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Professional dog walkers, like dog owners, are subject to a number of laws relating to dog welfare and control. The majority of dog walkers are likely to operate sensibly and responsibly; however, the profession itself is currently unregulated and the Scottish Government recognises that issues may arise. We will consider whether there may be a need to bring dog walkers under tighter regulation in any future plans for companion welfare legislation.

During the development and implementation of the netting system on the Golden Gate Bridge, this perceived method of preventing self-harming on the Forth Road Bridge was reviewed. However, a similar system was not considered to be suitable or effective in the case of the Forth Road Bridge.

There has been no detail from HM Treasury on the extent to which the Stronger Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund is additional funding on which the Scottish Government would receive a consequential, or the profile of any future funding. Ministers have pressed the UK Government for details on the share of the £3.6 billion announced for towns in England that will flow to the Scottish Government. No decision has yet been made on the use of this funding.

Through our Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP) we are supporting and investing in the regeneration of Scotland’s towns and town centres. This includes the £50 million capital Town Centre Fund for 2019-20 which is enabling local authorities to stimulate a range of investments, encouraging town centres to diversify and flourish.

Through TCAP, we are promoting a Town Centre First Principle to ensure planning and investment supports the regeneration and sustainability of towns and town centres. We have developed tools and resources to support this process including a Town Centre Toolkit and a Place Standard Framework designed to support communities, public, private and third sectors to work together to assess the quality of a place and identify priorities for the future.

We are working with partners such as Scotland’s Towns Partnership to provide information, support and services which contribute to the vibrancy, vitality and viability of our town centres and neighbourhoods, and to support the development of partnerships including Business Improvement Districts.

We are aware that the Mental Welfare Commission is currently undertaking national themed visits of eating disorder services in Scotland. The visits will cover child and adolescent, and adult services in both the NHS and independent facilities. This review is due to be completed in Summer 2020 and we will carefully consider the outputs.

Scottish Planning Policy broadly defines affordable housing as housing of a reasonable quality that is affordable to people on modest incomes. It makes clear that affordable housing may be provided in the form of social rented accommodation, mid-market rented accommodation, shared ownership housing, shared equity housing, housing sold at a discount (including plots for self-build), and low cost housing without subsidy.

Further advice on the types of affordable housing that can contribute to affordable housing requirements is set out in Planning Advice 2/2010 - https://www.gov.scot/publications/planning-advice-note-2-2010-affordable-housing-housing-land-audits/

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-25806 on 29 October 2019. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government recognises that placental growth factor (PlGF) testing shows promise in improving the detection and diagnosis of pre-eclampsia. However, while NICE Guideline [NG 133] Hypertension in Pregnancy: diagnosis and management, published in June 2019, indicates that women with suspected pre-eclampsia should be offered PlGF testing, the Diagnostics Guidance [DG 23] indicates that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend the routine adoption of PlGF testing for diagnosing pre-eclampsia. The Diagnostics Guidance [DG 23] is explicit in its recommendations for further research to explore repeat testing further.

The Scottish Government recognises that it is essential to ensure that pre-eclampsia is diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. NHS Lothian is taking part in PARROT 2, an independent research study looking at repeat testing. The Scottish Government will continue to follow the results of both PARROT and PARROT 2 with interest and the Women’s Health Team continues to consider the adoption of PlGF testing in Scotland in light of emerging evidence.

The PARROT 2 trial is an independent research study led by Dr Louise Webster of St Thomas’ Hospital and sponsored by King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

A plain-English summary of the study and its intended timescales is available on the ISRCTN (International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number) Registry website, a primary clinical trial registry recognised by the World Health Organisation and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. This also provides contact information for the study’s primary contact. It is accessible via the following link: https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN85912420 .

Statistics published annually by NHS Information Services Division indicate the number of NHS Scotland Employees who have disclosed they are living with a disability. Official statistics do not however record the number of staff who have declined to disclose their disability status.

As indicated in the answer to question S5W-27104 on 19 February 2020 , there are a number of reasons why staff may not elect to disclose a disability; it is important to recognise and respect that this is a personal decision. We continue to work with health boards to improve disclosure rates. A new national self-service HR system means staff can now update their personal information at any time. With this in mind, positive information campaigns will be launched in the spring to encourage staff to ‘bring your whole self to work’.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Data on sepsis and sepsis mortality is collated by Information Services Division (ISD) and is linked with National Records of Scotland (NRS) death records. Guidelines specify the codes which are to be used in all cases where sepsis appears in the patient records during a continuous inpatient hospital stay, and these codes are used to identify those patients with sepsis. This is an internationally recognised and accepted measure of sepsis.

Changes to the reclassification of sepsis occurred in February 2016. Updated clinical coding guidelines were published in October 2017. These significant changes have affected the integrity of the sepsis data and therefore the sepsis mortality data from October 2017 is currently under review.

Using data to help drive improvements in the safety of patient care is a central component of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP). The sepsis collaborative was delivered by the SPSP between January 2012 and December 2014 and contributed to a 21% drop in mortality from sepsis. However, as a significant driver of deterioration, sepsis remains a core element of the deteriorating patient work stream.