Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-39113 on 29 July 2025. 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 information requested on how many staff it has qualified to deliver cataract surgery in 2025, and how this compares with 2015 is not held centrally.

Information requested on how many Ophthalmology consultants are employed from 2015 to 2025 can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at: NHS Scotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence.

Scottish Government does not provide legal advice to external parties and any questions about reported comments by Scottish Trans should be re-directed to that organisation.

The Scottish Government has invested an additional £11m in the past seven years to support new mothers to achieve their breastfeeding goals, with babies in Scotland now being breastfed for longer than ever before.

The Equality Act 2010 provides protection for breastfeeding mothers in public. In Scotland, section 1 of the Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Act 2005 provides that it is a offence deliberately to prevent or stop a person in charge of a child from feeding milk to that child in a public place or on licensed premises, unless the child, at the material time is not lawfully permitted to be in the public place or on the licenced premises otherwise than for the purposes of being fed milk.

In addition, we are providing funding of over £1.1m to organisations working to promote LGBTQI+ equality in Scotland in 2025-26 demonstrating our commitment to protecting the rights of every LGBTQI+ person in Scotland.

As set out in the answer to question S6W-35981 on 31 March 2025, delivery of the health and social care online app for Scotland is being taken forward by NHS Education Scotland (NES) as part of the wider Digital Front Door programme. The majority of costs to date have been on mobilising the team required and developing the Outline Business Case. NHS NES staff have participated in the Civtech Challenge, which has allowed NES to understand what is required to develop the app in a way that integrates into Scottish Government plans to digitise postal communications. More information about this can be found at: https://www.civtech.scot/civtech-9-challenge-8-secure-individualised-and-effective-communications-channel.

As described in the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan (https://www.gov.scot/publications/nhs-scotland-operational-improvement-plan/pages/1/) and the answer to question S6W-35982 on 28 March 2025, the health and social care online app rollout will begin in Lanarkshire in December 2025 with an initial release (a minimum viable product approach), working with NHS Lanarkshire. The plan for rollout to the whole country, including the North East Scotland region, is currently being drafted in consultation with key partners including NHS Boards. The draft plan is scheduled to be approved and published in September 2025. 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 peer review has now concluded and the feedback shared by the reviewers is currently under consideration by the research paper author, Malcolm McMillan. Once that process, and any further action has concluded, we will publish the paper and it remains that we expect to be able to do that no later than the end of this year.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a programme of Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus local area visits to Scottish territorial NHS Boards which provides an opportunity to explore the levels of peer support available for people living with HIV.

The visits have identified excellent examples of peer support for people living with HIV, including use of digital solutions to reach individuals in rural areas where access can be more challenging. We continue to work collaboratively with NHS Boards and actively promote the sharing of best practice to help address any gaps identified through these visits.

The £1m allocated to the project is to cover liabilities if awardees exercise their option to redeem their Peatland Carbon Units with Scottish Government rather than selling them on the open market.

The Scottish Government does not hold the requested information.

Trading Standards Scotland reports any suspected criminality directly to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

If a prison officer is suspected of engaging in corrupt practices, SPS will implement its Anti-Corruption Policy and Guidance. Where information suggests that a prison officer has participated or has become involved in corrupt activity, those matters will be progressed in accordance with SPS’ Code of Conduct policy.

If information exists to suggest that corruption may have, or is alleged to have taken place, the matter will be referred to Police Scotland who will determine whether any criminal proceedings should be brought against those thought to be involved.

The specific criminal offences that a prison officer could be charged with will depend on the nature and extent of corrupt behaviour and/or activity that they have been found or alleged to have participated in.

While the vast majority of staff adhere to the highest standards of conduct, SPS is always vigilant to any potential corruption within establishments. Maintaining the safety and security of Scotland’s prisons is and remains, an absolute priority.