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I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-12475 on 21 November 2017. Vaccination is one of the services currently provided by GPs which will be reconfigured under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Government, British Medical Association, Integration Authorities and NHS Boards. Integration Authorities will develop local Primary Care Improvement Plans in conjunction with NHS Boards, developing local solutions to delivering vaccination programmes that best suit them, their patients and their geography. The Vaccination Transformation Programme will phase the transition of the vaccination programmes over the next three years.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I understand the incomplete standard for waiting time targets that is used by NHS England relates to a census taken at the month end that measures the waiting times of patients on the waiting list for the referral to treatment standard. We already have a comprehensive suite of elective waiting times measures in Scotland and do not plan to add to these at this point in time.

Information on the number of first-time buyers paying LBTT is not currently required to be collected from Revenue Scotland tax returns. Following the announcement of the new LBTT first time buyer relief, the Scottish Government is in discussions with Revenue Scotland to enable the accurate monitoring and reporting of the number of first-time buyers who will benefit from the relief which is planned for introduction from June 2018.

The Scottish Government’s reforms to Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) are helping both first-time buyers and home movers across Scotland to purchase a home. Between April 2015 and October 2017, LBTT kept over 25,000 house purchases out of tax by setting a nil rate threshold of £145,000 which was £20,000 more than the nil rate threshold for UK Stamp Duty Land Tax. From June 2018, the Scottish Government plans to introduce a new £175,000 LBTT relief for first-time buyers. This will take 80% of first-time buyers out of tax altogether and will benefit 12,000 first-time buyers each year by up to £600.

In addition to these measures, the Scottish Government is implementing a range of housing policies to assist first-time buyers in the Lothian parliamentary region and elsewhere in Scotland as outlined in the answers to questions S5W-15194 and S5W-15195 on 15 March 2018. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 122 guideline development group had input from all specialities involved in the care of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), including haematology, orthopaedics, pharmacy, anaesthetics, vascular and general surgery, radiology, obstetrics and gynaecology, general practice as well as lay representation. In addition SIGN also sought national independent expert referees to comment on interpretation of the evidence base supporting the recommendations. In future SIGN will take the same steps to ensure that the guideline development group is made up of representatives from all of the appropriate specialties.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent public body that provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care in England. The Scottish Government is therefore unable to comment on the specialist input to the NICE guideline. Information on the development of NICE guidance can be found at: 

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) 122 guideline regarding the prevention and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) was published in 2010 and updated in 2014. SIGN is in the process of contacting the original guideline development group to establish the need for a new guideline. An outcome of the consultation may be that group members choose to submit a proposal for a new guideline which would go through SIGN’s usual decision-making process.

Information on how many couples have used a third cycle of IVF since April 2017 is not held centrally. However, Scottish Government officials regularly discuss the impact of this change with the 4 Centres providing NHS IVF.

The Scottish Government has had initial discussions with Information Services Division around the steps needed to collect this information within the confines of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

Information on how many couples with children in the home, but where one partner does not have a biological child have accessed IVF since September 2016, is not currently held centrally. However, Scottish Government officials regularly discuss the impact of this change with the 4 Centres providing NHS IVF.

The Scottish Government has had initial discussions with Information Services Division around the steps needed to collect this information within the confines of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.

Decisions on health policy are a matter for Ministers, not officials. Ministers are, of course, accountable to Parliament for those decisions.

The Scottish Government is working to open up the housing market to as many people as possible. Since 2013, over 15,700 households across Scotland, with over 30% of these in the Edinburgh and Lothians area, have been supported to purchase a home through our shared equity schemes - the Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) and Help to Buy (Scotland) schemes. The Scottish Government also funds the development by Registered Social Landlords of New Supply Shared Equity units through its Affordable Housing Supply Programme.

In addition, we intend to introduce from June a new Land and Buildings Transaction Tax relief for First-Time Buyers which will have the effect of raising the zero tax threshold for first-time buyers to £175,000. This will result in an estimated 80% of first-time buyers paying no LBTT. Those first-time buyers buying a property above £175,000 will also benefit from the relief on the portion of the price below the threshold, which means all first-time buyers will benefit from the relief by up to £600 once it is introduced.