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The Scottish Government recognises the gradual reduction of alcohol-related hospital admissions over the past decade and is working closely with Public Health Scotland, local services and other stakeholders to ensure the reasons behind the gradual reduction are factored in to service provision.

The Scottish Government has produced several resources to increase public awareness of the issues that autistic people might face.

We launched the Different Minds website in 2020 to provide clearer information and a better understanding of autism, as well debunking myths around autism. The site was co-produced with and features autistic people, and was accompanied by an television advertising campaign and resources in local libraries and schools.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government, COSLA and Inspiring Scotland have recently collaborated with autistic people through our leadership and engagement framework. This work resulted in the co-creation of a package of lived experience resources, which were launched in November 2024. The resources look to increase autism awareness and the understanding of how autistic people experience health settings and are now available on the website.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) was published following extensive consultation and engagement, including with rural communities, and was adopted by the Scottish Ministers in February 2023. While Scottish Ministers can decide to amend the NPF or review it in full at any time, having an established and consistent policy framework enables confidence in the planning system and so we expect to exercise this power sparingly. We have no current plans to amend NPF4.

The Scottish planning system is plan-led, with a focus on involving all interests as early and effectively as possible. There are a range of opportunities for individuals and communities to get involved during both the plan-making and planning application stages of the planning and development process.

Potential impacts on communities, nature, and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process. When an application is received, a full public consultation is carried out, and Scottish Ministers invite representations from members of the public and consult the appropriate community councils, alongside other public bodies. The decision whether to grant consent is taken only after careful consideration of environmental information, consultee responses and public representations.

In reaching their decision, Scottish Ministers will determine applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Our National Planning Framework 4 ensures the potential impacts of energy infrastructure projects on communities, nature, and cultural heritage, including the cumulative effects of developments, are important considerations in the decision-making process.

In reaching their decision, Scottish Ministers will determine applications in accordance with legislative requirements and relevant policy. Our Just Transition Plan is just one of many policy documents which is considered as appropriate in the decision-making process.

The cap of £86,000 proposed by the previous UK Government had been due to come into force in October 2025, however, on the 29 July 2024 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that these reforms (and thus the cap on care costs) would not be taken forward in October 2025.

It should be noted that the proposals put forward by the UK Government were for personal care costs and did not include “hotel costs” - accommodation, food, energy bills, lifestyle and wellbeing and consumables etc. In Scotland personal care costs for adults who have been assessed as requiring such personal care do not pay for this service, regardless of their condition or means. Nursing care is also free at the point of delivery. The Local Authority pay for these elements of the residential care for all those assessed as needing them.

There is no lack of emergency access to any specialty over winter.

Our planning for this winter builds on the effective measures which have supported our health and social care services through previous years. However, we stand ready to take additional measures, if necessary, with all specialties, including urology.

We have developed our winter plan with input from the whole Health and Social Care system which brings together best practice and improvement work which we know works from lessons learned in previous winters, to ensure that the most appropriate care is received in the right place and at the right time.

Waits often occur due to a wait for an inpatient bed – in these circumstances patients will have been assessed by emergency department staff and their condition will be monitored while they remain in the department.

The relationships, sexual health and parenthood consultation report is now being prepared for publication. I am grateful for the extensive contributions to the consultation and the report will be published shortly.

To accompany the launch of changes to the dental payment system from November 2023, Scottish Government ran a marketing campaign via commercial radio, social media and surgery posters to highlight the changes to patients and direct them to NHS Inform for more information on a range of oral health matters.

NHS Inform is Scotland’s national health information service and supports people in making informed decisions on all aspects of their health. Information on oral health and dental care includes typical scenarios which patients can expect in attending the dentist, including the importance of regular attendance. In addition to this national resource, each individual dental practice is required to display its policy for late cancellations and non-attendance at scheduled appointments.