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The Scottish Expert Advisory Group on Lung Screening have produced an initial evaluation of costs, which estimated the annual cost of a national screening programme at between £29 million and £39 million. The lower and upper estimates of this cost are dependent on factors such as screening uptake, which impact the total cost of scans and required staffing. The UK National Screening Committee, as part of its considerations of whether to recommend lung cancer, considered a cost effectiveness analysis alongside other evidence for lung screening.

Treatment of individuals with lung cancer is complex, and the type of treatment received by patients, such as surgery or chemotherapy, will vary by type of cancer and stage. It is therefore not possible to provide specific treatment costs for lung cancer in Scotland.

The clinical guideline NG188 on managing the long-term effects of COVID-19 in all healthcare settings has been developed jointly by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). SIGN is editorially independent from Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Scottish Government. The decision to create, update or replace any SIGN guideline is not made by Scottish Government, it is made independently by the Evidence Directorate Work Programme Committee in Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

Scotland’s national health information service NHS inform contains information on common signs and symptoms associated with long COVID, when to seek further advice from a healthcare professional and testimony from people affected by long COVID about the impact it has had on their daily lives. The information was updated in November 2023 following user research with people living with long COVID. The information will be kept under review to ensure alignment with any future changes to clinical guidelines.

Scotland’s hills are inherently dangerous with treacherous with changeable conditions, and too many lives are lost unnecessarily each year.

Mountaineering Scotland and Scottish Mountain Rescue’s #ThinkWINTER campaign provides useful information, updates, and tips, shared across social media platforms and websites, as well as a series of winter skills talks.

The Scottish Government are committed to supporting safety in the mountains and are currently working with sportscotland, the Mountain Safety Group and partners, to provide safe opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and reap the physical and mental health benefits of being active in nature.

There were no Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued under the Marine Scotland Act 2010 in the past five years. FPNs were issued under Nature Conservation Orders which are enabled by the 2010 Act.

The number of FPNs issued under Nature Conservation Orders were 2019 X3, 2020 X1, 2021 X1, 2022 X0, 2023 X1, 2024 X0. All vessels were UK vessels because the Marine Scotland Act and associated orders apply to Territorial and Inshore waters where generally only UK vessels are permitted to fish.

Prosecutions are considered as those cases reported the Crown Office Procurator Fiscal Service, they do not include penalties issued under the Fixed Penalty Notice provisions.

There were nine prosecutions with seven convictions, these were by year, 2019 X2, 2020 X0, 2021 X3 including one which resulted in a not guilty verdict, 2022 X1, 2023 X2, and in 2024 there was one case dropped by the Procurator Fiscal.

The Scottish Government does not have records relating to breaches of the Marine Scotland Act earlier than 2017.

There were 21 Marine Licensing offences detected under the 2010 Act, these were by year, 2017 X1, 2018 X5, 2019 X1, 2020 X2, 2021 X2, 2022 X5, 2024 X5.

Additionally, there were 50 breaches of Nature Conservation Orders which are enabled by the 2010 Act. These were by year, 2017 X3, 2018 X4, 2019 X7, 2020 X5, 2021 X11, 2022 X9, 2023 X5, 2024 X6, 2025 none as yet.

The Scottish Government is represented on the Strategic Oversight and Programme Board of the National Strategic Network for the Long-Term Effects of COVID-19. The Strategic Oversight and Programme Board provides oversight of the workplan and programme outcomes of the Strategic Network.

On 23 December 2024 the Network published an evaluation the University of Leeds was commissioned to undertake of patient outcomes in those accessing NHS long COVID clinical services in Scotland. Analysis showed patients reported that they got somewhat better in symptoms and abilities over the first six months. Despite improvements, many reported that they still had major health issues compared to before having COVID.

The report notes that long COVID can be a fluctuating condition, meaning there is not necessarily a linear trend of improvement or deterioration in the symptom burden, functional disability, and overall health of patients. Therefore, care needs to be taken in drawing any conclusions from changes in patient reported outcome measure scores, particularly when over a short space of time. The full report is accessible at https://www.nn.nhs.scot/longcovid/2024/12/23/elaros-data-report/

The Scottish Government recognises the increasing impact of water scarcity on producers and is implementing Scotland’s National Water Scarcity Plan with SEPA and Scottish Water to support those affected.

Scotland has seen several areas reach Significant Scarcity this year. SEPA is working closely with affected abstractors, the National Farmers Union Scotland, Scotch Whisky Association, and others to minimise impacts on producers where possible.

Research through our Strategic Research Programme is modelling future drought risks and Scotland’s Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW) is conducting a project to produce guidance for farmers to increase their resilience to water scarcity.

Support for producers is also available through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, which funds water-efficient infrastructure like irrigation lagoons. Resilience remains central to our climate strategy, and we continue to encourage responsible water use across all sectors.

NHS boards exercise responsibilities in relation to planning, commissioning and delivering healthcare services, and take overall responsibility for the health and wellbeing of the populations they serve. NHS boards are discrete legal entities and legally accountable and responsible for how they carry out their functions, services, duties and responsibilities.

I last met with the Interim Chief Executive of NHS Grampian on 3 September 2025. I attended the Collaborative Response and Assurance Group on 2 June 2025 which the Chief Officer of Health and Social Care Moray attended.