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Any sound, including live music, can damage hearing if it is loud enough and audiences are exposed to it long enough.

It is unlikely that the majority of audience members will attend live music events frequently enough to develop Noise Induced Loss of Hearing exclusively due to attending these events. However, it is clear that the louder an event the more likely that it will contribute to the overall sound exposure that individuals receive during their life including noise from other leisure activities, at work and at home.

Whilst the Scottish Government recognise the importance of raising awareness in promoting hearing harm reduction methods, there are resources already available on the NHS Inform website which offer information and advice around this - How to prevent hearing loss through NHS Inform - available using https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/ears-nose-and-throat/hearing-loss/ This includes specific reference to using ear-protection equipment at loud concerts and at other events where there are high noise levels.

In addition there is a range of Best Practice guidance available for event organisers to refer to, such as the Events Industry Forum Purple Guide for Events: this industry-led guidance includes a specific chapter dedicated to noise management, including advice on minimising noise levels and protecting attendees and workers from excessive noise exposure.

With regard to statutory duties involved in noise reduction, issues of noise nuisance are dealt with by relevant licensing authorities whilst the Health and Safety Executive also provide detailed information to help those organising events control or reduce exposure to noise.

The Scottish Government recognises the value of peer support and continues to be guided by the consensus views of the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Implementation group, alongside input from our third sector partners, as we consider opportunities to strengthen peer support provision in Scotland.

A mid-plan report is expected to be published by Public Health Scotland in late August, which will outline progress made against the goals set out in our HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery https://www.gov.scot/publications/ending-hiv-transmission-scotland-2030-hiv-transmission-elimination-delivery-plan-2023-26/, as well as proposing next steps and prioritisation of further actions as we move into the next phase of our HIV transmission elimination efforts.

The Scottish Government recognises the need for effective partnership working across all relevant sectors, including health, to optimise the outcomes of secure care placements and to ensure children have continued access to the care and support in environments that are best suited to their individual needs.

The Scottish Government’s response https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-response-reimagining-secure-care-report/pages/8/ to the reimagining secure care report, published 26 June, sets out the government’s long-term focus to improve the coordination and integration between different parts of the child care system, including mental health. Page 22 of the response sets out a range of actions underway to strengthen the provision of mental health support for children, including:

• Funding of just under £3.5 million in 24-25 across the West, East and North of Scotland to support the planning and development of regional elements of the CAMHS Service Specification. This includes the development of a four-bed Adolescent Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit (IPCU) in the West of Scotland and the development of Learning Disability, Forensic CAMHS and Intensive Home Treatment CAMHS services and regional pathways.
• This includes funding to the West of Scotland, led by NHS GGC, to establish regional CAMHS pathways for those children and young people with forensic needs, in line with the requirements set out in the National CAMHS Service Specification. This funding will support the planning and development of community Forensic CAMHS and CAMHS in Secure Care services and regional pathways.
• As part of this, the West of Scotland regional planning team have developed a regional specification supporting both the FCAMHS and FCAMHS to secure care pathways and will progress to implementation stage once governance and financial arrangements are agreed in coming months.
• The development of the National Secure Adolescent Inpatient Service (NSAIS), known as Foxgrove commissioned by National Services Division, will initially provide four beds for children and young people aged 12-18 years who require psychiatric care in an inpatient setting with medium levels of security. Foxgrove is due to open at the end of 2025.

These will be vital additions to children and young people’s mental health services in Scotland, providing appropriate care and treatment in the right place at the right time, which in turn will support improved mental health care for children and young people in secure care facilities and could reduce psychiatric admission to non-specialist wards and avoid unnecessary admission to psychiatric inpatient care.

Workplace support via income replacement benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit, which provide financial support to people of working age who are unable to work due to illness, are reserved to the UK Government. However, our Adult Disability Payment provides financial support to recognise the additional costs of being disabled or living with a long-term health condition.

As this is a reserved area the Scottish Government is not currently considering legislation to entitle people to paid leave for symptoms of pain caused by endometriosis or other chronic menstrual conditions.

The health and wellbeing of women at work is a key element of fair work and we know that lack of support for women experiencing menstrual or reproductive health conditions can have a detrimental impact on their employment.

Our Fair Work First Guidance provides good practice examples for supporting women and allowing them to maintain their careers. For example, access to flexible working is of vital benefit to workers who may need to balance work with managing health conditions. Asking employers to offer flexible working from day one of employment has been a principle of Fair Work First since October 2021.

Through our Women’s Health Plan, a national Menopause and Menstrual Health Workplace Policy for NHS Scotland was published in October 2023 seeking to better support employees and their line managers. The resources are intended for use more widely across a variety of employment sectors and are available on the National Wellbeing Hub, which is accessible to the public.

The Scottish Government published the Population Health Framework (PHF) on 17 June 2025. The PHF includes a commitment to publishing a Health and Work Plan later this year. This will be a sector wide action plan, developed in partnership with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and employers, to deliver actions aimed at mitigating trends in economic inactivity.

The Scottish Government has committed to a lung screening pilot in response to the outcomes from the Scottish Expert Advisory Group; this is expected to support the phased roll out of a national lung screening programme. A targeted lung screening programme will improve early detection, reduce health inequalities and support better outcomes for those at highest risk. The LungScot study generated valuable evidence and insights into identifying individuals at high risk of lung cancer, and its findings will help to guide the development of a national lung screening programme. A dedicated focus on some of the most deprived areas will be vital to inform the way a national programme is targeted and managed so that lung screening truly does tackle the unfair and unequal outcomes associated with lung cancer.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Screening Oversight and Assurance Scotland (SOAS) to plan and oversee the pilot, and to begin preparations for a national roll out. A pilot will enable us to test a national delivery model, gain deeper insights into effective implementation strategies and explore alternative approaches to boost uptake and participation. It will also enable screening to begin earlier in areas experiencing the highest levels of socio-economic deprivation, as evidence shows these individuals are at higher risk of lung cancer and have higher mortality rates. We will continue collaborating with colleagues across the NHS and partner agencies to ensure the effective rollout of lung screening, while exploring ways to minimise the impact on services further along the treatment pathway. The details of the pilot are still under development and will be shared in due course.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine programme is having a huge impact on preventing cancers for those who have been vaccinated.

A study by PHS No cervical cancer cases detected in vaccinated women following HPV immunisation - News - Public Health Scotland shows that no cervical cancer cases have yet been detected in fully vaccinated girls who have received the first HPV vaccine dose at age 12-13 years, for those who entered the programme when it commenced in 2008. This demonstrates that HPV vaccination is a key step in preventing the development of cervical cancer and a cornerstone of the Scottish Government’s commitment to eliminating cervical cancer.

Human papillomaviruses not only cause cervical cancer, but can also cause other diseases, including anogenital, head and neck cancers and genital warts. To increase everyone’s protection against these diseases, the HPV vaccination offer was extended to all young people in 2019. HPV vaccination is also offered to gay and bisexual men in sexual health clinics.

Health Boards are working with Local Authority education partners to improve uptake of HPV and other vaccinations delivered in school settings. This includes the delivery of workshops and education sessions by vaccination teams to deepen both pupils’ and teachers’ understanding of the benefits of vaccination.

PHS, Health Boards and third sector partners work collaboratively to increase vaccination uptake, support those eligible for vaccination and address any inequalities through the Scottish Vaccination and Immunisation Programme (SVIP) Inequalities and Inclusion Group.

Following the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation for a targeted lung cancer screening program, the Scottish Government established a Scottish Expert Advisory Group for lung screening to provide advice on the scoping, implementation, establishment and delivery of a targeted lung cancer screening programme within Scotland.

The group concluded that due to the complexities of rolling out a lung screening programme, which were also recognised by the UK NSC, it will take 7-10 years for a full programme to be implemented. Complexities include establishing necessary resources and infrastructure; developing a robust diagnostic pathway; and understanding the implications for wider health services, for example, as a result of incidental findings.

In our Population Health Plan, published in June, the Scottish Government announced a lung screening pilot, which will be developed by Screening Oversight and Assurance Scotland (SOAS). SOAS will also prepare for a phased implementation of targeted lung cancer screening.

The Scottish Government is grateful to Professor David Weller for his work on the LungScot study, which has provided valuable evidence and insights into identifying individuals at high risk of lung cancer. The findings of the study informed the work of the Scottish Expert Advisory Group for lung screening, of which Professor Weller was a valued member.

We acknowledge the importance and benefits of early diagnosis of lung screening, and recognise that evidence shows that lung screening can save lives. It is on this basis that we have announced a pilot for targeted lung screening in our Population Health Framework, published in June this year, as part of the work towards a phased roll out of a national targeted lung screening programme.

The Scottish Government has not provided any funding to the International Commission of European Citizens over the past 10 years.