An independent review of the impact of the winter initiative has been commissioned by Simon Community Scotland, Edinburgh Streetwork and Aberdeen Cyrenians and is due to report later in July. The Scottish Government will review this along with other reports from organisations involved in delivering the immediate actions recommended by the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group to combat rough sleeping last winter, and will provide an additional summary report to inform key actions for next winter and beyond as part of our plans to eradicate rough sleeping and end homelessness.

The Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group and the Local Government and Communities Committee have both made recommendations around improving the measurement of rough sleeping. We have accepted these in principle and are committed to considering how to take forward action in this space. As recommended by the Action Group, the Scottish Government is already working with the Centre for Homelessness Impact to develop options for a new rough sleeping data collection in Scotland, in collaboration with the wider sector.

The Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, co-chaired by the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning and COSLA, is overseeing the development of a high level action plan on the implementation of the Action Group's recommendations, and further details will be available in the autumn.

Scottish Government officials have met with Vertex Pharmaceuticals twice this year to discuss Vertex’s proposals for their medicines designed to treat cystic fibrosis. Further to these meetings, officials have encouraged the company to discuss a possible application to the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC).

Decisions made by the SMC are taken independently of Ministers and the Parliament and are based on an assessment of clinical and cost-effectiveness across the Scottish population.

The median life expectancy for someone living with Cystic Fibrosis in Scotland is 47 years.

Data on life expectancy in Scotland and the UK is publicly available online from the UK Cystic Fibrosis Registry which can be viewed on the following link: https://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/the-work-we-do/uk-cf-registry

The 2017-18 NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) annual report refers to paediatric patients under 16 years.

In Scotland the transition age from paediatric to adult care centres varies between‎ 15 and 19 years within the 3 specialist centres. Therefore patients between 16 and 19 can be included in either band range depending on the centre.

The total numbers across Scotland are:-

a) 357 paediatric patients, and

b) 585 adult patients

The former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport did not hold discussions with NHS boards about Orkambi. This reflects the policy of the Scottish Government, which is that decisions about the availability of medicines on the NHS are taken independently of Ministers.

Four Cystic Fibrosis drug trials are currently ongoing in Scotland. Two are in NHS Lothian and two in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde.

In addition to the drug trials, NHS Research Scotland also supports

a basic science study involving patients at NHS Lothian

two clinical trials studying an intervention, one ongoing in NHS GGC one at NHS Lothian/NHS Fife

a Research Database ongoing at NHS Tayside, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Grampian, NHS Lothian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Highland and NHS Ayrshire and Arran

A questionnaire study ongoing at NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian.

The previous Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport discussed with Greater Glasgow and Clyde on several occasions the delivery of out of hours services.

I refer the member to my answer to the question S5W-17493 on ‎19 July 2018. 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 .

Derek Mackay : I refer the member to my answer to the question S5W-17493 on‎ 19 July 2018. 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 .