Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-13464 on 24 January 2023. 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

All correspondence received by the Committee is published on the Parliament’s website and is therefore publicly available. Gateway reviews are routine components of the Scottish Government’s approach to project management, providing a snapshot of implementation progress. As I set out in my letter of 9 June to the Committee, given the decision by the current UK Government to exclude glass and to set out interoperability conditions, the pathway on which we are now embarked is very different from the context in which the Gateway Review was carried out, and, very different from that in which we sought to frame our response to the Review. Given the very clear call from all stakeholders for certainty, it is important to make sure that our response to the Review best reflects the position we are now in. I will ensure this is provided to Committee before Parliamentary recess.

The Scottish Government has previously advised that International Recruitment is a short term solution to build our workforce capacity and a target for 2023-24 has yet to be announced. However to continue to support Boards, based on current budget we have advised of interim funding of £3 million that is being made available to avoid a break in already developed supply lines, securing the recruitment of a further 250 nurses, midwifes and Allied Health Professionals from overseas in 2023-24.

For the Academic Year 2022-23, the Scottish-Government recommended intake target to paramedic education programmes was 335 students. Similarly, for the Academic Year 2023-24, the Scottish-Government recommended intake target to paramedic education programmes is 335 students.

Employment law, including the minimum and national living wage rates, remains reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government will continue to use our Fair Work policy to encourage and promote fairer work practices across the labour market in Scotland, including through conditionality in public sector funding. As such, there are no current plans to legislate in this area.

Payment of at least the real Living Wage is a clear way that an employer can demonstrate a commitment to their workforce, alongside other Fair Work First criteria.

Public bodies are responsible for their own procurement decisions. Despite that, we are continuing to engage with relevant sectors to encourage and promote fair work practices, including the real Living Wage, across the whole of the public sector in Scotland.

Scottish Ministers have not met with (a) UK ministers, (b) the Welsh Ministers or (c) representatives of international governments to discuss period dignity and the provision of free period products.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information, however, it may be available from local Health Boards.

The Scottish Government has made available £3 million of funding to the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), hosted in NHS Golden Jubilee, to support implementation of the optimal lung cancer diagnostic pathway. CfSD is responsible for supporting the design and delivery of optimal cancer diagnostic pathways in NHS Scotland, and has been working with Boards across Scotland to enhance current services and direct investment to the areas with greatest need.

Following reports at the end of 2022 that nitazenes, a new form of synthetic opioid, had been detected in a drug related death in Scotland, Scottish Government officials have worked closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS) colleagues to monitor and better understand this new substance of concern.

Through work done with PHS to improve our public health surveillance system, an alert was issued through their RADAR (Rapid Action Drug Alert and Response) system in January in relation to nitazenes, highlighting the risks and dangers associated with these substances, but also providing information for people who take drugs as well as setting out actions which drug and alcohol service staff could take. This alert was further updated on 29 March. A copy can be found here - RADAR Alert 2023/04, Nitazene type drugs in Scotland - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

As a result, drug and alcohol services, health care settings and high-risk settings, like prisons, have all been urged to follow harm reduction advice for opioids and polydrug use and to increase and optimise the availability of naloxone to people they support.

Following the identification of this new substance in drug related deaths in Scotland, and a recommendation from the RADAR toxicology sub-group, post-mortem screening in Scotland has been expanded to ensure that toxicology providers are now routinely testing for nitazenes and, in selected cases, retrospective post-mortem testing has also been conducted.

Due to the potential for nitazenes, and other new psychoactive substances, to be present in the wider drugs supply, we are committed to delivering drug checking facilities in Scotland to enable us to respond faster to emerging trends in the drug supply. We anticipate that license applications to the Home Office, to grant permission for the establishment of these facilities in Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen, will be submitted in the coming months.

The Scottish Government has had a number of recent meetings with a range of representatives from across the lifelong learning and educations sectors to discuss areas of mutual interest, including the Scottish Education Exchange Programme. We will continue to engage with organisations on this important programme in the coming months.