Chamber and committees

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner employs 95 members of staff as detailed in the following table.

The number of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner is 95, of which 39 (41%) are former police officers.

Of the 95 staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner:

a) 41% are former police officers, from Police Scotland or the Scottish legacy police forces.

b) 4% were previously employed by the Royal Military Police.

c) 2% were previously employed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Neither the Scottish Government nor Public Health Scotland (PHS) hold this information centrally. The majority of data held by PHS on Olaparib (Lynparza®) is on the quantity issued within hospital settings rather than on the number of prescriptions, only a very small number of prescriptions for Olaparib (Lynparza®) are held within their primary care prescribing dataset.

The Scottish Government published a progress report on 25 March 2024, which outlines the work undertaken to progress over 50 of the actions in the first year since publication of the Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan.

The Scottish Government has not given specific consideration to the implications of recent flooding on wild salmon populations. High river flows potentially wash out salmon eggs from nests on the riverbed and displace juvenile fish downstream. However, research suggests that salmon are well adapted to natural flow variability, including floods in natural river systems. Current evidence suggests a periodic trend towards more extreme flows in some Scottish rivers. With climate change scenarios, there is potential for further increases in high flows which may impact on salmon.

Heavily modified rivers are likely to be less resilient to potential disturbance. Restoration of natural morphological processes and channel characteristics could improve resilience. The Wild Salmon Strategy covers five priority areas, including ‘improving the condition of rivers and giving salmon free access to cold, clean water.’ The Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) specifically encourages projects to restore wildlife and habitats.

A Government report on the scientific considerations in stocking policy development for river managers was published last year Science of salmon stocking: report .

In summary, the supplementation of wild populations with salmon raised in hatcheries can play a part in securing benefits for wild salmon, but may also cause significant and long-lasting harm, depending on the situation.

It is recognised that in specific situations where the threat of extinction can be identified and is imminent and extreme, stocking with hatchery raised salmon may be a vital tool following careful consideration of the inherent risks. The Wild Salmon Strategy Science and Evidence Board is currently reviewing the evidence of various stocking methods in these situations and will report to the Wild Salmon Strategy Implementation Plan Delivery Group soon.

The 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer has commenced, with clinical peer review sessions running from April to October 2024. A consultation period will then follow to allow stakeholders across NHS Scotland to comment on the final version. A revised Guideline is expected to be published early 2025.

A wealth of evidence is being collated and analysed as part of the 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, including from key partners Cancer Research UK and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. All factors that are relevant in the context of symptoms suspicious of cancer based on available evidence, that could support primary care decision-making, will be considered in the Guideline review. The prostate peer review session (PRS), as part of the Review, is scheduled for May 2024.

Prostate BRCA1/2 genetic testing to support access to Olaparib is available to all eligible patients in Scotland. The testing has been implemented with funding from Scottish Government in 2023-24.

In Scotland genomic testing is provided through a network of four NHS laboratories which are commissioned through NHS National Services Division (NSD), part of NHS National Services Scotland. The laboratories work in conjunction with the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine (SSNGM) to deliver a directory of genomic tests for people across Scotland as a whole and to ensure that testing is embedded within end-to-end clinical pathways.