Seòmar agus comataidhean

Women are encouraged to contact their GP practice if they have any worries about possible ovarian cancer symptoms every time cancer symptoms are referred to, including on our public facing website (getcheckedearly.org).

Research is currently being undertaken to better understand the possible barriers and levers to early diagnosis that any new Detect Cancer Early campaigns should focus on. These results are anticipated in April.

As I outlined in response to a recent portfolio question S6O-00869 on 16 March 2022, the statistics reaffirm that the pandemic has had a significant impact on our justice sector, just as it has on every other sector in Scotland. The Scottish Government continues to support justice agencies to take action to address the court backlog, which was exacerbated by the pandemic, in common with many legal jurisdictions worldwide. For example, a recent Report from the UK Public Accounts Committee suggested that the crown court backlog had almost doubled since March 2019, to 60,000 of the most serious criminal cases waiting to be heard. The important point is that we have a plan and strategy in place—including an extra £53.2 million for a justice recovery fund in 2022-23—to move matters forward, recognising that unnecessary delays are not in the best interests of victims, witnesses or the accused . Answers to Portfolio Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Meeting of the Parliament: 16/03/2022 | Scottish Parliament Website .

During the development phase of Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), Zero Waste Scotland developed a dedicated DRS microsite ( https://depositreturnscheme.zerowastescotland.org.uk/ ) and targeted communications with a range of sectors involved in the scheme.

As recommended in the independent Gateway Review ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-gateway-review-report-june-2021/ ), Zero Waste Scotland is now leading on the development of a co-ordinated engagement and communications strategy in liaison with Circularity Scotland Ltd, SEPA and the Scottish Government.

All 32 Scottish local authorities welcomed refugees under the Syrian resettlement scheme. Local authorities have also re-affirmed their continuing support for resettlement with all 32 Scottish local authorities committing to participate in the Afghanistan resettlement and relocation schemes and to support those arriving from Ukraine.

The Scottish Government continues to work with local authorities, COSLA, UK Government and wider partners to support people arriving through the UK Resettlement Scheme, Afghanistan relocation and resettlement schemes and the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

We have a wealth of experience and learning from previous schemes to support and resettle displaced people. Scotland stands ready to offer refuge and sanctuary to anyone who may need it.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to the Ayrshire Growth Deal and supports all the projects included within it. To that end, the £103 million commitment from the Scottish Government to the Ayrshire Growth Deal is secure.

We recognise that construction costs have increased globally as a result of international market forces primarily related to the global pandemic, over which government has very little control. This is an issue which is not unique to Ayrshire but felt across Scotland and internationally.

As the Deal is a partnership between Scottish Government, UK Government, and Local Authorities, we are working collectively to explore regional responses to these global challenges, and will continue to support regional partners as they develop their preferred solutions.

The Scottish Government recognises the important role that energy generated from solar PV can play in contributing to the decarbonisation of Scotland’s energy supply and in securing a just transition to a net zero by 2045.

In developing the vision for the future of solar as part of the forthcoming Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan we will draw on internal analysis and work closely with the sector to explore the potential for solar energy capacity in Scotland .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07181 on 24 March 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Currently breakfast club provision in Scotland is delivered through a mixed model of in-school, private and voluntary services which often combine food provision with early morning childcare. Many parents will pay directly for breakfast clubs with costs varying according to how and where the service is delivered. Many local authorities subsidise or provide breakfast clubs for free with funding coming from general revenue funds.

We are committed to funding the expansion of free school meals to all pupils in primary and special schools, as well as introducing free year-round breakfast and lunch provision to support eligible children and young people outside of the school term. In order to effectively deliver an expanded breakfast offer we need to better understand the extent of current breakfast provision across local authorities. Our priority this year is to is to map existing provision and plan what delivery of a future breakfast offer should look like to best meet the needs of children and families in Scotland. Appropriate funding to support breakfast provision across the whole of Scotland will then be allocated once we understand both the gaps in provision and funding.

This year we are providing £21.75M of targeted support for food provision during the school holidays for all eligible primary and secondary children and young people. We have also provided £10M of funding for our summer 2022 childcare, food and activities programme which will test models of providing holiday services for families recognising the need for childcare and food, particularly in the summer holiday period.

Table 1 below presents the findings of HM Treasury’s analysis of education spending per head across Scotland, England and Wales.

Table 1 - Identifiable education expenditure by country, per head, 2016-17 to 2020-21

This data is not collected centrally.