a menopause public health campaign.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), in partnership with the Scottish Government, have hosted a series of webinars to raise awareness about the menopause, focussing on menopause myth busting, menopause and the workplace and menopause, sex and relationships. Recordings of the webinars can be accessed online here: Resources - Policy and research (alliance-scotland.org.uk) 

Additionally, to mark World Menopause Day on 18 October 2023, the Scottish Government and the ALLIANCE, hosted a virtual ‘Talk Menopause’ panel discussion with experts in menopause to provide more information on menopause to those who need it.

Section 41 of The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 (“the Continuity Act”) required Scottish Ministers to review and prepare a report on the following matters:

• whether the provisions of this Chapter have ensured that there continues to be effective and appropriate governance relating to the environment following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU,
• whether the law in Scotland on access to justice on environmental matters is effective and sufficient, and
• whether and, if so, how the establishment of an environmental court could enhance the governance arrangements.

The Report into the Effectiveness of Environmental Governance Arrangements was published on 1 June. The subsequent consultation on the Report was launched on the 2 June and closed on the 13 October.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the responses made to the consultation on the Report, and as required by s41 of the Continuity Act will publish a response to Parliament, including recommendations in response to the views raised in the consultation.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing accessible CAMHS services for children and young people who are deaf.

The CAMHS National Service Specification states that all children and families should receive support and services that are accessible and meet their needs. It is essential that the Scottish Government and CAMHS services engage with the deaf community and representative organisations to ensure we understand how services could better meet their needs.

As part of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board, the Scottish Government engaged with stakeholders including the National Deaf Children’s Society and representatives with lived experience to understand their needs which are being considered in future planning.

We are continuing to provide local authorities with £15 million per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children and young people, including targeted provision for those in at-risk groups and a systematic focus on those with protected characteristics.

Restoring and enhancing our marine environment is vital if we are to meet our ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity decline and become Nature Positive by 2030. Scotland is unique in that most of the restoration projects in our waters are community-led, and our coastal communities, in many cases with support and funding from the Scottish Government, are rightly at the forefront of these new projects. These initiatives, alongside the protection to biodiversity already given by our MPA network, will contribute to our goals as set out in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund is also supported by Scottish Government, Crown Estate Scotland and NatureScot to leverage public and private investment towards projects that recover, restore or enhance the health of marine and coastal habitats and species across Scotland. Since 2021, SMEEF has distributed £3.3 million to 50 projects around our coasts and seas. Many of these projects are new or in early stages of development, demonstrating that the Fund acts as a key pipeline investor for this emerging sector. Alongside grant funding, SMEEF also provides guidance, and has recently published a new toolkit to help communities and groups wishing to undertake marine restoration projects understand best practice as well as regulatory requirements.