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The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) is scheduled for completion and publication later this year.

The Scottish Government has committed to invest at least £1.8 billion in heat and energy efficiency over the course of this parliament. This funding is delivered via a range of support options, which are available to households and businesses across Scotland, including those in rural areas.

Business Energy Scotland (BES) provides support to Scottish SMEs for implementing energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures. The service is delivered by Energy Saving Trust (EST) on behalf of the Scottish Government and has at least one dedicated Business advisor in each of its regional call centres. BES provides a gateway for SMEs to access funding for energy efficiency and zero emissions heating through the SME loan scheme and access to the Green Network for Business.

For household support, we continue to invest in our Home Energy Scotland Loans with Cashback scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland and Area-Based Schemes and we recognise the need to tailor support to specific challenges in remote rural areas, where we know installation and labour costs are higher. Our flagship domestic energy advice service, Home Energy Scotland (HES), administered by EST on behalf of the Scottish Government, provides a single point of access for free, bespoke, impartial advice on energy efficiency, renewable heating, funding for energy efficiency and zero emissions heating systems and fuel poverty support in Scotland. HES advisors in five regional advice centres provide tailored energy advice that is location specific and takes account of the different energy use requirements of properties in different parts of Scotland, taking rurality into account.

It is vital that the supply chain is equipped with the necessary skills and qualifications to provide a high quality service to consumers and we are supporting workforce growth through a combination of reskilling, upskilling and youth employment. Skills support and training provision must be aligned at a local level with business needs and future local demands. This year, we will publish a new Heat in Buildings Supply Chain Delivery Plan, which will outline specific actions and support focussed on strengthening the broad supply chains needed to deliver at the pace and scale of our transition.

£10 million of funding has been directed to support cancer waiting times (CWT) improvements in NHS Scotland across 2022-23, as announced by me on 10 August 2022.

Funds will be directed across a number of specialties and initiatives including investing in diagnostic tests to extended working days and weekend working, to increase capacity and see/ treat cancer patients as timely as possible.

Three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) have been established in the last year within NHS Scotland, providing a new referral pathway to primary care for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, which can often be a sign of blood cancer.

The individual clinical management of patients is a matter for territorial health boards. We do however expect that all patients are treated and cared for in a person centred way. When there are no SIGN guideline in place, NHS Boards and Integration Authorities may choose to consider other relevant guideline such as those of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the planning and delivery of services.

In Scotland we use the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, which were revised and published in 2019. These national guidelines are based on clinical evidence and review to help support clinicians across the country to refer those patients who are most likely to have cancer, including myeloma, into diagnostic services swiftly.

The consultation was developed jointly with DEFRA and the devolved administrations. This is a UK-wide consultation aimed at the pig industry, therefore the Scottish Government will not be responding to it.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to extend the statutory free bus schemes to include rail services.

We are, however, undertaking a Fair Fares Review that will look at look at the range of discounts and concessionary schemes which are available on all modes including bus, rail and ferry.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-06456 on 4 March 2022. 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 .

There are no current SIGN guidelines for myeloma.

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network’s (SIGN) list of current guidelines, guidelines under development and archived guidelines that have been, or are being developed or updated by SIGN is available at www.sign.ac.uk.

Where there is no SIGN guideline in place, NHS Boards and Integration Authorities may choose to consider other relevant guidelines such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines in the planning and delivery of services.

The Scottish Government is committed to finding cancer early, when the chance of survival and even cure is higher. NHS Dumfries & Galloway established Scotland’s first Early Cancer Diagnostic Centre in May 2021. The Centre provides primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer, such as weight loss, fatigue and nausea – this is often how blood cancers present.

In addition, we continue to invest in our £44m Detect Cancer Early Programme which adopts a whole-system approach to diagnosing and treating cancer as early as possible across Scotland. The NHS Recovery Plan, published August 2021, commits an additional £20m for the Programme.

This is a matter for Public Health Scotland. The information requested is not held centrally.