As with any surgical procedure, there is a risk of complication and the Scottish Government has received a small number of letters from patients describing symptoms after hernia mesh surgery. However, the use of mesh in hernia repair is accepted practice across the UK and there no evidence to suggest its use is unsafe, with no medical device alert having been issued in any jurisdiction anywhere in the world. Any complications are expected to be followed up as necessary by the clinicians involved in the case.

Part 3 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 sets out who can make the arrangements for the burial or cremation of an adult, child, still-born baby and pregnancy loss. As part of the ongoing implementation of the 2016 Act, Part 3 will be laid before the Scottish Parliament for commencement soon.

The 2016 Act does not restrict or govern who may organise or conduct the funeral of a deceased person. The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce regulations governing who can conduct a funeral.

The Scottish Government is taking a number of actions to improve teacher recruitment in problem subject areas, including supporting universities in the development of new routes into teaching, offering bursaries of £20,000 for career changers to do teacher training in certain STEM subjects, and delivering our teacher recruitment campaign ‘Teaching Makes People’ which focuses on STEM and other subjects where demand is at its greatest.

We believe it is important that local authorities and schools offer a broad range of subject choices that meet their pupils' needs and aspirations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-18753 on 27 September 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 .

Hearthstone provided initial private finance loan investment to Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association (CRE) to enable delivery of social rent homes through this scheme. CRE subsequently repaid the loan to Hearthstone but continue to work with the local authority partners to develop the originally planned social rent homes which will contribute to the Scottish Government’s 50,000 affordable homes target. CRE is also delivering a number of other affordable and social rent developments and has accessed financial support from Scottish Government to support these, which is in addition to the initial £6 million investment allocated to the Hearthstone scheme.

The impact of Scottish Government investment in delivery of the 50,000 affordable homes will be captured as part of the More Homes Scotland approach, and will help inform future investment plans beyond this Parliamentary period. Analysis will take account of the various funding schemes, considering value for money and the wider impacts of Scottish Government investment, including the funding to the Hearthstone scheme. Scottish Ministers are regularly updated on this work.

The monitoring of funding to CRE is captured in regular meetings between Scottish Government officials and the relevant Local Authorities to review progress on the delivery of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. In April 2018 the Scottish Government announced it is committing nearly £1.8 billion of funding over the 3 years to March 2021 to local authority areas for the provision of affordable housing across Scotland, which includes grant funding to Registered Social Landlords. This is part of the wider £3 billion investment in the delivery of 50,000 affordable homes over the lifetime of this Parliament through the Affordable Homes Supply Programme.

We also remain committed to encouraging and enabling partnership working between the public and private sector to increase the supply of housing across all tenures and are using government guarantees, loans, grant recycling and new sources of private funding that complement our conventional funding routes to support this objective.