Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08949 on 26 July 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 a range of options available to women who require transvaginal mesh removal surgery. A contract with Spire Healthcare, where Professor Hashim operates, was agreed earlier this year and arrangements for the first patients to travel to Bristol are underway. Furthermore, the Scottish Government can now also confirm that a contract has been agreed with Gynaecologic and Reconstructive Surgery Ltd, Missouri, USA, where Dr Veronikis operates. NHS National Services Scotland will now work closely with NHS GGC and local Health Boards to facilitate the arrangements for those who wish to travel to Bristol or to the USA for mesh removal surgery.

These additional options, alongside the potential for referral to NHS England services, complement the Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service in Glasgow. Despite Covid-19, we were able to introduce that service on a phased basis and a number of patients have been seen in the intervening period and have had surgeries carried out. It is expected that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will work towards improving waiting times as services begin to open up more fully.

NHS Scotland Assure has carried out twenty Key Stage Assurance Reviews (KSARs) since it was established. At the conclusion of the KSAR, NHS Assure advises whether it supports or does not support a project. Where a project is not supported, an action plan is prepared by the responsible Health Board with support from NHS Scotland Assure to address the issues identified. The project can subsequently be reassessed. Twelve of the twenty KSARs resulted in a “supported” decision and eight resulted in a “not supported” decision and work is underway to address the issues identified. Responsibility for approving business cases continues to lie with the Scottish Government.

NHS Scotland Assure has so far supported the following projects at the full business case stage:

As the programme managers and project owners, the details of any such exercises lie with Sustrans and City of Edinburgh Council (CEC). We understand that a value engineering exercise was undertaken by CEC and Sustrans in view of escalating cost pressures and timescales for several Places for Everyone projects. Places for Everyone is an active travel infrastructure programme run and programme managed by Sustrans with grant funding from Transport Scotland.

The Charter for Grandchildren aims to highlight the role of the wider family. The Charter is available at the link below:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/parenting-plan-charter-grandchildren/ .

In the Family Justice Modernisation Strategy (FJMS) the Scottish Government committed to promote the Charter for Grandchildren. The FJMS is available at the link below:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/family-justice-modernisation-strategy/pages/1/ .

The Scottish Government is reviewing the actions in the FJMS and will consider prioritising work to promote the Charter for Grandchildren following delays during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The steps the Scottish Government intends to take to promote the Charter include engaging with key bodies to raise awareness and ensuring information on the Charter is more widely available.

Scottish Government funding for active travel in Edinburgh and other local authority areas is channelled through a number of programmes overseen by Transport Scotland. The single biggest programme is the Places for Everyone (PfE) programme, run by Sustrans with grant funding from Transport Scotland. From PfE, City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has an indicative amount of £52,129,410 allocated to active travel projects over the next four years.

In addition, CEC receives £3,378,467 of Cycling Walking and Safer routes funding directly from Transport Scotland from a £35 million annual pot distributed pro rata to all 32 local authorities in Scotland. There are also various other partner delivered programmes which CEC can bid into for active travel projects, including the Smarter Choices Smarter Places fund for behaviour change projects, run by Paths for All.

Existing Environmental Science qualifications (available at National 3, National 4, National 5 and Higher) draw from the sciences and social sciences and take a problem-solving approach to attempt to develop solutions that prevent or reverse environmental deterioration and aim for sustainable practices.

Scottish Government is currently reviewing and strengthening the Learning for Sustainability Action plan. As part of this process, Scottish Government will invite SQA, who are responsible for the development of new qualifications, to consider whether the existing offer should be expanded.

Spending on active travel will increase throughout Scotland as we realise the Programme for Government commitment to increase the active travel budget to at least £320 million or 10% of the transport budget from 2024-25 onwards. The detail of how that significant increase in investment will apply in different local authority areas is still to be determined.

The Scottish Government supports all local authorities to deliver active travel through a variety of programmes including several run by third sector partners which local authorities can bid into and two direct funds – a LA resource fund of £2 million and a capital fund of £35 million (Cycling Walking and Safer Streets) both distributed pro rata this year across all 32 local authorities.

Scottish Government is working with NHS 24 and partners to develop a new Musculoskeletal (MSK) pathway, with particular consideration being given to digital options and a more preventative approach.

NHS 24 conducted a comprehensive analysis of the Musculoskeletal (MSK) Helpline data on the use of the service as well as examining the service model. This will inform the development of a new pathway, with particular consideration being given to digital options and a more preventative approach.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09575 on 25 July 2022 for the next steps. 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 .