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The Scottish Government worked with Scottish Recovery Network to develop a Perinatal Peer Support Resource which launched on 20 April 2023 and can be found at the following link - Let's do Peer Support: Bump, Birth & Beyond - Scottish Recovery Network . The resource includes guidance on how to keep peer support workers, volunteers and service users safe. It also contains links to good practice and specialised training from more established organisations should peer support workers or volunteers feel they need further information and guidance.

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with the clinical support of the Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland, has funded regional roles across the North, East and West of Scotland. Nurse Consultants in each region are responsible for coordinating regional support. Scottish Government continues to support boards to work across regions to improve equity of service provision and ensure that smaller and rural health boards are able to provide specialist perinatal services across their populations.

Further to the description of each scheme provided in the response to S6W-16682, the requested figures for the Home Energy Scotland (HES) Grant and Loan Scheme and Warmer Homes Scotland (WHS) Scheme are set out below.

HES Grant and Loan Scheme

The following table shows the time from an application being received to a funding agreement being offered for zero direct emissions heating measures. Once a funding agreement has been put in place, applicants have 9 months to have the installation of measures completed and submit a claim to drawdown funding.

It is important to note the figures include time taken for processes outside the control of the Scottish Government and service provider, such as the time taken for applicants to submit the required documentation.

WHS Scheme

The following table shows figures for both the total time taken and time taken excluding periods where an application is paused due to external factors. The figures reflect the time taken from an application being received to the installation of zero direct emissions heating systems.

It is important to note that the total time taken to complete a zero direct emissions heating system installation includes factors outside the control of the Scottish Government and service provider, such as the time taken for District Network Operators (DNOs) to process applications for load checks and electricity connection.

The response to S6W-16682 did not include the above information as the Scottish Government’s heat and energy efficiency schemes are not designed to act as an emergency response for households who have experienced a sudden failure in their heating system. Therefore, the information requested for an emergency response scheme could not be provided as no such scheme exists.

There is no fixed definition of what a hard to treat home is. As noted in the response to PQ S6W-01910, the average cost of upgrading an off-gas property with an initial EPC rating between bands E and G to an EPC band C could be in the region of £17,000.

As set out in our Heat in Buildings Strategy, the cost for an individual dwelling can differ from this average depending on the building type, materials, existing levels of energy efficiency and type of heating systems being replaced.

A broad range of delivery programmes are available to provide advice and financial support to householders, including Home Energy Scotland, Warmer Homes Scotland, and the Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan scheme, which offers grant funding of up to £15,000 to assist homeowners with the installation of zero emission heating and energy efficiency measures, as well as additional funding available as an interest free loan. There is an uplift of £1,500 for both the zero emission heating and energy efficiency grants for rural and island homes, meaning rural households can claim up to £18,000 in grant funding.

Around 160,000 of off-gas grid dwellings have an EPC rating of bands E to G, suggesting a total capital cost of around £2.7 bn to upgrade these homes to EPC band C.

The Strategy sets the target of all homes reaching a level of energy efficiency equivalent to EPC C by 2033, but acknowledges that there may be some circumstances where this will not be possible, and that meeting this standard will be predicated on it being technically feasible and cost-effective.

With widespread international interest in our work, the Scottish Government receives a great number of invitations, across all portfolios and both formally and informally, for Ministers to attend international events. As many of these requests are made personally at engagements, domestically or at different points across our international network, and are addressed in the moment, there is no way to provide an exact number of invitations received.

The level of financial penalties incurred by CalMac Ferries Ltd since October 2021 is detailed in the following table:

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living with lower gastrointestinal symptoms in Scotland are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

We have funded the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP) which has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland. Work on the pathways started last month and should be completed next year.

Remuneration for Professor Anna Glasier OBE, the Women’s Health Champion for Scotland, is paid at a daily fee of £300 per day in line with Tier 2 of the Daily Fee Framework as set by the 2022-23 Public Sector Pay Strategy.

Professor Glasier is contracted to work four days a month, as the Women’s Health Champion with her tenure coming to an end in June 2024.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring those living with Crohn’s or Colitis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.

Whilst the Scottish Government has not signed the campaign pledges, we continue to support the Crohn’s & Colitis UK campaign for earlier diagnosis. In March 2023 we launched an awareness campaign to help increase awareness of Crohn’s and Colitis symptoms and signpost to reliable information so people feel empowered to seek help from a medical professional when needed. We engaged with Crohn’s & Colitis UK to ensure the campaign was complementary to their own.

We will continue to improve services for people with the condition through the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme (MPPP). MPPP has a specific workstream continuing to promote improvements in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) care for patients across Scotland in partnership with third sector and people with lived experience. Scotland’s national IBD Steering Group has identified priority areas for work over the next two years. This includes consideration of referral pathways and models of IBD care to drive a more standardised and equitable service across Scotland.

To specifically support scope based diagnostics, such as endoscopy, we have published an Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal plan backed by £70m. The plan focuses on key areas such as: Balancing Demand and Capacity; Workforce Training and Development; Infrastructure; and Innovation and Redesign. While endoscopy capacity remains challenged, patients referred on our most urgent pathways continue to be prioritised for scope-based diagnostic tests.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for Health Boards locally.