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As outlined in the response to S6W-32069 on 6 January 2025, the Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards to provide maternity services that are delivered as close to home as practicable, balanced with ensuring the safety of mother and baby. Within the policies we set, it is for NHS Boards to determine the model of service delivery best suited to meet the needs of their local areas and population.

All decisions about care throughout pregnancy, including around place of birth, should be made by women in discussion with their clinical team. These decisions will take account of their individual needs and circumstances. To support this, in February 2025 we published the new Pathway for Maternity Care. This sets out the core care that women and their babies should receive under a whole-person, individualised care approach which takes account of their specific circumstances. We also published the new Birthplace Decision leaflet to provide women with the up-to-date information they need to make informed decisions about where they would like to give birth.

Women will be given advice when they contact maternity triage services in labour to help them make decisions about when to travel to hospital, and on pain relief options available to them.

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

Although widespread across all ages and demographics, data tells us that disabled people, young people (16-24), people over 75 and those on low incomes are now the most at risk of social isolation and loneliness. To support the delivery of our Social Isolation and Loneliness Delivery Plan, we are providing £3.8m over three years to 53 community projects across Scotland through the Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund that is providing opportunities for people to connect. At the end of year one projects reached 11,293 individuals with a focus on priority groups most at risk of social isolation and loneliness. We also provide funding to Befriending Networks, who support befriending services across Scotland, and currently have 118 Scottish members.

We recognise that being physically active is one of the very best things we can do for our physical, social and mental health and we want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be active, regardless of their circumstances.

Our Physical Activity For Health Framework, published in October 2024, describes our evidence-based approach to achieving our vision of a Scotland where more people are more active, more often. Participation in walking sport is one way in which people can be more active and we recognise the important role of Walking Football Scotland in providing walking football opportunities across Scotland.

Tovorafenib does not currently have a marketing authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). It is the responsibility of individual pharmaceutical companies to apply to the MHRA for a marketing authorisation. If a marketing authorisation is granted, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) would welcome a submission for tovorafenib, however the decision on whether to submit a medicine for appraisal to the SMC, and the timing of that submission, is entirely for the pharmaceutical company that holds the marketing authorisation for the medicine to make.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway has confirmed that all pregnant women in Wigtownshire continue to receive all of the maternity care that they require. Antenatal and postnatal maternity care, including maternity scanning is delivered by midwives locally via the Oaktree Family Centre in Stranraer. Women can also choose a home birth and will be supported by local midwives. Women who require more complex care may require some of their antenatal and postnatal care at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and will be advised to birth there.

Salmon farming is regulated primarily as development by Local Authorities through planning permissions granted under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. Other consents can include a seabed lease from Crown Estate Scotland, a licence from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (“SEPA”) under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 and a Marine Licence from the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate - Licensing Operations Team for the deposit of equipment under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

Incidents of marine pollution are typically reported to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (“MCA”), who then inform other relevant authorities. Where pollution is suspected to be associated with an aquaculture site, SEPA has primacy in investigating the cause and considering any potential sanctions.

In cases of pollution elsewhere than at an aquaculture site, the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate can investigate and it can take action if the evidence indicates that an offence under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 has been committed. This can include cases of unlicensed deposits of a substance or object into the marine environment or a failure to comply with the conditions of a licensed activity.

In the case of a vessel sinking, the responsible authority is the MCA and it directs any salvage operations through powers held by the Secretary of State’s Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (“SOSREP”). The MCA also has responsibility for pollution emanating from vessels under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (“MarPol”).

Maternity services continue to be provided for women in Wigtownshire, including local antenatal and postnatal care, scanning and the option of midwife-supported home birth for women who choose to birth locally. Women who require more complex maternity care continue to be supported by the full clinical team at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary. Responsibility for the design and delivery of local services lies with NHS Boards and Integration Joint Boards in line with their duties to deliver safe, effective and sustainable care. The findings and rationale behind the IJB’s decision not to reopen the birth unit in Stranraer are publicly available on the Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership’s website: Integration Joint Board Meetings 2021-2025 – Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care. Like all Boards, NHS Dumfries and Galloway is expected to continually assess risk and outcomes as part of routine clinical governance.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of transparency and is committed to continuing to share information on progress with the implementation of recommendations made in the Independent Review of Complaints Handling, Investigations and Misconduct Issues in Relation to Policing.

Since the Review was published in November 2020 the Scottish Government has undertaken extensive work alongside policing partners to implement recommendations. To-date 59 out of 72 non-legislative recommendations have been delivered and five reports setting out progress have been published on the Scottish Government website. Additionally, the Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Act 2025 discharges or paves the way via regulations for the majority of the legislative recommendations to be discharged.

A further update to report on the recommendations will be provided to Parliament before the end of the parliamentary term and subsequently published on the Scottish Government website.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Restorative Justice services can be offered by a wide range of organisations - not only by local authorities - including by third sector or faith-based organisations.

We continue to work in partnership with Community Justice Scotland and the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice focussing on achieving our vision – to have restorative justice available at a time that is appropriate to the people and case involved; consistent; evidence-led, trauma informed and of a high standard.

The Scottish budget for 2025-26 includes £5 million of investment to support independent hospices to provide pay parity with NHS levels. Officials are working with the Chair of the Scottish Hospice Leadership Group to explore mechanisms for providing this funding to hospices, while respecting existing commissioning arrangements with Integration Joint Boards (IJBs).

Officials have recently received further information from hospice colleagues to support this work, and we look forward to engaging further with Scottish hospices once this exploratory work has concluded.