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We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat and even cure which is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme. The Programme takes a whole-systems approach to earlier detection and encompasses primary care, secondary care, public education, data, innovation and screening.

The DCE Programme works closely with the Scottish Cancer Coalition, to support awareness raising efforts and uses social channels to promote joint content and messages where possible.

Detect Cancer Earlier’s latest public campaign – Be The Early Bird - launched on
‎ 6 March 2023 and ran for four weeks, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 to prompt health-seeking behaviour, targeting those aged 40+ from areas of deprivation.

In parallel to the campaign, a DCE roadshow visited communities across Scotland to reinforce key messages – this resulted in over 6,700 engagements with the target audience.

This information is publicly available from the National Records of Scotland, which publishes annual Accredited Official Statistics on drug-related deaths in Scotland (Table 1).

Table 1: Number of drug deaths where fentanyl was implicated in, or potentially contributed to, the cause of death in Scotland, 2018-2022

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. It is for Health Boards to ensure best use of available resources whilst prioritising patient safety and care.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting people at all stages of a potential or confirmed cancer diagnosis. We are investing in the Single Point of Contact programme so that people with a suspicion, or a diagnosis of cancer, are at the heart of all decisions and actions involving them. There are currently 12 pilot projects across Scotland testing ways of working that improve communication and provide early and ongoing support. A scalability assessment is underway which will outline how best we can scale up and expand the reach of the programme.

In addition to this, Scotland’s first Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDSs) – established within existing NHS infrastructure – are operational in NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway NHS Fife, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders. These are providing primary care with access to a new referral pathway for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer. Patient navigators are embedded in RCDSs, supporting patients and their families from the point of referral while they wait for tests and results.

We are also currently working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to improve the service we offer people affected by cancer through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme (TCC). This joint partnership is the first of its kind in the UK and ensures that every person with cancer in Scotland has access to a key support worker, who can provide emotional, financial and practical support to those who need it throughout their experience of cancer care.

The Scottish Government is currently preparing a suite of impact assessments to consider the effect of the proposed measure on various communities and will be available before regulations are laid.

We recognise arguments raised in the four nations Creating a smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping consultation that disposable vapes are a useful aid to support quitting smoking but are also appealing to children. The case for action is therefore finely balanced. However, we are persuaded that action is necessary in respect of disposable vapes, due to not only environmental issues but also the low price and convenience of these products. Adults will still have access to non-disposable vapes to support smoking cessation, but banning disposables will reduce access for children while also dealing with the environmental impact of these products.

A ministerial statement on the smoke free generation and tackling youth vaping policy measures will take place following the introduction of legislation to UK Parliament.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all students, including those with a disability, long-term medical condition, or additional support needs, are supported as they study in further and higher education. This is through support provided to each institution, and also through support provided directly to students. The Scottish Government does not undertake analysis of this support at the level indicated in the question.

Students and their families are encouraged to speak to their college to discuss their support needs and the funding that is available to them.

The Scottish Government also funds Down’s Syndrome Scotland as a key partner in the Learning/Intellectual Disability and Autism Towards Transformation Plan, and to raise awareness of the support available to people with Down’s syndrome and their families.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-26013 on 14 March 2024. 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 City Centre Recovery Task Force published a report of their findings ( At the Heart of Economic Transformation: Report of the City Centre Recovery Task Force, 2021-22 (wpengine.com) ) in March 2022 which identified a number of priority outcomes to work towards over a five year period. The Scottish Government is currently working with Scottish cities, via the Scottish Cities Alliance ( Scottish Cities Alliance ) to progress work in two of these key areas:

• Priority area 1: Increased residential capacity and occupancy and
• Priority area 3: Reducing the amount of vacant and derelict land and property.

Scottish Government’s low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme is investing nearly £10m in 2023-24 and over £8m in 2024-25 supporting projects that will bring vacant and derelict land back into positive use to benefit communities and help tackle climate change. This is in addition to the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund which will see the five eligible local authorities receive a share of £5m investment in 2024-25.

The Scottish Cities Alliance have recently launched a Peer-to-Peer network built around the strategic objectives in the City Centre Recovery Taskforce Report, with the aim of:

• Sharing knowledge and best practice from Scottish and international cities drawing on expertise from academia and the private and third sectors; and
• Identifying and agreeing opportunities for future collaborative action.

The programme of knowledge exchange activity has been co-developed by the Alliance partners with Innovate UK, the Built Environment-Smarter Transformation Innovation Centre and the Connected Places Catapult to leverage in experience from wider UK and Irish Cities as well as research and knowledge exchange networks.

The Scottish Government has identified Industrial Biotechnology as a key sector in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation and HealthTech is identified as one of the nine priority areas in our Inward Investment Plan.

Scottish Enterprise's international arm, Scottish Development International, routinely engages with potential investors. Scotland has a strong track record of attracting inward investment, with the latest EY Annual Attractiveness Survey showing Scotland maintaining its position as the top performing part of the UK outside of London for the eighth year. Recent examples of support for international companies in the biotech and life sciences sectors includes Merck, Össur, DSM and ReproCell.

Security of electricity supply is a reserved matter and is delivered by the National Energy System Operator (ESO) across the whole of Great Britain under regulation from Ofgem.

We recognise the contribution that nuclear generation makes to the current energy mix in Scotland, including electricity generated from nuclear power generated elsewhere in the UK. However, we will continue to increase electricity generation from renewable and other low carbon sources.

Our draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan sets out key ambitions for Scotland’s energy future including enhancing our energy security through the development of renewable and low carbon energy storage.