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Prior to introducing plans for Covid-19 vaccine passports at certain events, the Scottish Government consulted the Scottish Football Association on the potential operational issues which would need to be considered in delivering a workable and proportionate vaccine certification scheme.

Since the Parliamentary vote, the Scottish Government has been consulting directly with impacted football clubs, and will continue to do so, to further discuss these operational issues with a view to arriving at workable solutions to allow implementation from 1 October.

Scottish Ambulance Service staffing is up 63.5% under this Government, by 2,346.1 WTE between Sept 2006 and June 2021, and now stands at 6,040.4 WTE.

In terms of specific numbers of paramedics in post since 2017, this is detailed in the following table:

The cervical screening programme routinely invites anyone with a cervix who is between the ages of 25 and 64 for a test every 5 years. This is in line with the recommendation given by the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), to change the primary screening test from cytology (looking at cervical cells through a microscope to find those which could develop into cancer) to testing for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). The new test is more effective at identifying those at risk of developing cervical cancer, meaning those who don’t have HPV will be invited for a cervical screening test every five years instead of every three. The Scottish Government, along with the rest of the UK, is advised on all aspects of cervical screening including the move to HPV testing by the UK NSC.

Further information on the UK NSC’s recommendation can found on the following website: https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/cervical-cancer/.

The Scottish Government is clear that we wish to maintain and advance the high standards Scotland has enjoyed as part of the EU. Ministers have no current plans to use the discretionary powers to align with the European Union legislation provided through the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the area of nature restoration legislation.

Ministers will set out a statement of policy on the factors to be taken into account when considering whether to use the discretionary power within the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 in the coming months .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02419 on 21 September 2021. 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

The Scottish Government welcomes the report on Non-Communicable Disease Prevention published on 6 September and recognises that its recommendations are in line with the Government’s own approach, based on the World Health Organisation strategies of reducing Affordability, Availability and Attractiveness of alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy foods.

We are committed to supporting individuals and local communities by delivering measures to target harmful health behaviours early and provide access to holistic and person-centred treatment when needed.

The Scottish Government are making paper copies of the consultation paper available on request. We have a dedicated mailbox: NCSconsultation@gov.scot for any individual/organisation who wants a copy posted to them. We also have a dedicated telephone number for people without digital access to call to request a paper copy. The National Care Service Consultation automated telephone number is 0300 244 2425.

The Scottish Government does not collect statistics on private or fee-paying schools, including on the destinations of their leavers. Scottish Government statistical collections focus on publicly funded and Grant Aided schools for which it provides funding.

In the National Improvement Framework and Improvement Plan, we set out our approach to measuring the poverty related attainment gap with 11 key measures identified to assess progress. We have plans to formally review the 11 NIF measures with partners to ensure they are comprehensive, as we recognise that national data needs to provide an accurate understanding of the wide range of learners’ achievement. Local authorities and school leaders are also able to use local knowledge and data to ensure support is targeted towards the children and young people who require it most.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02795 on 21 September 2021. 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 .