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The Programme for Government 2021-22 committed to expanding the availability of the Caledonian System, with the aim of making it available to all Scottish local authorities by the end of the parliamentary term.

Consideration must be given to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation of the Caledonian System, our ability to assess and evaluate during this period, and what lessons might be learned to further enhance the programme.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran purchased Carrick Glen from Circle BMI for £1.8 million on 31st March 2022. Work is ongoing to finalise the Full Business Case for the new National Treatment Centre and redesign and redevelopment costs are yet to be finalised.

Currently, 19 local authority areas deliver the Caledonian System on a court mandated basis, which accounts for approximately 75% of the population. This is funded by the Scottish Government, and access is expected to continue throughout this parliamentary session.

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

Crown Estate Scotland contributed £150K funding towards the data collection component of the National Electrofishing Programme (NEPS) for Scotland 2021.

The total cost of data collection for NEPS 2021 was ca. £416,337 and was issued as a Grant to Fisheries Management Scotland. Marine Scotland covered the remaining costs of data collection and will cover the costs of analysis and publication.

The Crown Estate Scotland grant covered some modest project management time from Fisheries Management Scotland (£5,100) and the costs incurred by local fisheries managers (e.g. staff time, travel) in sampling fish populations at 810 sites across Scotland in 2021.

Payment was made on a “per-site” basis at £460 for electrofishing and a further £43.33 for genetic sampling, which underpins the National Introgression Programme for Scotland (NIPS).

The Crown Estates Scotland funding was not ring-fenced for specific regions or components of the data collection and, therefore, should be considered a contribution to the overall project.

The Pig Producers Hardship Support Scheme was first published in August 2021, when a £715,000 fund was made available. All 39 applications received were successful, totalling a spend of approximately £654,000.

In February 2022, the scheme was extended to offer a further £680,000 and had 32 applicants, leading to a total spend of c£675,000. There were no unsuccessful applications.

In June 2022, a further extension to the scheme of £410,000 saw 32 applications, with no unsuccessful applicants. The total spend for this third and final round of the Pig Hardship Scheme is estimated at £406,000 with payments to be made by the end of August.

This amounts to c£654,000 being paid out in 2021 and approximately £1,081,000960 to be paid in total this calendar year. Due to the nature of the scheme, the same applicants could apply for multiple rounds of support.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Where possible, the use of the Virtual Court process should be facilitated in the first instance, either from Police Custody Units (PCU’s) or mainland prisons, unless the individual is directed to appear in person by the Sheriff.

Where an escort is required to facilitate a court appearance in person, and the flight to that island is not available, or the airport is not available, the service provider is required to ensure that they have planned and organised the transportation of the individual(s) with sufficient time to ensure the person and escorting staff arrive in time for the scheduled court appearance.

This may mean organising ferry transport to the Scottish islands, and potentially liaising with SPS to temporarily locate the individual at an establishment closest to the ferry terminal if they have travelled from a significant distance.

Where required, the service provider may also need to liaise with Police Scotland to locate the individual in local legalised police cells overnight prior to, or after, the court appearance if off island transport is not available.

SCVO estimate that the public sector as a whole invests around £1.8 billion each year to support the work of charities and social enterprises. Of that, around £500m comes from the Scottish Government via a broad range of programmes including those supporting community empowerment, mental wellbeing, children and families and health and social care.

The Scottish Government fund Third Sector organisations for specific projects or for core funding and these organisations often also attract income from other sources. That is a matter for those individual organisations and the Scottish Government do not keep a record of which organisations source additional funding from other sources and which do not.

The Scottish Government has not been requested to research a headcount reduction in the Scottish civil service.

The Scottish Government regularly reviews its workforce numbers to ensure affordability, and that the organisation is delivering for the people of Scotland as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The UK Government has not provided details on how their plans to reduce the number of civil servants by 91,000 will affect their staff working in Scotland. There are around 24,800 [1] Civil Servants who are part of the reserved Public Sector in Scotland.

The UK Government plans do not have a direct impact on civil servants who serve the Scottish Government, as the responsibility lies with Scottish Ministers and the Permanent Secretary when it comes to determining our workforce size.

[1] Source: Public Sector Employment In Scotland Statistics For 1st Quarter 2022 .

The Scottish Government is mindful of the use of mesh in non-transvaginal settings. In February 2018, the then-Chief Medical Officer wrote to NHS Scotland Medical Directors about public interest in the use of mesh implants, including in hernia repair. Medical Directors were asked to ensure that clinicians offer patients all appropriate options for surgery, as well as the option of no surgery. In addition, the importance of shared decision making, informed consent and listening and acting upon patients’ concerns was noted.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has commissioned the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) to produce two reports on the use of mesh in hernia repair; the first published in January 2020 and the second in December 2021 . These reports, based on current published evidence, support the continued use of mesh in a variety of abdominal wall and groin hernia subject to all the tenets of Realistic Medicine – ensuring shared decision making and informed consent with knowledge of the benefits, risks alternative measures and the possibility of doing nothing. The findings of the reports have been discussed with professional bodies, including the Royal Colleges and the British Hernia Society.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) wrote to the Board Chief Executives and Medical Directors in December 2021 to draw their attention to the SHTG report. In the letter, the CMO asked Health Boards to consider the availability of non-mesh surgery, how best to address skill gaps, if they exist, and the development of broader clinical networks for management of complex cases. The actions resulting from this will be discussed at a meeting of the Scottish Association of Medical Directors in August.

There is also work ongoing with regard to establishing a Medical Device Information System (MDIS) which will provide important surveillance and outcome information.