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Work has been undertaken throughout 2022 to scope a Clyde Metro Programme Level Business Case. This is being undertaken collaboratively, led by Transport Scotland and its partners Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. A Delivery Plan will be prepared following the completion of the Programme Level Business Case.

A benchmarking exercise was undertaken, as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review’s appraisal of Clyde Metro. That work considered UK and international cities, with a comparable population to Glasgow for both the city itself and the wider urban areas and/or metropolitan area and a comparable mix of urban public transport offerings in terms of mode, historical systems, modern systems, etc.

Applying this criteria, resulted in the identification of a list of thirteen cities across the UK and eight other European countries, comprising:

• Newcastle (UK);
• Manchester (UK)
• Copenhagen (Denmark);
• Dortmund (Germany);
• Dusseldorf (Germany);
• Rotterdam (The Netherlands);
• Bilbao (Spain);
• Lille (France),
• Gdansk (Poland);
• Nuremberg (Germany);
• Lyon (France);
• Helsinki (Finland); and
• Oslo (Norway).

The transport systems in each of the above cities was then reviewed against the following criteria; the different public transport systems on offer (e.g. commuter rail, metro, tram) and the interaction between these; the historical development of the network; socio economic factors; engineering aspects including underground running; density of stations; total length of network; and distance served by mode.

The average distance of Metro services was assessed at around 14km from a City Centre, while Tram has an average range of 9km and Commuter Rail has an average range of 40km. The 14km range is comparable to the urban area of greater Glasgow and Glasgow also had a good suburban rail network density. Therefore it was on this basis that Clyde Metro was put forward as a transport system serving up to around 15km in range from the city centre.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09498 on 28 June 2022. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions and answers | Scottish Parliament Website.

AposHealth for osteoarthritis of the knee is being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and their draft guidance on AposHealth is currently out for consultation, with an expected publication date of March 2023.

Although NICE medical technology guidance does not have official status in Scotland, the Scottish Government is awaiting publication of the NICE guidance before deciding next steps.

The Scottish Government are aware that living with chronic pain and painful musculoskeletal conditions can be extremely challenging and debilitating, which is why we are committed to ensuring people experiencing chronic pain can access appropriate support, when they need it.

The was published in July 2022 and sets out the Actions we will take to improve the quality and coordination of care for people with chronic pain. We want people living with chronic pain to take control of their condition to improve their quality of life and be more empowered to participate in decisions on their care.

Expenditure on clinical and associated travel costs arising from mesh removal surgery undertaken by the independent providers will be incurred following receipt of invoices from the contracted providers and travel agency. Separately, administrative costs have arisen in the NHS from the process of referring patients to the providers in question, however it is not possible at present to break these down in the manner requested.

AposHealth for osteoarthritis of the knee is being reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The draft medical technologies guidance on AposHealth is currently out for consultation with an expected publication date of March 2023.

Whilst NICE medical technology guidance does not have official status in Scotland, the Scottish Government will await publication of the NICE guidance before deciding next steps. This could include commissioning the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) – who provide the equivalent of NICE medical technology assessments for Scotland – being asked to review and adapt guidance for NHS Scotland.

SHTG has a remit to provide evidence support and advise NHSScotland on the use of new and existing health technologies. However, it is ultimately a decision for individual NHS Boards to decide whether to offer this as part of their treatment options for patients or not.

The Scottish Government are awaiting publication of the guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) before deciding their next steps in relation to whether we ask the Scottish Health Technologies Group (SHTG) to review and adapt the guidance for NHS Scotland. The draft guidance by NICE medical technologies has an expected publication date of March 2023.

The Scottish Government published the shingles Chief Medical Officer (CMO) letter on 31 August, providing information on the 2022-23 shingles vaccination programme. The CMO letter is shared with NHS Immunisation Coordinators to action the recommendations. The CMO letter states eligibility for the 2022-23 programme, outlining that the routine vaccination of those aged 70 year olds should be continued alongside and an active call and recall of 71–79 year olds who have not previously been vaccinated.

NHS Health Boards are responsible for organising shingles vaccination for their population. NHS GG&C will locally contact individuals eligible for Shingles Vaccination to offer an appointment.

Vaccine supply for the shingles vaccination programme is procured on a four nations basis by UK Health and Security Agency. NHS Health Boards order the volume of vaccine required, which is then delivered to vaccine holding centres, where Health Boards can access the vaccine to deliver their vaccination clinics at any time of the year.

The Scottish wildcat and its breeding places are fully protected under the .

All management activity on Scotland’s National Forests and Land is independently certified to international standards of best practice and all Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) forest operations adhere to the principles of sustainable forest management outlined in the United Kingdom Forestry Standard. All FLS work is planned and delivered according to these policies with significant consideration given to all protected species including Scottish wildcats.

At a site level, all operations are carried out in accordance with existing legislation and best practice. FLS directs particular care and attention to avoid deliberate and reckless actions that could impact negatively on wildcats. All work sites are subject to pre-operational surveys by FLS Environment staff and camera traps are routinely deployed for periods of two weeks or more. Where evidence of cats is found, mitigation is enacted. This includes rescheduling of works, such as harvesting, to avoid the wildcat breeding season as specified in FCS Guidance Note 35d: Forest operations and wildcats in Scotland.

Furthermore, FLS frequently seeks advice on mitigation from wildcat experts in NatureScot and Saving Wildcats, and has recently funded research on wildcat biology to inform forest management.