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Scotland’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in October 2021, outlines our ambitious programme that reflects the scale and the size of the challenge to reduce emissions from our buildings. Our commitment to allocate at least £1.8bn over this parliament will help kick-start growth in the market and support those least able to pay. This includes:

? At least £465m to support those least able to pay, delivered through our Warmer Homes Scotland and Area Based schemes.

? £300m for Scotland’s Heat Network Fund.

? £200m Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund, investing in a sector already leading the way in the heat transition.

? £200m Scottish Green Public Sector Estate Scheme, supporting leadership for energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation right across the public sector.

Of the £1.8bn allocated as part of the strategy, over £1.3bn has been allocated through the budget setting process, of which, over £500m has been spent to the end of May 2024.

Scottish Government recognises that the registration rate for NHS dentistry amongst children fell between 2019 and 2020, and this can be attributed to the impact of the pandemic which significantly curtailed dental activity, including registration of new patients.

While we recognise that child registrations have not yet recovered to pre pandemic levels overall, official statistics published by Public Health Scotland in May - and showing registration by age cohort – show continued good levels of registration in older children aged six and over.

For younger age groups, where registration continues to be below national average, it should be noted that these cohorts received additional contacts through our flagship Childsmile programme. Childsmile offers every child attending nursery in Scotland free daily supervised tooth brushing, and fluoride varnish application to those in our most deprived communities.

The Deposit Return Scheme requires all drinks producers to register with SEPA before their products may be sold in Scotland. There are no exemptions for producers under the scheme. Data on producer registration is held by SEPA.

Producers may choose to register product lines with less than 5000 units placed on the market each year as a ‘Low Volume Product’. Producers of Low Volume Products must still register and report the number of products placed on the market, but products will be exempt from the requirement to apply deposits. There are no legislated costs associated with registering a product line as a low volume product.

Details are as follows:

The six islands making up the Carbon Neutral Islands Project have seen significant successes since the last progress report was published on 19 January 2023. An annual report is currently being drafted in collaboration with key stakeholders which we plan to publish later this year.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Cancer Research UK, provides funding for the Adult Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMC's) in both Edinburgh and Glasgow, and a Paediatric ECMC in Glasgow. These form part of a UK-wide ECMC Network. Home | ECMC (ecmcnetwork.org.uk) .

The Glasgow ECMC has developed and implemented a strategy to increase engagement with the Teenage and Young People with Cancer patient group (defined in NHS Scotland as those between ages 16-25) and improve access to Clinical Trials. In collaboration with the Teenage Cancer Trust they set up a workshop with the Scottish Youth Advisory Forum to discuss young people's views on equity of access to clinical trials, and the communication of clinical trial patient information to young people. The ECMC will continue to work with the Scottish Youth Advisory Forum to address issues that were identified during the workshop.

To improve trial access and recruitment of children and young people the UK-wide Paediatric ECMC network has developed 4 Regional networks. The Glasgow Paediatric ECMC leads the Northern network and hosts weekly Regional Relapse Discussion Panel (RRDP) meetings. All Scottish Principle Treatment Centres (PTC) (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen) together with Belfast and Newcastle participate in these meetings. This aim of this network is to broaden the portfolio of studies for solid tumours and leukaemia - thereby maximising the opportunity for patients in any given centre to participate in a clinical trial.

On 13th February 2023 we published an Independent Report on Improving Equity of Access to Cancer Clinical Trials.

Improving equity of access to cancer clinical trials in Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) We are working closely with the cancer research community here to develop plans for the implementation of the report’s key recommendations and have established an implementation board chaired by Professor David Cameron from the University of Edinburgh to oversee this work.

a) The Scottish Government recognises the need for active measures to improve retention across the health and social care workforce, which is essential to ensure confidence in longer-term modelling of a sustainable future medical workforce to meet future clinical service demand.

Retiring employees who wish to continue in employment that is suitable to them and the service are supported by the Retire and return provisions in the NHSScotland Retirement Policy . In addition, the NHSScotland Flexible work location policy and NHSScotland Flexible work pattern policy provide staff with a range of flexible working options to help them to balance their lifestyle whilst maintaining and promoting the best possible service to our patients and service users. We will continue to consider ways to increase staff retention alongside health boards.

b) As stated previously in answer to S6W-28159 on 25 June 2024, The Chief Medical Officer met with the Royal College of Radiologists on 14 December 2023 and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer met with them on 16 May 2024.

We will continue to engage with them through their representation on the Oncology Task and Finish group that is developing a sustainable operating model for NHS Scotland oncology.

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 situation in the Solway Firth and Northern Channel was unique, as those areas were not covered by our crab and lobster assessment areas. Therefore they did not benefit from the robust evidence base we have used to underpin our decision making.

After listening to concerns, officials met with fishers in that area over concerns of disproportionate impacts on their businesses. In response we adopted a co-management approach that put these fishers in the front seat of a bespoke scientific trial aimed at improving the evidence base and, longer term, developing a time series of data. Vessels participating in this initiative have now been issued with relevant permissions to continue to land, sell and consign berried lobsters.

Our prohibition on fishing vessels landing berried lobster hens from Scotland’s waters is a short-term measure designed to deliver benefits for stock health ahead of this fishing season, and that will be monitored and kept under review. This kind of prohibition is a common fisheries management tool that is already in place across England and the Shetland isles.

An Oncology Workforce Review was completed in 2023 with a proposal for an Oncology Transformation Programme for Scotland.

As part of the transformation programme, an Oncology Task and Finish Group was established in May 2024 to support oncology services by planning, on a population basis across Scotland, a sustainable operating model to improve access to safe, quality services. One of its aims is to reduce unwarranted variation in and inequity of access to oncology services.

A new Clinical Oncology training rotation in NHS Highland is also being explored in an effort to make the North of Scotland a more attractive place to work.

SOWEC routinely discusses skills and jobs as part of its agenda. During the SOWEC meeting of 13 May, it was agreed that SOWEC would issue a letter of support for the Skills Passport. A letter has been drafted and this will be issued in due course once approved by SOWEC. It is important to note that SOWEC is not delivering the Skills Passport and is not directly involved in its development.