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The current sharing of intimate images offence already carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in custody. It is an operational police matter to investigate all alleged offences and for independent prosecutors to decide what action to take upon receiving reports of crimes being committed. In cases that are prosecuted, it is for the independent court to sentence upon conviction within the legal framework.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with partners to raise awareness of online risks and harm. The Scottish Government’s We’re here for you | Parent Club website provides advice and information for parents and carers on online safety, including signposting to support when things go wrong. As the Scottish Government's key portal for parents and carers, it offers policy-led, empathetic advice and support on a wide range of topics to help families navigate the complexities of family life, this includes a comprehensive online safety section, with information for children aged 3-18: Online Behaviour & Safety | Parent Club.

The Scottish Government last engaged with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on the 9 October to update them on the specific actions we have taken following the Supreme Court judgment.

The Scottish Government welcomes continued engagement with the EHRC relating to the Supreme Court judgment, given their role as regulator of the Equality Act 2010.

The Scottish Government’s position remains that the current UK immigration system is not working for Scotland.

We continue to call on the UK Government for urgent changes to ensure that the immigration system reflects Scotland’s distinct demographic and economic needs. Our tailored migration proposals including a Scottish Visa, a Rural Visa Pilot and a Scottish Graduate Visa are designed to operate within the existing UK immigration framework. They have, however unfortunately been repeatedly dismissed by the UK Government.

Labour's immigration policies are damaging to our National Health Service, public services and our economy. They have refused to work with us on our proposals. It is clear that Scotland requires a tailored approach to migration which can only be delivered through a fresh start with independence.

Our 10-year Cancer Strategy is committed to ensuring excellent, equitably accessible, care for all people facing cancer across Scotland. The strategy continues to focus on those cancer types that have poorer survival, including pancreatic cancer, and improving their outcomes. The strategy has a specific tackling inequalities ambition aimed at reducing inequality in cancer incidence, access to services, experience, and outcomes.

Further to this, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery meet with NHS Boards’ Cancer Management Teams monthly to identify challenges, explore solutions and share best practice. These meetings have recently been reviewed and now incorporate wider planned care and diagnostic teams, as necessary, to ensure collaborative improvement plans are made.

We would expect the components outlined in the paper to be included in the on-going planning work to align the governance and delivery of thrombectomy with similar national programmes. NHS National Services Scotland have been commissioned by Scottish Government to lead on the development of a national thrombectomy service and have undertaken considerable work to establish the current position of thrombectomy services. A task and finish group has been established, and this will help drive forward an assessment of updated capacity and analysis of clinical, operational, financial and workforce challenges.

The Scottish Government receives NHS Scotland sickness absence management information on a fortnightly basis, but this data does not include detailed absence reasons. This sickness absence data enables us to review and compare against the known seasonal pattern, with generally higher sickness absence in the winter months commonly caused by cold and flu.

Furthermore, management information is collected by NES on individual level absence which contains detailed absence reasons, including a cold, cough and flu category. NES have been developing this data to enable more detailed analysis.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Local authorities are responsible for paying foster carers’ allowances and may choose to pay above the Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA).

We have been working through an extremely complex legal landscape – and it, rightly, has taken time to do that work.

Every key area of government which is or may be affected by the Supreme Court judgment is carrying out assessments across legislation, guidance and policies as part of a Working Group convened by the Permanent Secretary.

The Scottish Government has already taken action that includes:

• Updating our guidance for the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018;
• Amending the public appointments recruitment process for public bodies subject to the Act, now collating and using biological sex at birth data to apply the Act;
• Moving to an interim Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion Policy for Scottish Government staff, removing a line regarding facilities use, while we develop new policy and guidance in consultation with trade unions; and
• Publishing revised Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools Guidance, while recognising that the EHRC are also reviewing Technical Guidance for schools.

We have been working through an extremely complex legal landscape – and it, rightly, has taken time to do that work.

Every key area of government which is or may be affected by the Supreme Court judgment is carrying out assessments across legislation, guidance and policies as part of a Working Group convened by the Permanent Secretary.

The Scottish Government has already taken action that includes:

• Updating our guidance for the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018;
• Amending the public appointments recruitment process for public bodies subject to the Act, now collating and using biological sex at birth data to apply the Act;
• Moving to an interim Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion Policy for Scottish Government staff, removing a line regarding facilities use, while we develop new policy and guidance in consultation with trade unions; and
• Publishing revised Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools Guidance, while recognising that the EHRC are also reviewing Technical Guidance for schools.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is the body responsible for issuing guidance to and ensuring compliance by public bodies in this matter as it is the statutory regulator and enforcer of the Equality Act 2010. The Scottish Government has consistently supported the view that public bodies must comply with the law, and has actively encouraged them to take any necessary steps to do so since the Supreme Court’s judgment.

We wrote to the UK Government on 4 September, requesting sight of the revised Code of Practice sent to them by the EHRC, which we have not yet seen. We will continue to engage with the UK Government to seek urgent clarity on the timeline for the Code’s approval and laying before the UK Parliament. While we acknowledge the time that was needed by the EHRC, to analyse the public consultation responses and revise the Code before they sent it to the UK Government for approval, it is essential that clear, authoritative guidance is now provided to all those operating in this complex legal area.

I am pleased to confirm that the draft Circular Economy Strategy has been published today. Link: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781806432141.

This draft strategy sets out our vision and approach to creating a more circular economy that drives sustainable growth, competitiveness, innovation and jobs, and is vital to achieving our climate and environmental goals.

A more circular economy also brings benefits to households and communities by lowering the costs of items, creating new jobs and cutting the amount of litter on our streets, helping to improve our local environment and protect wildlife. I encourage everyone to take part in this consultation.

The draft Circular Economy Strategy has been prepared under the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024.