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On point (a) -

Plans are underway to build a secure adolescent inpatient unit in Scotland. This will benefit the small number of young people who require this specialist level of care and who cannot be treated in the community.

We recognise that there are a small number of young people who require specialist secure care, and we are persuaded that there is a need to build an inpatient facility for the whole of Scotland. This is being taken forward by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

On point (b) -

Antenatal Results and Choices (ARC) Awards from the Scottish Government in the last 10 years

The funding provided to ARC by the Scottish Government in this period was through the Section 16b grants scheme and was to assist ARC in their aims, including their specialised support services.

The organisation ceased to be named Support After Termination for Abnormality in 1993.

The latest figures show that there were (a) 58,232 3 year olds and (b) 59,741 4 year olds in Scotland as at 30 June 2016. Table 1 shows the number in each local authority.

Table 1; Number of 3 and 4 year olds by council area, Scotland, Mid-2016.

Source; Mid-year population estimates 2016

Our consultation paper 'A Healthier Future - Action and Ambitions on Diet, Activity and Healthy Weight' published on 26 Ocotber makes clear that we strongly support this.

Following on from the publication the UK Government ‘ Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action’ in summer 2016, I wrote on 19 August to the UK Government on this matter, but they made no commitment to reconsider their earlier decision

I have, therefore, written again seeking a discussion and offering our collaboration in going forward. The recent remarks from the Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt MP informing the House of Commons Health Select Committee that the prohibition of advertising of unhealthy foods before 9 p.m. is now under active consideration is welcome. However, as broadcast advertising is currently reserved, I am urging the UK Government to prioritise such action which would have significant benefits for Scotland and the rest of the UK. Alternatively, I am requesting that these powers are devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Expert Advisory Panel on the Collaborative Economy will have their final meeting on 30 November at which they will consider their conclusions and recommendations. The panel will report to Scottish Ministers by the end of 2017 and the report is due to be published in early 2018.

While the Scottish Government sets strategic policies for the NHS in Scotland, it is for each NHS Board to decide best how to deliver high quality, safe and sustainable services to meet the needs of its population. We fully expect NHS Boards to plan their workforce to ensure that enough professional staff and facilities are available to provide the best possible care for patients in a variety of settings.

Under this Government, the number of consultants with a specialty of clinical radiology in NHSScotland have increased by 41.9 per cent to 317.2 Whole Time Equivalent. We have also increased radiology training places by 20 per cent in the last four years.

Cancer waiting times data for the second quarter of 2017 shows that 94.8% of cancer patients across Scotland received treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat, with the average wait being only 6 days. The Scottish Government are actively engaging NHS Boards where there are challenges to sustained delivery against the 62-day standard.

Our new Ministerial Cancer Performance Delivery Group will focus on driving forward improvements in waiting times for diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients. Backed by an additional £1 million investment to roll-out new technology, this would allow consultants to report on diagnostic scans taken anywhere in the country, helping to address short-falls in capacity in some areas.

We are also taking action to ensure we have enough radiologists for the future, working with NHS Boards and staff side organisations, including the Royal College of Radiologists, to make sure we have the right numbers in the right place conducting the right procedures.

In September 2017 we announced an additional £3 million to increase the number of radiology trainees in Scotland by at least fifty over the next five years. This was in the context of our wider package of measures to improve waiting times for diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in Scotland.

Furthermore, the National Radiology Implementation Programme will see radiology information systems connected across every NHS Board in Scotland over the next 1-2 years. The programme will rely on NHS Boards working together in a joined-up service approach to maximise available services.

Consultation is underway on a wide set of proposals and will conclude at the end of January 2018. We will consider how best to take forward proposals, including the shape of legislative action, in the light of responses to consultation.

The Scottish Government values the work of SOPA and the important contributions made by older people, and we were pleased to provide funding for the National Assembly and Parliamentary reception in what was a highly competitive process. We were unable to support aspects of SOPA’s application that did not demonstrate a direct impact on older people and that duplicated the work of other funded projects. The Scottish Government remains committed to working with SOPA and will continue to support the sector to build capacity to ensure a positive impact on equality progression for older people.

The number of (a) live births and (b) terminations of pregnancy with Down’s syndrome since 1999 are provided in Table 1a and Table 1b.

For (a) live births, the data has been sourced from the Scottish Perinatal Infant Mortality and Morbidity Reports (), using data collated from the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey. The last SPIMMR report published by ISD was in March 2014 for stillbirths and infant deaths registered in 2012. Since all infants were followed up for one year after birth to allow detection from hospital inpatient records and NRS death registrations, the latest available data is for 2011. In January 2013, the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey was replaced by a revised UK survey, MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and Babies Reducing Risk through Audit and Confidential Enquiries across the UK).

Table 1a

Down's syndrome1 in live singleton births (ICD10 code: Q90 Down's syndrome)

Notes

i) These data are derived from the congenital anomaly data published in the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR) collected via the Scottish Stillbirth and Infant Death Survey (SSBID).

ii) In order to determine the number of live births, the number of stillbirths with Down's syndrome (reported to SSBID) have been removed form the table above.

iii) The last SPIMMR report published by ISD was in March 2014 for stillbirths and infant deaths registered in 2012.

iv) Since all infants were followed up for one year after birth to allow detection from hospital inpatient records and NRS death registrations, the latest available data is for 2011.

Table 1b

Termination of pregnancy with Down's syndrome (ICD10 code: Q90 Down's syndrome)

Civil legal aid is available without a means test or any requirement to pay a contribution for proceedings in relation to an order under sections 53, 57, 60, 62 or 63 of The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 where the order relates:

· only to the adult’s welfare (“welfare-only orders”); or

· to the adult’s welfare, property and finances (“combined orders”).