Seòmar agus comataidhean

I look forward to meeting with the CEO and speaking with the workforce of Ferguson Marine. My visit to the shipyard will take place during summer recess.

The Scottish Government’s Neurological Care and Support Framework 2020-25 sets out our vision to ensure everyone with a neurological condition, including Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), can access the care and support they need to live well.

Under the Framework we have funded Action for ME and partner organisations to promote and disseminate an online learning module authored by Dr Nina Muirhead, on ME/CFS for GPs and health professionals, which aims to support person-centred care, informed by good practice and current research.

In June 2021, the Scottish Government presented the online learning module to the Scottish Deans Medical Education Group who agreed to review the module with the view of introducing it into the medical schools’ respective curricula.

In addition to Scottish Government activities, we understand that NHS Education for Scotland are currently finalising a Practice Based Small Group Learning CPD module for GPs, Pharmacist and Nurses working in General Practice/Primary Care.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18221 on 5 June 2023. 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 Scottish Government is fully committed to supporting Gillian Mackay MSP's Abortion Services Safe Access Zones (Scotland) Bill. To this end, the First Minister met with Ms Mackay during his first full week in office to recommit his unwavering support.

In addition, I have continued the regular series of meetings with Ms Mackay and her team established by Maree Todd, when Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport. During these meetings, Ms Mackay and I share progress updates and explore any additional areas where Scottish Government support would be useful.

A Safe Access Zones Bill team within Scottish Government has been working closely with Ms Mackay to progress the Bill, including supporting a programme of stakeholder engagement and key aspects of policy development.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18105 on 5 June 2023. The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to take note of the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) recommendations, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that any woman who requires access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of her maternity care can do so. We wrote to NHS Boards on 23 March, immediately following publication of the SHTG guidance, and will write to NHS Boards again in June, to understand how implementation of PlGF testing is progressing.

NHS Boards are expected to work towards implementation of PlGF-based testing locally, as decisions on which of the four recommended PlGF-based tests to use will depend on local factors, including analyser availability, geography and cost. The SHTG guidance is clear in its economic evaluation that use of PlGF-based testing can drive cost savings as well as improving outcomes for women and their babies, particularly where a diagnosis of preterm pre-eclampsia is less clear.

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

In Scotland, as part of the wider child health programme , height and weight measurements have always been carried out in Primary 1 only. We are aware that this differs in other parts of the UK.

The purpose and key components of the Scottish programme are similar to that of the National Child Measurement Programme in England: to inform local planning and delivery of services for children; gather population-level data to allow analysis of trends in growth patterns and obesity; increase public and professional understanding of the importance of healthy weight in children and be a vehicle for engaging with children and families about health and weight.

We continue to keep under review whether an additional measure at an older age would be beneficial to improving children’s health.

In our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan we set out ambitious and wide-ranging action to deliver our vision for a Scotland where everyone eats well and has a healthy weight.

We are taking forward a range of action across five key outcomes: giving children the best start in life; creating a healthier food environment; better access to weight management services; leadership and reducing health inequalities.

We continue to make progress. This includes, among other things:

• We will consult on the detail of proposed regulations to restrict promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt where they are sold to the public this autumn.
• We have updated the Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations to give children more access to nutritious food.
• Continued provision of free vitamin D to infants, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Additional investment to support breastfeeding, particularly in the days immediately following birth. We have provided over £9 million of additional funding since 2018.
• eady Steady Baby , Ready Steady Toddler and Parent Club have all been updated to provide parents practical advice on weaning, and at the ages and stages that follow: toddlers, pre-schoolers, and primary school aged children.
• We continue to provide funding to health boards to deliver weight management services for children and young people in line with our national standards , ensuring consistent quality and equity of access to evidence-based support across Scotland.
• Since 2020-21, we have provided additional funding to health boards and their partners for projects to encourage healthy eating and physical activity in families and communities at risk of diet-related health inequalities. This work has included: specialised training for practitioners, increasing physical activity, and support for those experiencing food insecurity.
• We have continued to support pilots in eight local areas to develop and champion a whole system approach to diet and healthy weight. An evaluation was published on 6 December 2022, which is informing the development of resources to support national rollout.
• We continue to provide funding to improve weight management services for adults, in line with our 2018 Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Framework and Public Health Scotland’s standards for tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services .
• In June 2022, Public Health Scotland launched a Challenging Weight Stigma learning hub to increase awareness of and challenge weight stigma and bias within healthcare settings.
• In 2021 we published our Out of Home Action Plan to support people and business to access to healthier options. This includes Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland developing an Eat Out Eat Well Framework and code of practice for children’s menus.

All wetlands considered for Ramsar designation since 2007 have been granted this classification. A decision on an extension to the existing Caithness & Sutherland Peatlands Ramsar site to include areas of former plantation forestry that have been restored to blanket bog will be made later this year.

The powers required to legislate in respect of company acquisition and ownership are reserved to the UK Parliament and, as such, the Scottish Government does not have the power to take action in this area. In addition the legislative change in the UK via the National Security and Investment Act enables an increased screening of acquisitions on grounds, for example, of national security. This reflects similar change in EU legislation.

These legislative mechanisms notwithstanding, company acquisition remains a commercial decision to be undertaken by two private entities. The Scottish Government and Enterprise Agencies therefore aim to work with businesses in Scotland, domestic and overseas owned, to ensure Scottish operations are not only secured here but opportunities for growth are pursued.

Scottish Enterprise research suggests acquisition can be an important route for companies with growth potential to achieve their ambitions; either Scottish companies who acquire other businesses or Scottish companies acquired by businesses from other parts of the UK and internationally. This is not unique to Scotland and is a feature of similar economies.

In addition both our Inward Investment and Global Capital Investment Plans place maximum emphasis in supporting good quality investment into Scotland aligning with our values as a nation and delivering our net zero economy supported by good green jobs. We will therefore continue to work closely with those Scottish and overseas-owned businesses and organisations with whom those values most closely align.

Implementation of placental growth factor (PLGF)-based tests for pre-eclampsia does not feature in the Women’s Health Plan . Professor Anna Glasier OBE, Women’s Health Champion has not, therefore, met with NHS Scotland, the Scottish Perinatal Network, patient groups or the diagnostics sector to discuss this. Professor Glasier set out her initial priorities in our Women’s Health Plan Report on Progress and has met with various stakeholders on a number of other areas of women’s health, mainly related to the priorities of the Women’s Health Plan.

The Scottish Government expects all NHS Boards in Scotland to take note of the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) recommendations, published on 23 March 2023, and take steps to ensure that any woman who requires access to placental growth factor (PlGF) based tests as part of her maternity care can do so. We wrote to NHS Boards on 23 March, immediately following publication of the SHTG guidance, and will write to NHS Boards again in June, to understand how implementation of PlGF testing is progressing.