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There are 56.3 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) obstetrics & gynaecology staff working in NHS Lanarkshire as at December 2022.

There are 35.7 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) obstetrics & gynaecology staff working in NHS Forth Valley as at December 2022.

This includes staff at all medical grades.

The Scottish Government is committed to raising awareness of all forms of cancer, including brain, through our Detect Cancer Earlier (DCE) Programme, which we continue to invest in.

A new Detect Cancer Earlier campaign was launched on 06 March 2023 to reduce fear of cancer and encourage those with possible symptoms to contact their GP practice. The NHS Inform website highlights the common symptoms of brain tumours .

The Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer support primary care clinicians in identifying patients who are most likely to have cancer and therefore require urgent assessment by a specialist. DCE funded a clinical refresh of eight pathways in 2018, including brain, with revised guidance published January 2019. Work continues with primary care clinicians to raise awareness of the Guidelines and share best practice.

A new cancer strategy is under development, which will include a new earlier diagnosis vision for Scotland. It is expected to publish in Spring 2023.

The Scottish Parliament approved the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations in 2020. The Regulations are wholly within devolved competence. There is an agreed and published process between UK Government and devolved governments for excluding certain areas from the UK Internal Market Act.

We have been following that process for excluding the deposit return scheme regulations from the Internal Market Act and this has been the subject of discussion with the UK Government for many months. I will keep Parliament updated on the exclusion process.

On single-use vapes, we expect Zero Waste Scotland to submit its report on the review of the environmental impacts and management of single-use vapes in May, and we will consider its findings. Should our preferred course of action require an exclusion we will follow the agreed process.

The Scottish Government last met with the Royal Mail Group on 13 March 2023.

The purpose of that meeting was to seek assurance that the on-going industrial action, and Royal Mail’s plans for reform, would not have an unfair impact on those living in Scotland’s communities, especially the more remote and rural ones.

We are broadly supportive of the workforce action because of the threat of reform to the Universal Service Obligation.

Both organisations serve different functions. Scottish Rail Holdings Ltd oversees, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, the delivery of rail services by ScotRail Trains Ltd.

Consideration of the appropriate arrangements concluded the current structure to be consistent with Scottish Government guidance on best practice for governance of such bodies.

In our Scottish Government procurement: annual report 2021 to 2022 we reported that 94% of our contractors are committed to paying the real Living Wage, an increase of 2% points over the previous year. The Scottish Government considers Fair Work criteria on a case-by-case basis and requires suppliers to pay the real Living Wage to workers involved in the delivery of our contracts where it is relevant to the contract, non-discriminatory and proportionate to do so. We do not hold information about the specific number of contractor staff who benefit from this commitment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15072 on 16 March 2023. 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 .

Through the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, the Scottish Government has committed to “establish a values-led, high-integrity market for responsible private investment in natural capital, supported by a national project pipeline for nature-based solutions”. This work is underpinned by our Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital, which can be found at the following link - https://www.gov.scot/publications/interim-principles-for-responsible-investment-in-natural-capital/ . These ensure investments deliver genuine benefits to the environment, support local communities and conform with the principles of a just transition.

NatureScot’s agreement with Hampden & Co, Lombard Odier and Palladium, announced on 1 March 2023, will help to deliver these commitments by creating new jobs, working with local communities and businesses, and bringing about landscape-scale restoration of natural capital. Neither NatureScot nor the Scottish Government are currently working on any other similar agreements. The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), launched in February this year, will also support the establishment of a values-led, high-integrity market by helping organisations that seek to develop projects that use responsible private investment and market-based mechanisms to restore Scotland’s natural environment.

Neither the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care nor the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport have met with NHS Boards to discuss pulmonary rehabilitation services.

We are currently considering next steps to recognise those affected by historical adoption practices.

In the meantime, we have commissioned a scoping study of the support services available in Scotland for people affected by historical adoption practices. This will help us understand where services need to be improved or enhanced to better meet the needs and expectations of those affected by historical adoption. The research started in January and will take approximately 8 months.

Last year the Scottish Government committed funding of around £145,000 to provide specialist support and counselling, and we have now agreed a proposal to establish a peer support group to be delivered through the charity, Health In Mind. The planning and implementation of this support service has begun and is informed by people affected by historical adoption.