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Nicotine products, including pouches, should not be used by children and young people. The Scottish Government supports age restrictions for all commercially available nicotine products. The UK-wide Tobacco and Vapes Bill, if passed, will introduce new restrictions on age of sale for all nicotine products, including nicotine pouches.

As I set out in my statement to Parliament on 30 September, early performance of the programme is impressive: 1,300 member companies, 35% of members are women and, collectively, members have raised £195m of investment.

I have also commissioned an independent review of the Techscaler programme. To ensure full transparency and accountability, the findings will be published in full by early 2026.

The Scottish Government uses governance processes in accordance with best practice as set out in the HM Treasury Green Book. Officials meet with Codebase regularly to oversee progress and delivery through weekly oral updates and the submission of detailed formal reports on a monthly and quarterly basis. Codebase are responsible for the content and accuracy of reports of information contained within. Senior officials also meet with the Codebase Chair, Gillian Docherty, on a monthly basis.

These arrangements ensure that appropriate processes and reporting channels are in place and that challenges and opportunities can be addressed appropriately.

The Scottish Government is subject to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). No information about the scheme can be withheld from release in response to any request, unless a relevant exemption under FOISA applies to that information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-40652 on 2 October 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.

The terms of reference, membership and minutes of the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE) Strategic Group’s meetings are published on the Scottish Government website: National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group - gov.scot.

Membership of the Group is drawn from organisations that deliver, support delivery, scrutinise or regulate child protection responses and frameworks in Scotland, alongside relevant academic and research bodies. The group has one independent member, Professor Alexis Jay, who was selected for her particular expertise and experience in the area of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Brand Scotland media spend can be found here Marketing spend - gov.scot

Effectiveness of Brand Scotland marketing is assessed throughout and at the conclusion of activity reviewing a combination of metrics and using an independent market research agency where relevant. Brand Scotland plays a key role in Scotland’s reputation and how it is perceived internationally which is critical to support Scotland’s economy. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has used the Anholt Nation Brands Index to assess and monitor how Scotland is perceived around the world. In 2024 Scotland had a score of 65.1 and rose one place in terms of its overall rank of 15th out of 50 nations indicating that Scotland’s reputation is strong and continues to grow. Full results can be found here The Anholt Nation Brands Index®: 2024 report for Scotland - gov.scot

Brand Scotland has been effective in reaching widespread international audiences e.g. in 2024-25 a BBC Worldwide media partnership that reached 29.5 million and organic social reached 23.5 million with total users of Scotland.org has growing from 1.39 million in 2023-24 to 1.89 million in 2024-25 and 89,249 total referrals to partners.

Brand tracking research by an independent market research agency in 2025 showed that 25% of people in the target markets of US, UK, France and Germany could recall Brand Scotland advertising. Amongst these campaign recognisers 88% claimed to have taken an action after seeing the campaign (e.g. 33% talking to friends and family, 33% researching visiting or going to Scotland on holiday and 28% talking to other people). The BBC’s in-house emotional engagement measurement tool found strong sentiment uplift after viewing of Brand Scotland films for 2024-25. 61% of viewers believed that ‘Scotland is a progressive nation’ after viewing the campaign, with a 45% uplift (compared to a control group of non-viewers of the campaign) in belief that ‘Scotland is innovative’.

Eradicating child poverty is a national mission and this Government’s top priority, and our Programme for Government sets out how we will continue to drive forward progress on child poverty and tackle the cost of living crisis facing households in the final year of this Parliament.

Through the Children, Young People, Families, Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities (CYPFEI & ALEC) third sector fund the Scottish Government has provided core funding of £139,650 to the Child Poverty Action Group in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years. The funding supports staff, utility, building and equipment costs within the organisation to support delivery of grant funding outcomes associated with the delivery of tackling child poverty in Scotland.

The Scottish Attainment Challenge programme has also provided targeted funding to the Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland of £152,479 in 2023-24, £158,415 in 202425 and £160,940 in 2025-26. This support has been critical in driving the development of Cost of the School Day approaches across Scotland, enabling the team at Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland to provide strategic leadership and engage with school communities, local authority partners, policymakers and the third sector, facilitating action on school costs and supporting children and families on low incomes.

As part of the Scottish Government's grant conditions, we ask all funded organisations to monitor and report their progress towards delivery of their funding outcomes to ensure appropriate use of public funds and value for money. Through this process we are aware that the Child Poverty Action Group met their funding outcomes in 2023-24 and 2024-25.

The Centre for Good Relations has been grant funded to carry out three strands of work – civic diplomacy in relation to marches and parades; civic mediation and facilitation of dialogue in relation to protest and demonstrations; and steward and marshal training for those involved in organising and running processions and protests.

This work is funded and delivered on the submission of a business plan, a condition of which is the completion of quarterly reports with clear deliverables and an annual review. Additionally, feedback sought from stakeholders who engage with the Centre for Good Relations has continued to be positive. This ensures that the Centre for Good Relations continues to effectively address community tensions and improve the quality of stewarding for marches, parades and protests.

The breakdown of funding is set out in the following table:

The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the professional body for Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK, has recommended that women who believe they may have been exposed to stilbestrol (DES) in utero and who are concerned about the risks of vaginal and cervical cancer should be offered careful monitoring by annual colposcopic examinations in specialist centres.

Cervical screening is offered to women who live in Scotland and are aged between 25 and 64 years and we encourage all women to take up routine cervical screening appointments when invited.

Evidence for an increased risk of other cancers is less conclusive but participation in the National Breast Screening Programme is recommended. Pregnant women who know that they were exposed in utero to DES should inform their obstetrician and be aware of the increased risks of ectopic pregnancy and preterm labour.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the charity Health in Mind to deliver peer support services to those affected by historic forced adoption, including mothers and adoptees.