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Officials from the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (FSAS) attend the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Vitamin D Working Group meetings on behalf of the Scottish Government to ensure Scottish interests are fully represented. In doing so, the FSAS ensures that relevant research on vitamin D which relates specifically to the Scottish population is considered as part of the review.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing public health guidance on the implementation of existing recommendations to prevent vitamin D deficiency. In doing so, NICE do not intend to look at the relative contributions of cutaneous vitamin D synthesis to vitamin D status in the UK population as this issue is being considered as part of the SACN review on vitamin D. SACN is a stakeholder in the development of this guidance.

The remit of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) Vitamin D Working Group is to review the Dietary Reference Values for vitamin D intake and make recommendations. In doing so, the review is considering the clinical evidence on vitamin D and will not include any cost-benefit analysis. The full terms of reference for the group are available on the SACN website at:

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In developing its guidance on the implementation of existing recommendations to prevent vitamin D deficiency, NICE will be considering the cost effectiveness of interventions to increase awareness and implementation of existing guidance on vitamin D amongst both health professionals and at-risk groups. Further details regarding the scope of the guidance are available at:

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This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Scottish Government is committed to engaging the Chinese Government on human rights and this is articulated in Working with China: A Five Year Strategy for Engagement between Scotland and the People’s Republic of China, published in December 2012. We fully support action to combat the commercialisation of organs, tissues and cells and the trafficking of people for organ donation, all of which are illegal in the UK. We support the Declaration of Istanbul, which encourages all countries to draw up legal and professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities. We understand that the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission is in the process of developing and implementing a nationwide system for voluntary organ donation, supported by a new national database.

Whilst the Scottish Government does not have a locus to intervene in the course content of higher education institutions, we fully support action to combat the commercialisation of organs, tissues and cells and the trafficking of people for organ donation, all of which are illegal in the UK. We support the Declaration of Istanbul, which encourages all countries to draw up legal and professional frameworks to govern organ donation and transplantation activities. We understand that the Chinese National Health and Family Planning Commission is in the process of developing and implementing a nationwide system for voluntary organ donation, supported by a new national database.

The proposals will be published on the Scottish Government’s website, alongside the National Planning Framework 3 Main Issues Report.

The Scottish Government Central Enquiry line which provides the first point of contact to the public is operated internally. Other information requested for private companies operating any helplines supported by the Scottish Government is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government remains committed to publishing an options paper in the lifetime of this current parliament. No decisions have been taken yet on the timetable however, once they are taken, the Scottish Government will fully engage with stakeholders on the matter.

£10 million has been allocated to the Home Owners’ Support Fund for each of the years 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The Private Rented Housing Panel was launched on 3 September 2007 and deals with 2 types of cases, rent assessment and repairing standard cases. The figures for each are as follows.