Chamber and committees

We are taking forward a range of actions across five key outcomes set out in our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan:

• giving children the best start in life;
• creating a healthier food environment;
• better access to weight management services;
• leadership;
• reducing health inequalities.

The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-plan/

Supporting the maintenance of long-term weight loss demands action to transform the food environment - that is the environment that influences what we buy and eat - to support healthier choices as well as reduce the excessive consumption of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt. We have set out in our Delivery Plan how we will achieve this.

In addition to preventative actions, the delivery plan also recognises the need for targeted and tailored support for adults in Scotland to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This includes a commitment to working with Public Health Scotland and partners to develop evidence-informed, cost-effective minimum standards and pathways for weight management programmes.

In 2018 we published the Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes, as part of the Delivery Plan, which recognises the link between weight and Type 2 Diabetes. The Framework is at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-framework-prevention-early-detection-early-intervention-type-2/

Public Health Scotland published Core Standards for the delivery of tier 2 (targeted lifestyle interventions usually delivered in groups) and tier 3 (specialist services for more complex cases) Healthy Weight Management in 2019. The Core Standards provide a comprehensive framework for evidence-based and consistent delivery, with key aims to ensure a fair and equal approach to treatment across Scotland. Included is a requirement that NHS Boards should offer weight maintenance as a key component within a 1-year programme, to all participants, to ensure ongoing support following the active intervention phase. Depending on the duration and type of active intervention as well as the needs of the individual, follow-up intervals should be at 1- to 3-monthly – e.g. at 3, 6 and 9 months post active intervention. In some circumstances, for example for total diet replacement, follow-up may be required for up to 2 years. The Core Standards are at http://www.healthscotland.scot/publications/standards-for-the-delivery-of-tier-2-and-tier-3-weight-management-services-in-scotland.

One of the key outcomes of our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan is that people have access to effective weight management services. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-plan/

The Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes to improve weight management services for people with, or at risk of developing, type 2 diabetes or prediabetes was published in 2018, recognising the link between weight and Type 2 Diabetes. The Framework is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-framework-prevention-early-detection-early-intervention-type-2/

We are in year three of a programme to improve weight management services for people with, or at risk of developing, Type 2 Diabetes or prediabetes. We are looking to invest up to £5 million this financial year. We have also continued to provide £1.7 million in 2020-21 to improve weight management services for children and young people.

As set out in Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2020-2021 , we will increase access to weight management services for people with, or at risk of, Type 2 Diabetes, or with prediabetes, and extend access to weight management services to everyone living with obesity. Programme for Government 20/21 is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/protecting-scotland-renewing-scotland-governments
-programme-scotland-2020-2021/

Public Health Scotland and NHS 24 have created a 12 week weight management programme on NHS Inform which is at https://www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/12-week-weight-management-programme

Our 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan sets out that we will give children the best start in life through a broad range of action to support children and their families to eat well and be a healthy weight. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-plan/

We want to ensure parents and carers are supported to make informed decisions, whether it’s about breastfeeding and weaning, nutrition, portion size or mealtime behaviours. Furthermore, should their child’s weight become a concern, we want parents to understand why it matters, and to feel supported – not judged – with good advice and services.

There is strong evidence that breastfeeding is one of the most important things that a mother can do to give her baby the best nutritional start in life, which can also be a means of preventing obesity among infants and young children. We have provided over £5 million in additional investment over the past three years to NHS Boards and launched a Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland scheme to promote, support and protect breastfeeding. The Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland report is at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/becoming-breastfeeding-friendly-scotland-report/

Public Health Scotland published Core Standards for Healthy Weight Management in 2019. It strongly encourages NHS Boards to continue to innovate by developing and testing more efficient, responsive, and family-centred approaches to continually improve the quality of the services provided. The standards recommend that NHS Boards, in line with the best available evidence, provide treatment programmes for children and young people, which are ‘multicomponent’ and incorporate the following elements: behaviour change, are family based, involve at least one parent/carer and aim to change the whole family’s lifestyle. The standards are at: http://www.healthscotland.scot/media/2658/standards-for-the-delivery-of-tier-2-and-tier-3
-weight-management-services-for-children-and-young-people-in-scotland-english-oct2019.pdf

We are providing over £600,000 this financial year to ten NHS board-led projects, working with families to help prevent and reduce levels of childhood obesity. Many of these are trialling a family-centred approach, with particular focus on parents and families from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Our Parent Club site ( https://www.parentclub.scot/ ) provides a range of hints and tips to help families enjoy healthier meals and snacks, especially for those on a budget. The site recognises the additional challenges parents are facing during the pandemic so the advice does not just look at what to eat but how preparing food can be educational and fun.

The 2019 Scottish Health Survey, published in September 2020, reported that 29% of adults in Scotland were living with obesity. The Survey is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2019-volume-1-main-report/

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Scottish Health Survey, published in January 2021, introduced a shortened telephone version for adults aged 16 and over. Interviews were conducted during August and September 2020 rather than over twelve months. The 2020 Scottish Health Survey reported that 28% of adults in Scotland were living with obesity. The Survey is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-telephone-survey-august-september-2020-main-report/

We will continue to assess the prevalence of adult obesity in Scotland through the Scottish Health Survey.

We set out in 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan ambitious and wide-ranging action to deliver our vision for a Scotland where everyone eats well and has a healthy weight. The Delivery Plan is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-scotlands-diet-healthy-weight-delivery-plan/

We are taking forward a range of action across five key outcomes: giving children the best start in life; creating a healthier food environment; better access to weight management services; leadership and reducing health inequalities.

We have set a challenging ambition to halve childhood obesity by 2030. With a primary focus on prevention, the actions we are taking include:

• updating nutritional guidance for school foods regulations, and early learning and childcare settings to give children more access to nutritious food
• providing over £5 million in additional investment over the past three years, to NHS Boards and launched a Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland scheme to promote, support and protect breastfeeding
• providing free vitamin D to infants, pregnant and breastfeeding women
• continuing to provide £1.7 million in 2020-21 to improve weight management services for children and young people, ensuring consistent quality and equity of access to evidence-based support across Scotland
• providing over £600,000 of funding to ten NHS board-led projects working with families to help prevent and reduce levels of childhood obesity.

We are taking actions to narrow the obesity inequality gap among children. We are, among other things:

• making over £130 million available this financial year to tackle food insecurity caused by the pandemic, including over £44 million to local authorities to continue the delivery of free school meal provision over school closures and holidays up to and including Easter holidays in April 2021
• investing over £11.7 million to date in the Best Start Foods card payment scheme, which launched in August 2019
• providing £302,000 this financial year to the Healthy Living Programme (HLP) to encourage the sale of healthier products in convenience retail stores, with a particular focus on communities within areas of deprivation
• making available an additional £30,000 to the HLP this financial year to support a cooking at home campaign.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government has commenced a broad range of actions aimed at tackling the multifaceted problem of poor dietary health and high rates of overweight and obesity. The more prominent of these are described below.

Since 2018, we have provided around £300,000 core funding to help regional community food networks target local initiatives where need is greatest. We have supplemented this with a further offer of around £100,000 this financial year to mitigate the additional impact of the pandemic.

We are investing £200,000 over a three year period (from 2018/19) to support Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises to reformulate commonly consumed products. This will enable Scottish food suppliers to have more opportunities to promote healthy, local produce.

When the new regulations governing nutritional standards for food and drink served in school come into effect on 8 April 2021, school food and drink will be healthier than before. They will replace the current regulations, which have been in place since August 2008.

We are supporting pilots of a Whole Systems Approach to improving diet and healthy weight, focussing on children and health inequalities. We have extended the pilot by an extra year – to March 2022 – given the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are working with Food Standards Scotland and Public Health Scotland (PHS) on a range of actions to support eating well out of home. With much of the sector currently struggling due to the pandemic, we will consider carefully the right time to progress this work.

We will progress legislation to restrict the promotion of foods high in fat, sugar or salt where they are sold to the public, having taken into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the links between overweight and obesity with Type 2 Diabetes, we published in 2018 the Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes . The Framework is at https://www.gov.scot/publications/healthier-future-framework-prevention-early-detection-early-intervention-type-2/

We are in year three of a programme to improve weight management services for people with, or at risk of developing, Type 2 Diabetes or prediabetes. We are looking to invest up to £5 million this financial year to support its delivery.

We will regularly monitor all commitments to ensure that progress continues to be made.

Tarbolton Landfill Limited, the operator of the site, remains in liquidation.

The Scottish Government is not directly responsible for the site, however, on‎ 8 December we met with SEPA and South Ayrshire Council to discuss a proposition for how the different public authorities can work together to move matters forward.

Following this constructive meeting, the Scottish Government is considering how barriers to progressing with site remediation work could be removed. Further discussions between public authorities are planned to progress this work.

I advised Parliament on 5 November 2020 that Prestwick Airport would be placing a notice in the Official Journal of the European Union inviting expressions of interest in Prestwick Airport. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33019 on 5 November 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

To protect the integrity of the process I am limited in the information I can provide due to the requirement to maintain confidentiality. I am, however, satisfied that good progress is being made in the interests of the business, and will update parliament on the sale process at the appropriate time.