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The content of the resource was developed based on a survey of research conducted by Professor of Educational and Social Research at the University of Dundee, Professor Keith Topping.

The Scottish Government does not collect the information requested .

The Scottish education system is set up in such a way that decision making is devolved to the most appropriate level, enabling local authorities to make choices that meet their local circumstances and needs. Within this empowered system, head teachers are responsible for ensuring that the literacy programmes used in their school are evidence-based and fit for purpose. As a result, Education Scotland, the Scottish Government agency charged with supporting quality and improvement in Scottish education, do not collect data on the literacy programmes that are selected by head teachers for use in schools.

The Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels statistical publication provides information on national performance of school pupils in literacy organisers (reading, writing and listening and talking) and numeracy. The latest data is available at the following link:

Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels 2020-21 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government continues to provide financial support to protect the bus network and passengers. On 22 June I announced that an additional £25.7 million will be provided to extend the Network Support Grant Plus until October of this year. In return, operators are subjected to controls on the level of fare increases, controls on profits, Fair Work requirements and an expectation as to service levels run. I will be convening a group of Scotland’s bus operators to discuss how we can support network recovery, and place the sector on a sustainable financial footing for the long term. I would encourage operators and local authorities to work together to ensure that connectivity is protected as passenger demand adjusts from the effects of the pandemic.

Since launching the Farm Advisory Service in 2016, which has seen over £20 million worth of support, we have ensured the service has worked in partnership with local agricultural agents and businesses through: regular stakeholder meetings, quarterly stakeholder updates, numerous sessions with agricultural agents and building in a robust feedback loop.

We have and will continue to offer a platform for the sector to feed into the service and have made a number of changes to the service from sector feedback in the past.

There have been a number of points of progress in implementing the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review as they relate to devolved matters, in addition to steps taken to establish a Patient Safety Commissioner, since the Scottish Government published a delivery plan about the Cumberlege report in March 2021.

In relation to services for women who have experienced complications after the implantation of transvaginal mesh, there is now established in Glasgow a Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service. This service offers, where appropriate, mesh removal surgery. Women can also ask to be referred to an equivalent NHS England specialist centre or to an independent provider. All of these options are available free of charge, through the NHS.

The Transvaginal Mesh Removal (Cost Reimbursement) (Scotland) Act 2022 gained Royal Assent on 3 March. As a result women can now apply for the reimbursement of personal costs in relation to past qualifying mesh removal surgery which was arranged privately.

In relation to medical devices generally, work continues in NHS Scotland to improve the traceability of devices from manufacture to point of care, so that safety issues can be identified more quickly than is possible now and action taken to protect patients. Four Health Boards will also shortly participate in a pilot of a UK-wide Pelvic Floor Registry. This will allow the recording of all treatments for pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence, as well as mesh removal procedures, and benefits will include rapid and efficient recall of patients in the event of an issue with a particular procedure or device.

The Government is also taking steps that seek to prevent harm as a result of sodium valproate and Primodos, and to offer those who have been impacted the care they need.

The Scottish Government is working with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on the establishment of UK-wide medicine registries. The first of these will be an anti-epileptic medicine registry and we are working to ensure that it is accessible and transferable in a Scottish context in the first instance.

We are also funding the use of a Scottish Epilepsy Register in three Health Boards (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire). This will help identify people taking sodium valproate, as well as any other anti-epileptic medicines which have the potential to cause harm. This work is on track to have dispensing and mortality data linked to an electronic dashboard in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde by summer 2022. Data on improved safety for people prescribed sodium valproate will be available to share later this year and, following this, we will look to support the adoption of this system in other Health Boards.

The Scottish Government’s Teratogenic Medicines Advisory Group, chaired by the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, is looking specifically at what further measures can be taken to prevent wider harm as a result of sodium valproate and it will then consider other medicines with teratogenic potential. The MHRA is also currently considering the need to further strengthen regulatory measures for sodium valproate and Scottish Government officials are continuing to work closely with them on that to ensure that this is taken forward on a UK-wide basis.

Work is underway to establish specialist services for those harmed by sodium valproate in Scotland and officials are now in early discussion with Health Boards to consider what services are currently available, identify any gaps and then commission a service delivery model.

We also continue to press the UK Government on the issue of redress, which is a recommendation for the UK Government to consider due to the reserved nature of medicine regulations.

We expect all Councils to take appropriate action in response to any complaint from an employee through their policies and practices.

Councils are independent corporate bodies responsible for the management of their employees and the Scottish Government has no power to investigate reports or allegations of this nature.

Data on the proportion of NHS boards that have an effective patient care pathway for the early detection of liver disease is not available.

However, we understand there is variability in liver disease management across Scotland. The Scottish Government has identified the intelligent Liver Function Testing pathway (iLFT) used in Dundee, Tayside as best practice which is eligible for adoption across NHS Scotland as part of its Modern Outpatient Programme.

The Tayside iLFT group is collaborating with other NHS Scotland Boards to assist with the implementation of iLFT within their laboratories and primary care services.

Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with liver disease is able to access the best possible care and support and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and person-centred.

We are working with the UK Government and other devolved administrations on the development of the revised UK-wide Clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, which will include the treatment of liver diseases. The updated guidelines are expected to be published for consultation later this year.

We are improving our ability to detect cancer and to treat it successfully. That is why we continue to invest in our Detect Cancer Early Programme, which adopts a whole systems approach to diagnosing and treating cancer as early as possible. This will include the early detection of liver cancer.

General Practice and Primary Care multi-disciplinary teams will continue to play a key role in supporting patients with long-term condition management, including those with a diagnosis of liver disease, alongside specialist treatment services within Scotland’s healthcare system.

Transport Scotland currently has a planned investment in routine maintenance of £7.2m for the A75 for 2022-23.