Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Agriculture Bill has now been published and introduced to Parliament.

Engagement with stakeholders will continue during the Bill process, and the Scottish Government looks forward to hearing and seeing the evidence that organisations and individuals provide as part of Stage 1 of the bill process.

This week the Scottish Government has launched a further stakeholder engagement programme on the bill measures and tiered approach, which will include interviews, surveys, workshops, testing and trials, and anyone can take part. More information is available here .

The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill has now been introduced to the Scottish Parliament.

Information on the Bill can be found on the Parliament website here, and all supporting evidence and analysis relating to the Bill can be found here .

I met with representatives of the hospice sector on 3 October to discuss funding and the development of a new framework.

I have committed to holding a round table later this year to discuss the development of a framework with health and social care partnerships and independent hospices to support local planning, commissioning and funding of independent hospice care.

We understand the distress and pain that migraines cause and want to ensure that everyone living with this debilitating condition can access the best possible care and support.

The Neurology Specialty Delivery Group (SDG), commissioned via the National Centre for Sustainable Delivery, has developed a national pathway for headache, including migraine, which will be published and implemented this autumn.

As of the morning of 9 October 2023 there were 165 young people held in young offender institutions in Scotland, five of whom were under the age of 18.

As at 28 September 2023, no whole organs (including brains) are being retained following a post mortem examination instructed by the Procurator Fiscal.

Human tissue samples are obtained in the majority of post mortem examinations instructed by the Procurator Fiscal, but only where necessary to assist in confirming the deceased’s cause of death, identify inherited genetic conditions or to establish identification through DNA.

It is a matter for the pathologist conducting the post mortem examination to decide whether it is necessary to obtain tissue samples in order for them to instruct further tests or examinations to clarify the cause of death. The pathologist will make the decision whether any organs require to be removed during the examination for further testing, either whole organs, or small samples from organs. At the conclusion of the Procurator Fiscal’s investigation, by virtue of the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 any blocks and slides prepared for the purposes of histopathology (examination of the tissue under a microscope to detect any signs of disease, damage or other abnormalities) are considered to be part of the medical records of the deceased person. No samples that are retained are kept by COPFS and they are instead retained by the NHS.

COPFS keeps a record of all cases where a pathologist has decided that it is necessary to retain a whole organ during a post mortem examination. This record also includes details of when an organ is returned to the family of the deceased at the conclusion of examinations.

It is not possible to provide an exact figure of the number of other samples currently being retained.

The Scottish Government is committed to its obligations under the Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

In line with the WHO Guidelines for implementation, the Scottish Government Tobacco Control Team is undertaking a number of measures to support compliance. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Continuing to raise awareness of Article 5.3 across Scottish Government, Local Government and related bodies.
• Asking consultation respondents to make a declaration of any links to the Tobacco Industry within tobacco and vaping consultations, including the 2022 consultation on tightening rules on advertising and promotion of vaping products. and the recent 4-nations consultation on mandating quit information messages inside tobacco packs.
• Sharing UK Government guidance on engagement with the tobacco industry with internal and external stakeholders.

Further information on implementation of Article 5.3 will be included in our refreshed Tobacco Action Plan which will publish later in autumn.

From May 2022, Health Boards are responsible for providing Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) services, including ear wax removal, to support GPs to do the job they are trained to do and to give patients access to a wider range of expert advice for their care. While we have made good progress in implementing CTAC and other multidisciplinary team (MDT) services, we know that service gaps remain.

We are therefore introducing an additional phased investment programme over the next 18 months, working with a small number of areas, at different stages of implementation, to demonstrate what a model of full implementation of CTAC, as well as pharmacotherapy services, can look like in practice. The evidence obtained through this programme will then inform a long-term investment proposition for these services.

We will also ensure that content on NHS inform is underpinned as far as possible with current clinical evidence.

Scottish Government guidance is reviewed and updated regularly to ensure that information for the public and organisations/businesses aligns to current policy.

The Scottish Government Marketing Resource Centre is the central repository for stakeholder resources which reflect that no Covid restrictions are now in place. Material for the Stay Well campaign is available via the resource centre from stakeholder toolkits. Any out-of-date resources are removed from circulation. If a stakeholder was to visit the resource centre for relevant materials, they would only have access to valid guidance.

The Scottish Government defines a “Just Transition” as both an outcome – a fairer, greener future for all – and the process that must be undertaken in partnership with those impacted by the transition.

The Agriculture Bill recognises the importance of both this outcome and approach.