Chamber and committees

I have a quick supplementary. Maree Todd mentioned progress on self-sampling for cervical cancer, in which I am interested because NHS Dumfries and Galloway is part of the research. My understanding is that there were 6,000 women who had defaulted on their smear, of whom 25 per cent have now taken up self-sampling. Therefore, 1,500 women have been screened who would not have attended in the past. That interesting progress shows that self-sampling might be a way forward.

Ultimately, this is about organ accessibility and saving lives.

The 1,140 hours of childcare is delivered by local authorities. What is the Scottish Government doing to help local authorities or other public organisations to deliver a Scotland where our young people flourish?

I am a former liver transplant nurse in Los Angeles and I was always interested in looking at the tracking, the tracing, the safety and where the organs came from. To what extent is the cross-border sharing of tissues, organs and blood an issue for us in Scotland?

It is obvious that everybody needs to collaborate and work together, and the utmost safety of any policy is crucial. I am curious to know whether the Northern Ireland protocol will have an impact. Under the EU-UK withdrawal agreement, Northern Ireland is in the UK customs territory, but it remains aligned with EU regulations. The rules in Northern Ireland could change in order to remain aligned with the EU, and the framework sets out the structures and processes for managing the impact of such changes. Could changes that result in divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK obstruct any sharing of blood, tissues or organs?

Good morning, ministers. I am interested in some of our public health priorities. Priority 2 mentions

“A Scotland where we flourish in our early years”.

My question is for Maree Todd. How do we measure, monitor and evaluate whether we have a Scotland where our young people flourish?

If any change or policy divergence is proposed, it will be important for there to be clear and timely communication so that the Scottish Government is aware of that.

It is a quick question about the importance of tackling stigma and discrimination, which we have talked about in the past. Obviously, if we reduce stigma, more young men, young women and young persons will come forward. The ice hockey team in Dumfries has a campaign to tackle stigma and discrimination called “Skate out of darkness.” That is important work, so could you give us a couple of comments on the importance of stigma?

Maree Todd mentioned the UK Government’s austerity policies, which have had an impact, but I will not discuss poverty and disability too deeply.

I want to touch on how adverse childhood experiences, such as eating disorders, can affect health outcomes. During the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of people with eating disorders, and I am interested in that area. How do adverse childhood experiences affect children as they grow up? What work is being done to address eating disorders?

Thanks very much for indulging me, convener. My question is for Dr Matt Lowther. He mentioned the place standard and described the 14 questions in the framework that aim to let communities, public agencies and voluntary groups find aspects of the place to target health, wellbeing and quality of life. How do we know that people are aware of the place standard tool and are using it? Yesterday, I called Dumfries and Galloway Council planning department. It was not aware of the tool but was certainly going to look into it. How do we ensure that such tools, which can support better planning for public health, are available and used?