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Our vision is to have a Tobacco-Free Scotland by lowering smoking rates in our communities to 5% or less by 2034. Our aim is to create a generation of young people who do not want to smoke, with all the health and economic benefits that follow.

The Scottish Health Survey gathers data on children living in accommodation where someone regularly smokes and the number of children exposed to second hand smoke:

• In 2021, the proportion of children living in accommodation in which someone regularly smoked indoors was significantly lower than in previous years, from 19% in 2012 to 4% in 2021(Scottish Health Survey - 2021).
• In 2021, the proportion of children exposed to second-hand smoke in their own home was also significantly lower than in previous years, from 12% in 2012 to 2% in 2021 (Scottish Health Survey - 2021)

We do not hold specific data on the impact on poverty of parental smoking. However, in 2022 ASH Scotland estimated that on average, a smoker in Scotland uses 12 cigarettes a day. This costs around £2500 annually for people smoking pre-rolled cigarette and £1150 for those who roll tobacco. For further information see https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/ .

CSL engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government, SEPA and producers on a regular basis. However as a private company their policies and practices were a decision for their management team and their board.

The Scottish Government received CSL’s application to be scheme administrator as referred to in S6W-20273. However, following the application process and in line with the DRS regulations, the Scottish Government did not have a role in providing authorisation to any of CSL’s policies as they were a private company.

The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010 set outs the fines that can be levied and these are detailed below:

• offence of selling an NCP to a person under 18 - level 4 on the standard scale (£2,500)
• Offence of purchasing one on behalf of a person under 18 - level 5 on the standard scale (£5,000)
• Offence of purchasing an NCP by a person under 18 - level 1 on the standard scale (£200).

We do not currently have plans, at this time, to revise these fines and any revision would require consultation.

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned about the health and economic impacts of smoking, that’s why we want to create a tobacco free Scotland by 2034 and will be publishing our refreshed tobacco action plan in autumn this year which will provide a roadmap as to our we will achieve that goal.

Information on the economic impact of smoking is available on the ASH Scotland website https://www.ashscotland.org.uk/ and on ASH website https://ash.org.uk/ .

The Scottish Government does not hold data on recreational vaping. However, the Scottish Government published a report earlier in 2023 which examined the extent of use of e-cigarette in adults and children. The numbers will include those using e-cigarettes to quit smoking tobacco, as well as recreational use - Vaping - understanding prevalence and trends among adults and children: research - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Although challenging to establish a precise estimate of use, key messages from the report include:

The percentage of adults in Scotland reporting current use (generally includes those who vape once a week or more and those who vape only occasionally) is likely to be somewhere between 5% according to the Scottish Health Survey (SHeS 2021) and 13.2% as shown by the Smoking Toolkit Study (STS 2022). The most recent data suggest that the percentage reporting current vaping has increased over time, despite the SHeS 2021 indicating a decrease since 2019.

Although based on different samples by age, surveys from across the UK show that the percentage of current young users (both regular and occasional) could be somewhere between 1.1% of 10-15 year olds ( Understanding Society 2020/21 ) and 7% of 11-17 year olds ( ASH GB Youth Survey 2022 ). Current use appears to be increasing.

Scottish Government commissioned Zero Waste Scotland to undertake a review of the environmental impacts of single use e-cigarettes, the report was published in June 2023. The report identifies several environmental impacts, including littering, wasteful use of resources and carbon emissions. Further detail is available in the report. The environmental impact of single-use vapes (zerowastescotland.org.uk) . The Scottish Government is considering the findings of the report and will set out next steps in the autumn.

The Scottish Government will publish a refreshed Tobacco Action Plan in Autumn this year, which will include further action on nicotine vaping products.

We work with Public Health Scotland, Scottish Government analysts and a range of academics and stakeholders to understand the evidence. This is an ongoing process to ensure that the Tobacco Action Plan is based on the latest evidence.

In May 2023 we published “Vaping – understanding the prevalence and trends among adults and children – research” ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/understanding-prevalence-trends-vaping-adults-children/pages/2/ ). This analysis of data on vaping from twelve surveys conducted at UK or regional level, with a focus on current use, ever tried and dual use of vaping products, and differences by socio-economic status. It helps understand the potential extent of any issues.

We have not had any direct discussions with Local Authorities to date regarding the potential banning of disposable vapes.

However, a stakeholder roundtable was held on 6 September 2023 by the Ministers for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity and for Public Health and Women's Health to discuss the findings of the Zero Waste Scotland report on the environmental impacts of single use vapes, which will include representation from local government.

The Scottish Government has not confirmed budgets for 2024-25.

A national STIs and Safer Sex awareness campaign led by Public Health Scotland launched in July.The first phase is focussed on condom use and knowing the signs and symptoms of STIs.A second phase planned for later in 2023 will focus on testing.

A national project to develop online STI testing has been underway since 2021. The Scottish Government provided £0.5 million for an initial pilot in NHS Lothian and scoping work is now being carried out for a national service.

In addition, we are currently developing a new Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus plan, which is due to be published by the end of Summer 2023 and will set out our priorities for the next three years. A key focus of the plan will be improving the accessibility of sexual health services, including STI testing.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has a dedicated website, Apprenticeships | Apprenticeships.scot: Work, Learn & Earn , where Training Providers and/or employers can advertise their Apprenticeship opportunities. SDS holds data on the vacancies posted there including; total number of vacancies posted, number of applicants and employer location. SDS can provide specific information upon request.

It is worth noting that this information only relates to new vacancies advertised on Apprenticeships.scot and does not capture uptake of Apprenticeships by employers looking to upskill existing members of staff.

Some adverts on Apprenticeships.scot do not have a direct application route, as some employers post a link to their own recruitment portal for applicants. SDS are unable to track information of applications on websites other than their own. In addition, some employers may not advertise vacancies on Apprenticeships.scot and choose to advertise via their own websites, so SDS do not hold this information.