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The current Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service (CHFS) contract is due to expire in September 2024. Work is underway to consider the appropriate approach to future contracts and tendering. No decisions on the form of tender or timescales have been taken as yet.

The dental sector has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Pre-COVID levels of patient volume are currently not achievable within the current framework of infection, protection and control (IPC) measures.

The Scottish Government has recently announced a 50 per cent increase in free PPE to dental practices and new funding of £5m to support improved ventilation facilities in dental surgeries. Both these measures are intending to increase the productivity of practices, enabling them to see more patients, within the current set of IPC constraints.

We can also confirm that we are working closely with UK partners as part of the review of IPC Guidance as we emerge from this pandemic. The intention is to ensure that as soon as it is safe to do so dental services can resume normal levels of activity.

The Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan (WHP) will be published within the first 100 days of this new government and includes a number of actions to improve access to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis.

We are working closely with organisations and support groups representing women with endometriosis to implement these actions and work is already underway, for example, through the Modernising Patient Pathways Programme to develop a pelvic pain pathway for Scotland. This integrated care pathway will assist women to access and be better informed and empowered to make choices about treatment and management for endometriosis.

Glasgow School of Art is an autonomous Higher Education Institution, and as such has responsibility for its own strategic and operational decision making, including those related to the restoration of the Mackintosh Building.

The Scottish Funding Council continue to engage regularly with the Glasgow School of Art at Senior Management and Board level on a range of issues including institutional governance and staff and student wellbeing.

A key milestone, however, is the outcome of the fire investigation. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service anticipate that they will be in a position to publish the fire investigation report by the end of November 2021.

In October 2019 the Scottish Health Technology Group (SHTG) recommended that: “Where patients understand and are willing to accept the demands, risks and uncertainties of treatment, autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplant (AHSCT) should be considered as a treatment option for patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who have evidence of significant inflammatory disease activity that has not responded to adequate treatment with licensed high-efficacy disease modifying therapies (DMTs).”

Following comprehensive clinical assessment, relevant diagnostic testing and consideration by a specialist multi-disciplinary team, AHSCT can be offered to MS patients from Scotland where they meet this criteria and when it is clinically judged that the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks. In these circumstances such patients can be referred by their NHS Consultant for this specific treatment at a specialist centre in England.

Stem cell transplantation is currently undertaken in Scotland for other clinical reasons, however specific expertise in its use for the treatment of MS is still developing. In order to ensure that patients receive the highest level of safe, patient-centred care, clinical consensus is that this is currently best delivered by one of the most experienced centres globally, located in Sheffield. Although delayed by the need to focus resources on COVID-19, key stakeholders within NHS Scotland are continuing discussions regarding a potential Scottish pathway for this treatment.

AHSCT is an intensive treatment which carries a very high risk of infection for many weeks, due to severe immunosuppression as part of the treatment pathway. In March 2020 the Association of British Neurologists (ABN) recommended postponing this treatment in patients with MS until the risk of coronavirus receded, due to the potential for severe illness in those with compromised immune systems. As of November 2020, the ABN advises its use only in exceptional cases of relapsing disease.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01751 on 6 August 2021. 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 Women’s Health Pan will be published by the end of this month, August 2021, and within the first 100 days of the new session of the Parliament.

The Scottish Government takes seriously the responsibility to ensure those going through the criminal justice system with mental health issues are appropriately supported, treated and cared for, while ensuring their rights are being maintained

This is an important report that contains a number of recommendations which are being given careful consideration. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the Scottish Prison Service and other partners to ensure that frontline staff are properly supported and that the recommendations from the Mental Welfare Commission’s report are being given a collaborative response. Current progress includes the development of a new custodial estate for women in Scotland, scheduled to open in 2022. We have also created over 41 whole time equivalent mental health roles which are located across the prison estate, including the female estate.

Our Mental Health Transition & Recovery Plan published last year made clear our commitment to continue to work with partners to seek better support for those with mental ill health within the criminal justice system. The Plan is further supported with £120m from a Recovery & Renewal Fund and focusses on the specific mental health needs of women and girls to support better outcomes across a range of settings .

The Scottish Government continues to promote testing in its communications and public messaging. To raise awareness of how individuals can access testing at walk-through test centres and mobile testing units, the Scottish Government has:

• supported local authorities and health boards to promote new sites by creating a communications toolkit, which includes templates for news releases, social media content and signage,
• engaged with local authorities and health boards to inform them of upcoming Test and Protect communications campaigns and new site openings, and,
• promoted new sites online with the public and health journalists, broadcasters and bloggers with a Ministerial quote and UK Government news release.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01514 on 6 August 2021. 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