The Short Life Working Group’s Report has today been published on the Scottish Government’s website, and can be viewed here .

The report contains key recommendations in relation to care pathways, the multi-disciplinary team process, patient information and decision aids, patient follow-up procedures, and clinician training. The Report has been presented to NHS Chief Executives and all Health Boards are expected to act on its recommendations.

In addition, the Group last year recommended the establishment of a National Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service. That recommendation is being progressed.

As stated in its report, the Group will continue to exist until the Scottish National Pelvic Mesh Removal Service has been established. Thereafter, it is important that a new group is established with appropriate representation, from both clinicians and those with lived experience, and with authority to both provide oversight of the delivery of improvements in services and to review implications for Scotland of external reports.

More generally, we continue to progress work including the establishment of a Case Note Review; we have invited Dr Veronikis to Scotland and await his response; and we are creating a £1 million fund for women affected by mesh complications. I hope to announce details of that fund in late spring.

Despite the foregoing, we must be mindful of the ongoing situation with COVID-19. This means, for example, that we may have to delay the commencement of the Case Note Review until official advice allows face-to-face meetings of the kind this would require, and delay referrals to the new Complex Pelvic Mesh Removal Service until appropriate. However we are continuing with our work to ensure that, where there is any delay to our plans, we will be ready as soon as it is safe and practicable to proceed.

We are committed to investing in a replacement for HMP Barlinnie, Scotland’s largest prison. In the meantime, we are also committed to ensuring appropriate standards of facilities to meet the needs of prisoners in the existing prison.

Over the past decade, the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has continued to invest in the maintenance of HMP Barlinnie. Following, agreement by Parliament of the Scottish Government budget, I can confirm that we have agreed to provide additional funding to SPS for essential remedial work at HMP Barlinnie. This will see the refurbishment of the prisoner reception areas, including removing existing holding cells that have been subject to criticism, and the partial refurbishment of the healthcare facility and additional work to the healthcare and addictions facilities in the accommodation halls. These improvements will help prison and NHS staff overcome daily operational challenges and provide appropriate services and support for those in the care of HMP Barlinnie.

£3 million is being provided towards the costs of this work in 2020-21 and further funding will be provided in 2021-22.

Funding in the coming year is part of our additional £50 million for prisons in the 2020-21 Budget, including a £30 million increase in revenue funding for staffing and other operational costs for prisons and a 43% rise in capital funding of £20 million.

This means a total of £68 million will be available for improving infrastructure across the estate.

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 came into effect on 1 April 2019 and created a new, specific offence of domestic abuse. The Scottish Ministers have a statutory duty to report on implementation of the Domestic Abuse Act 3 years after commencement and it is intended that a report will be published in late 2022.

Although the stalking offence and the domestic abuse offence are different, there is overlap between the types of conduct criminalised within the offences. That is why prior to the introduction of the new domestic abuse offence, some cases of domestic abuse that are now recorded and prosecuted under the domestic abuse offence would likely previously have been recorded and prosecuted using the stalking offence with a domestic abuse aggravation.

Official statistics for the year 2019-20 will be published in due course on the number of prosecutions and convictions for the new domestic abuse offence and for the stalking offence. This data will help show what impact, if any, there has been on use of the stalking offence since the introduction of the new domestic abuse offence.

The Expert Group on Preventing Sexual offending Involving Children and Young People was established after research by the Scottish Government identified that around half of the growth in all recorded sexual crime in recent years was due to growth in sexual cyber-crime which tends to involve younger female victims and younger male perpetrators.

Chaired by former Chief Executive to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Catherine Dyer, the Expert Group brought together expertise from across child protection, education, health, justice and service providers from the third sector. There was also positive engagement by the Group with young people, both through its membership and through a number of surveys and focus groups.

The Group met on ten occasions following its establishment in January 2018, during which they considered a range of evidence from academia and operational practice. Particular issues, such as the impact of disability, collaborative working and peer on peer abuse, were identified and sub-groups involving further experts were formed to explore these topics in greater depth.

The Scottish Government has today published the Group’s final report which sets out its findings and proposals for further action. The document can be accessed on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781839602481

I am pleased to confirm that the review of the Advance Payment Scheme has now concluded and the findings published today. The Scheme provides acknowledgement and recognition, by means of a financial payment and an apology, to those who suffered abuse in care in Scotland before December 2004, and who either have a terminal illness or are age 70 or over.

The review has taken account of the first five months of the operation of the Scheme since it opened on 25 April 2019. It has considered a range of issues, including application numbers and scheme performance, the age threshold for eligibility, the application form and guidance, the process of obtaining a written record showing time spent in care, as well as feedback received to date. The review paper is available at https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781839603914/ .

The main conclusion of the review is that the age threshold for eligibility to the Scheme should be lowered from age 70 and over to age 68 and over. This is considered to be consistent with the purpose of the Scheme; a reduction in the age threshold will provide more survivors who may not live long enough to apply to the statutory scheme with the opportunity to receive recognition and acknowledgement now. We know from feedback how meaningful that can be for some individuals.

The reduction in the age threshold to 68 and over will have immediate effect. Survivors of historical child abuse in care in Scotland who are now eligible are encouraged to apply. There will be no further review to the age threshold. The intention is that the Advance Payment Scheme will cease to exist once the statutory redress scheme is operational.

The review has also looked at wider aspects of the Scheme, and many of the issues identified are now reflected in updated versions of the application form and guidance which have also been published today and can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/financial-redress-for-survivors-of-child-abuse-in-care-advance-payment-scheme/ .

Part of the review also considered the process for obtaining a written record which shows the applicant spent time in care in Scotland. This is a necessary requirement of the Scheme to ensure it is robust and credible. The Scheme Advisers have built up their knowledge of this complex area and developed a network of contacts in the main care providers, across local authorities, and other relevant organisations. Potential applicants who are concerned about this aspect are encouraged to make early contact with the Scheme Advisers who will be able to consider their individual circumstances and offer advice, or signpost them to specialist record search organisations if they prefer.

I would like to express my gratitude for the time and assistance of other organisations (including care providers, the National Records of Scotland, COSLA and local authorities) in supporting us to provide Advance Payments to survivors of abuse in care in Scotland.

We will continuously seek to improve the operation and delivery of the Advance Payment Scheme and, importantly, learn lessons for the development and implementation of the statutory redress scheme.

The consultation on statutory financial redress closed on 25 November. Over 260 responses have been received, the majority of which are from individual survivors. The responses will help shape the development of the redress legislation which will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament in 2020.