Seòmar agus comataidhean

Good morning, minister. How would you respond to criticisms that existing restrictions on vaping and tobacco are not being adequately enforced?

There are various provisions in the bill. Some are about the sale of vapes, but some are about smoke-free environments. We are supposed to have smoke-free environments outside hospitals, for example, but from my inbox as well as my experience, I know that that is not necessarily what is happening outside our hospitals at the moment. What comfort or assurance can the minister give people that the powers that are coming to the Scottish Government will be enforced and that we will see smoke-free environments happen? At the moment, for the most part, it is not happening outside hospitals, where it should be.

Within the constraints of limited resources, how can the twin pressures of increased pay and demands for additional staff be balanced in the NHS and social care?

The Scottish Fiscal Commission identified a risk that the budget does not account for the recent rise in national insurance contributions. How will the Scottish Government ensure that health boards can manage that uncertainty without compromising critical services? If the compensation that is provided by the United Kingdom Government does not match the estimated cost for national health service boards, are there strategies in place to address that funding gap?

The register is obviously very different to the way that we handle alcohol licensing, for example. As a result of some of the things that are happening through the bill, does the Scottish Government have any plans to put additional restrictions in the register, to bring it in line with how we regulate other health-harming products, such as alcohol?

The cabinet secretary was on the same panel as me at a Scottish Care event where we heard that the impact of the rise could be as much as £300,000 for an individual care home.

Are any particular measures being taken to ensure that GP practices and third sector providers that fall outside that direct public sector boundary are not disproportionately impacted by the increased national insurance burden?

Good morning, minister. We have touched on Anne’s law already. During the evidence that we took on the stage 2 amendments, we heard from people who support Anne’s law that they were frustrated at the lack of progress in achieving the aims of Anne’s law before the legislation is passed. Do you share the frustration of those families? What work is being undertaken to give life to the practicalities of Anne’s law before it is actually put on the statute book?

Do you have a timeline for that? Obviously, the bill has been paused, so I may be asking you to get your crystal ball out, but some of the families are concerned that the pause will mean that full implementation is kicked further down the road. Can you reassure them about the impetus to get it done and over the line?

That is great. Thank you.

Good morning to the witnesses. Can you provide an overview of the current state of palliative care services in Scotland? I will ask Amy Dalrymple to start.