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Transport Scotland is aware of concerns expressed by the local community in relation to signage on the A7 towards Langholm. Transport Scotland has reviewed the signing and is content that current signage is in accordance with national guidance document ‘Local Transport Note 1/94 Design and Use of Directional Traffic Signs’. In relation to the A7 trunk road, Langholm currently features on all route confirmatory signs northbound and southbound within Scotland, and on advance direction signage southbound in Hawick. Transport Scotland has engaged with officials at Department for Transport, National Highways and Cumbria County Council to discuss continuity of signing to Langholm on both sides of the border.

Destinations signed on Scotland’s roads, including the strategic trunk road network managed by Transport Scotland, are determined in accordance with national guidance in ‘Local Transport Note 1/94 Design and Use of Directional Traffic Signs’. The guidance presents a list of 43 ‘Primary Destinations’ in Scotland which are prioritised for inclusion on trunk road directional signing. Factors influencing what is appropriate as a Primary Destination may include population, the levels of traffic attracted to the destination, the strategic position of the destination relative to key junctions and route-finding, and the geographical density of destinations within the local area. The guidance emphasises the need for continuity, and provides recommended limits on the number of destinations included on each sign, to ensure clarity.

Ear syringing is no longer the recommended procedure for clinicians due to concerns about uncontrolled water pressure. Instead NICE recommends that patients should be asked to self-administer with ear drops first and follow up care should be irrigation or suction.

Formerly most ear wax management procedures were carried out in GP practices. The new GP contract, introduced in 2018, committed Health Boards to set up Community Treatment and Care (CTAC) services to shift workload away from GP practices to NHS Board employed staff so that GP practices could focus on what only they can do. CTAC has been defined in GP contract regulations as including phlebotomy, chronic disease monitoring, the collection of biometric information, attending to minor injuries, changing dressings, suture removal and ear syringing. The Scottish Government has confirmed to Health Boards that CTAC services should cover ear wax management generally.

The process of transfer was underway when many practices stopped administering syringing, irrigation or suction as treatments in March 2020 amid concerns that they might be Aerosol Generating Procedures that could spread COVID-19. Despite this, and other constraints, implementation of the new GP contract continued throughout the pandemic. There are now 3,220 whole time equivalent healthcare professionals in multi-disciplinary teams supporting practices with CTAC and pharmacotherapy services as well as delivering the childhood and seasonal vaccination programmes but we are aware that gaps in delivery remain.

Scottish Government officials are now working with Health Boards to collect and review the data on the workforce and financial resources required to fully deliver these services to inform consideration of the potential for additional investment in 2023-24. We will then look to ensure that all Health Boards have appropriate communications regarding local pathways for ear wax management and other transferred services.

Social Security Scotland offers a range of secure communication channels for clients. These do not include email, as unencrypted email is not secure and could place clients’ sensitive personal information at risk or expose the agency’s network and data to malware.

Emails from MSPs/MPs present less risk as it is easier to verify the sender’s identity, so Social Security Scotland does accept constituency casework via email. However, because such emails are unencrypted, client data may still be vulnerable, and Social Security Scotland accordingly recommends that MSPs/MPs use the Social Security Scotland Parliamentarian Enquiry Line as their primary channel for assisting constituents.

Residents in Dumfries and Galloway should continue to contact their Health Board for up-to-date information on dental practices that are registering new NHS patients. NHS Dumfries and Galloway can be contacted by email at: dg.pcd@nhs.scot.

I appreciate, given distances, this might not be appropriate but, residents in Dumfries and Galloway may wish to register with a dental practice in a different Health Board area and if this might be appropriate should contact the relevant Health Board to obtain information on those practices accepting new patients.

Any patient who requires treatment for an urgent dental situation before they are able to register with a dental practice, can find advice on how to access dental services on the NHS Inform website at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/care-support-and-rights/nhs-services/dental/dental-emergencies .

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that every school aged child has access to a device by the end of this Parliament.

In 2020/21, we provided £25 million to local authorities across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion, resulting in over 72,000 devices and 14,000 internet connections being distributed to children and young people to support their learning.

Local authorities have also invested in devices from their own budgets. Information from them indicates that up to 280,000 devices have already been distributed to learners across Scotland (including the 72,000 funded by the Scottish Government).

In December 2022 the Scottish Government completed discovery work to establish the current picture of digital devices and infrastructure in schools. Using the findings from the discovery, we continue to work closely with local authorities and COSLA to deliver on the commitment.

The Scottish Government can investigate complex cases in relation to future broadband connections delivered through Scottish Government funded programmes such as the Reaching 100% (R100) programme. Through our online checker at www.scotlandsuperfast.com , members of the public are able to check if their property will receive a connection through the R100 contracts or if it is eligible for a voucher worth up to £5,000 through our R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS). There is an online enquiry form to contact the R100 team directly for additional information.

In cases where members of the public have issues related to connections being delivered by commercial suppliers, it falls upon Ofcom as the UK’s telecoms regulator to investigate any such matters: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/contact-us .

We will bring forward further proposals on snaring in good time to allow any necessary consultation and introduction at Stage 2 of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.

We are greatly concerned by reports of children and under-age young people obtaining nicotine vaping products (NVPs). NVPs are an age restricted product and should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18. Laws are also in place which ban the purchase of vaping products for under-18s (proxy purchase), and stores need to have an age verification policy for the sale of tobacco and NVPs.

In October 2022, we wrote to all registered retailers of these products to remind them of their duty of sale and we regularly meet with Trading Standards on enforcement activity.

There are already regulations in place which restrict the marketing and promotion of vaping products to under 18s. Our recent consultation proposed additional restrictions and we are considering next steps. Any action we seek to take will build on the regulations already in place.

We will also publish our refreshed Tobacco Action Plan this year, which will include actions to reduce vaping among young people. We are reviewing vaping education for young people in schools and have also funded ASH Scotland to work with a range of youth organisations on the risks associated with vaping.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly made the case, to all relevant departments of the UK Government (in correspondence and in a range of established forums) for a guaranteed role in all stages of the negotiation and implementation of UK Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to protect and promote Scottish agricultural priorities. This is because, while the negotiation of FTAs is reserved to the UK Government, trade deals cover many devolved issues which have significant implications for Scottish agri-food producers and for our economy.

The Scottish Government had previously not been given full sight of relevant FTA chapter texts or supporting data from the Department of Business and Trade in the negotiation of the recent agreements such as UK-Australia and New Zealand deals. Through a recent information sharing agreement with the Devolved Administrations, the UK Government has now accepted the benefits of sharing greater information on trade negotiations, such as the agri-food elements of the agreement in principle on CPTPP accession.

We welcome this progress, and the Scottish Government will continue to work regularly and collaboratively with the UK Government in the interests of the Scottish agri-food sector, including by seeking further assurances from the UK Government about the agri-food elements of the UK-CPTPP agreement at the recent 17 April meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.