Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to S6W-15158 on 13 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

The remit of the Women’s Health Champion , Professor Anna Glasier, is to drive change and share best practice and innovation in the improvement of health services and health outcomes for women.

Professor Glasier is working with partners in the NHS and across the public and third sectors to drive forward the ambitions, aims and actions in the Women’s Health Plan .

Professor Glasier’s particular priorities were set out in the recently published report on progress and include specialist menopause services, menstrual health with a focus on endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, and heart health.

Professor Glasier recently published her first quarterly blog , highlighting her initial work and priorities for the months ahead.

Any requests should be directed to womenshealthchampion@gov.scot .

The Scottish Government does not hold this data.

It is important that women are provided with consistent information and care when they seek help with menopause symptoms, be it through primary or specialist care.

Through the delivery of the Women’s Health Plan , we want to ensure that all women have timely access to menopause support and services when required, and more information about the progress we have made on delivering this action can be found in our Women’s Health Plan: A Report on Progress .

Through the Women’s Health Plan we are working to improve collection and use of data, including qualitative evidence of women’s lived experiences to inform service design and improve healthcare services and women’s care and experiences.

There are no current or planned future requirements for CCTV in psychiatric hospitals in Scotland to include sound.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the Fracture Liaison Service audit and, following the completion of a scoping exercise currently being undertaken by Public Health Scotland, will provide funding. The Scottish Government has advised the Royal Osteoporosis Society that the funding we are able to offer may be up to £150,000 for the first year, but the exact level of funding and the timescale of reporting are expected to be finalised soon.

Invasive non-native species (INNS) are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss. They require a strong partnership approach over the long term to ensure their effective control.

The draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy contains a Priority Action to ‘Implement a Scottish Plan for invasive non-native species surveillance, prevention and control’. This Plan will be produced in collaboration with public bodies and other stakeholders, and will identify detailed actions and targets.

Public bodies will continue to produce operational business plans which set out their priorities and plans to address invasive species. The Scottish Government will continue to provide support to tackling invasive species. The Nature restoration Fund recently provided £2 million to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative . In 2022-23 Forestry and Land Scotland received £1.3 m for rhododendron control. This is targeted at long-term control at landscape scale in collaboration with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest and other land managers.

In the new draft Biodiversity Strategy, we are committed to developing a Biodiversity Investment Plan to mobilise public, private and philanthropic funds to close the estimated £8 billion finance gap over the coming decade identified by the Green Finance Institute as required for biodiversity restoration in Scotland. This is in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework Target 19, which recognises the need for ongoing blended funding to restore biodiversity from a range of sources, including green investment.

• Our Interim Principles for Responsible Investment in Natural Capital set out our aim to develop markets that also deliver benefits for local communities and wider society, in line with Scotland’s Just Transition principles and land reform objectives.

A total of £85.9m has been awarded to bus operators to support the purchase of new battery electric buses through rounds of the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme and the Scottish Zero Emission Challenge Fund, and 26 of these new buses have space for transporting bikes.

Phase 2 of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund launched on 15 May 2023 notes that our support for the purchase of new buses and coaches will be, where appropriate, conditional on space being available for bike transport.

As outlined in response to question S6W-14224 on 24 January 2023 it remains a priority for the Scottish Government to ensure the important work undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels continues. NatureScot, Scottish Forestry and Forestry and Land Scotland are currently providing core funding for the roles of the Grey Squirrel Officers (GSOs) as part of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels partnership project.

The Scottish Government and partners will continue to be involved in discussions on taking forward the work currently being undertaken by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels.

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

All four settlement cases were dealt with in accordance with the procedure set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. Business cases for the proposed settlements were submitted to the relevant Cabinet Secretary at that time: Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills (Shirley Anne-Somerville) and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport (Jeanne Freeman). The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy (Kate Forbes) was also sighted on all cases.

NHS Boards are responsible for providing support to GP practices by providing Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) and Pharmacotherapy services and regulations were amended in 2022 to reflect this change. On account of the variation in the extent of implementation of these services, the Scottish Government is currently taking forward an exercise to collect and analyse data on the recurring workforce requirements, to ensure the financial and legal framework is fair and sustainable.

Local areas should continue to work in collaboration with all partners to ensure that services meet local needs. This may also include flexibility for local transitionary arrangements with practices to be funded as an interim and time-limited measure from within the existing Primary Care Improvement Fund funding envelope.