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The Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015, passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, gives police and prosecutors greater powers to detect and bring to justice those responsible for trafficking as well as strengthening protections for survivors.

Scotland’s first Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy was published in 2017, focusing on the identification of and support for victims; disruption of perpetrators and addressing the underlying conditions which foster human trafficking and exploitation.

Working in partnership, significant action has taken place and continues to be delivered across each of these strands and this is set out in more detail in the published annual progress reports, with the most recent published in January 2022 - Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy – Fourth Annual Progress Report (www.gov.scot) .

The Scottish Government does not hold the information you request regarding defibrillators in schools. Decisions on whether to install defibrillators in schools are a matter for local authorities, in light of local circumstances and priorities.

The Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Strategy 2021- 2026 sets a clear aim of increasing the number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests which have a defibrillator applied before the ambulance service arrive from 8% to 20%. Work is ongoing to build the evidence base on the location of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in Scotland, and the existing locations of defibrillators. This will support the strategic placement of defibrillators across Scotland.

All toxicology results relating to drugs-related deaths recorded in 2021 were reported within 9 months of receipt of the sample, with 2 cases being reported within one month; 1,313 cases within 1 to 3 months; 9 cases within 3 to 6 months; and one case within 6 to 9 months. There were no results outstanding after 9 months. Cases are recorded by Procurator Fiscal Area. The incidence of the cases have been mapped on to NHS Boards and Alcohol & Drugs Partnerships areas as set out in the following table.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-10233 on‎ 29 August 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

The information that has been requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

Official statistical reports relating to the Scottish Ambulance Service can be found on the following link.

Public Health Scotland

The Scottish Government meets regularly with stakeholders who are responsible for the provision of community pharmaceutical care including Health Boards, Community Pharmacy Scotland (the recognised representative body of pharmacy owners) as set out in Regulations. Scottish Government officials have also met with representatives of the Guild of Healthcare Professionals and The Pharmacists Defence Association to discuss a number of topics including workforce related pressures.

We know that alcohol misuse and obesity are the two main risk factors (together with blood borne viruses) that cause liver disease.

Research by the British Liver Trust shows that alcohol-related liver disease accounts for 60% of all liver disease. The latest alcohol-specific deaths statistics published by National Records of Scotland in August 2022 show that in 2021 alcoholic liver disease caused 795 deaths which is an increase of 36 compared to the previous year.

Living with obesity or being overweight is also linked with an increased risk of developing a non-alcohol-related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). According to the 2019 Scottish Health Survey , two-thirds of adults in Scotland were living with obesity or being overweight. Obesity prevalence in Scotland has remained relatively stable since 2008.

The Scottish Government has not carried out a specific assessment of the impact of either alcohol misuse or obesity on liver disease mortality rates in the West of Scotland.

However, we are determined to address Scotland’s problematic relationship with alcohol and unhealthy diet. We are in the process of reviewing the Minimum Unit Price and Alcohol Brief Interventions policies with an intention to consult on a range of potential alcohol marketing restrictions as we continue to implement the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan .

From 29 August 2022, eligible groups of women over the age of 71 will be able to register for self-referral appointments by contacting their local breast screening service.

Invitations will begin issuing to the eligible groups from 26 September, with appointments commencing from 24 October.

At this stage, the eligible groups being prioritised for self-referrals are women aged 71 to 74 (+364 days), and women over 75 with a history of breast cancer who have completed their hospital follow up. This phased approach allows self-referrals to restart in a way we hope will not unduly impact on waiting times for women aged‎ 50-70 for whom screening is recommended.

The impact of the restart on programme capacity and wait times will be monitored closely. At the same time, the programme will continue to look for opportunities to increase the number of available appointments.

Delivering on our 2021 Programme for Government commitment, the Scottish Government consulted on proposals for legal services regulation reform. An independent consultation analysis report was published in July 2022.

The report highlighted that all respondents, regardless of affiliation, shared as a common aspiration, the need for any future model to be transparent, open to public scrutiny and efficient to ensure that justice remains accessible to all.

The Scottish Government will respond to the consultation analysis report later this year. We continue to engage with stakeholders to collaboratively consider reform of the regulation of legal services, to provide for a modern regulatory framework for Scotland that will best promote competition, innovation and the public and consumer interest in an efficient and independent legal sector.

The public health response to the current monkeypox outbreak in Scotland is being led by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and delivered in partnership with local NHS Health Protection Teams (HPTs) in each of the NHS Boards of Scotland. PHS has established a national Incident Management Team (IMT) who meet weekly and whose membership includes representation from experts in clinical infectious disease, sexual heath, infection prevention and control, health promotion, immunisation and health protection.

The response is on a four nations approach and PHS work closely with the other UK public health agencies.

Monkeypox is a notifiable disease under the provisions of the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 and as such, all medical staff across Scotland report any suspected or confirmed cases to their HPTs. PHS undertake epidemiological analysis on the data gathered to better understand: who is affected; trends over time; and any risk factors; in order to plan measures to limit onward transmission. Case numbers are published regularly on the PHS website and PHS also contribute to a more in-depth analysis at a UK level.

PHS has produced guidance and resources throughout the response to provide evidence based advice on steps for HPTs and others to take to limit transmission of monkeypox. The core guidance for HPTs sets out the public health actions in relation to contact tracing, follow-up of cases and contacts, post-exposure vaccination and other approaches. These actions are undertaken by HPTs and aim to interrupt any onward transmission once a case is identified, or limit the health impact of any subsequent transmission. This guidance is supplemented by resources such as infection prevention guidance for healthcare settings, produced by Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection Scotland (ARHAI) and leaflets including advice for people with monkeypox.

PHS is also working with SG and NHS Boards to undertake the rollout of vaccination for those considered to be at highest risk of contracting monkeypox. More details on the vaccination Programme are available on NHS Inform.

Relevant public information is kept up to date on NHS Inform including advice on: monkeypox symptoms, transmission and treatment; and monkeypox and safer sex. In addition the Scottish Government has recently funded further targeted health promotion messages which is collaborative work between experts in sexual health, PHS and third sector partners.