 The final item of business this evening is our member's business debate on motion 7973 in the name of Jackie Dunbar on the Vatburn campaign. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I would invite Members wishing to participate to press the request-to-speak buttons now. As soon as possible. I call on Jackie Dunbar to open the debate around seven minutes. I feel so honoured to be leading the debate this evening, and I'm proud to add my name to the calls for the UK Government to scrap VAT on sun cream of Factor 30 and above, as these products are essential health items. I thank colleagues from not only my own benches, but also from the Labour benches who have supported my motion, because their support has allowed this debate to go ahead tonight. I'd also like to welcome Amy Callaghan MP to the public gallery this evening. Welcome to our, or your, Parliament Quine, and Mark yourself at him. Members have had the opportunity this afternoon to drop in to chat with Amy about the campaign in the Parliament, and I thank colleagues from across the chamber who have taken the time to do so. I also want to wholeheartedly thank Amy for her campaigning on this issue, being a survivor of skin cancer herself. She has been a relentless advocate and her work is hugely welcome, and if her bill passes, it will, without a doubt, save lives. I also thank Melanoma Focus, Melanoma UK, Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust and Skin, who have backed Amy's calls and who continue to work for this vital change to VAT to be enacted as a matter of urgency. Our cases of melanoma have more than doubled since the early 90s. 16,000 new cases of the skin cancer are diagnosed across the UK each year, resulting in 2,300 deaths. As many as 90 per cent of cases of melanoma could be prevented by staying safe in the sun. That includes using sunscreens of SPF 30 and above with a four-star UVA protection rating. Wearing sunscreen is one of the simplest things that we can do to protect our skin against the risk of cancer, but one in eight of us do not wear it purely down to cost. Some just cannot afford it. Amy's campaign will stop families being priced out of buying sunscreen and make it more affordable for everyone. Amy's bill is a simple and inexpensive one that could save countless lives. Australia, the US and Canada have already removed VAT-style taxes from sunscreen, and there is nothing stopping the UK from doing the same. Cases of melanoma skin cancer are increasing, yet most cases can be prevented if people are sun smart, including wearing factor 30-plus sunscreen. Public polling indicates that many folk find the cost of sunscreen just too high. With the current cost of living crisis deepening and with summer fast approaching, cost is likely to deter increasing numbers of folk from buying sunscreen. Major retailers Tesco and ASDA have recognised cost as a prohibitive barrier to folk buying sunscreen, and, indeed, to their credit, Tesco reduced the price of their own brand sunscreens by 20 per cent in 2021 to offset VAT. This move from Tesco followed a consumer poll in which 57 per cent of respondents said that the product was too expensive and 29 per cent claimed that they would wear it daily if it was a little bit cheaper. ASDA called for VAT to be removed as part of a sun safety campaign in 2013, and I would join Amy in calling on all supermarkets to take steps in the absence of action from the UK Government to make sunscreen as affordable as possible. Removing VAT from factor 30 or more sunscreens will both make sunscreen more affordable to folk and will send a powerful message to the UK Government about the importance of skin protection. With the impact of climate change, meaning increase in temperatures in the UK, this measure is becoming increasingly urgent. In the US, sunscreen products have been federally exempted from VAT-style taxes since 2012. In Australia, their exempt provided that they are marketed principally for using a sunscreen and have an SPF rating of 15 or more. Melanoma Focus believes that the reduced VAT revenue from this policy would be offset by reduced Melanoma's skin cancer cases and therefore reducing costs to the NHS. The Getting It Right First Time NHS England review of dermatology highlights high and increasing skin cancer demand, with 200,000 surgical operations carried out for suspected skin cancer every year, and skin cancer rates doubling every 14 to 15 years. It highlights the need for additional workforce to make current and future pressures and recommends that raising sun and skin awareness is needed to reduce pressures on dermatology services. The message is simple. Remove VAT from sunscreen and save not only lives but also pressure on our NHS, which, as we know, is already under increased strain. It is quite frankly shocking that the UK Government cannot see this benefit and have not taken action to exempt sunscreen from VAT. We know that VAT is a policy area reserved to the UK Government, but there is action that the Scottish Government cannot take. I would ask the minister if she would write to her counterpart in the UK Government to request that VAT be removed on sunscreen of Factor 30+. Or give this Parliament the powers to do so in Scotland. I would also ask the minister if she would consider working with Retailers Scotland to explore actions that could be taken to increase access to sunscreen. There are simple steps but are steps that will save lives. In closing, I again thank Amy Callaghan MP for all her work on this issue, and I will add my support to the campaign and call on the UK Government to take the action that is needed. I look forward to hearing the contributions from across the chamber tonight. Thank you very much, Ms Dunbar. We move to the opening debate. I call First Rona Mackay to be followed by Sandesh Gulhane up to four minutes. I am especially pleased to be speaking in this important debate tonight. I thank my friend and colleague Jackie Dunbar for bringing it to the chamber. May is Melanoma Awareness Month. There are 16,000 new cases of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, diagnosed each year across the UK with 2,300 people, sadly dying. This is largely a preventable disease, as 90 per cent of cases of melanoma could be prevented by staying safe in the sun. That is why the campaign, launched by my friend and colleague Amy Callaghan, is so vital and important. I would like to say a few words about Amy, who is here in the chamber, as we know. She has beaten melanoma twice, while in her teens and early 20s. I will do my best not to embarrass her, but she is a remarkable young woman. She was my office manager when I was elected in 2016 until she won the constituency of Eastumbartonshire in 2019 in stunning style, beating the sitting MP, Jo Swinson. I never doubted her ability to do that or to tackle issues head on. She has dealt with considerable health issues with amazing courage and determination, and if anyone can win this campaign, she can. Amy is a winner. Her VAT burn campaign aims to remove VAT from sunscreen products of SPF30+, and a four-star UVA protection rating. We know that using an effective sunscreen is the safest way to enjoy the sun and protect the skin, but sun cream is expensive. As we have heard from Jackie Dabr, research shows that one in eight people do not wear sunscreen because it is too expensive. As someone who has always used a factor of 50 sun cream, and I still have to limit my time in the sun to avoid burning, I know how necessary that is, and I have never understood why the higher the factor, the higher the price, it does not seem to make any sense. Melanoa Focus, who is backing the campaign, along with Teenage Cancer Trust, Skin, Melanoa UK, Young Lives Versus Cancer and Mascot, recommends that FF30+, sun cream, is a healthcare item, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. There is no valid reason for retaining VAT on sunscreen products. The policy change would cost the Treasury the region of £40 million per year, a drop in the ocean when it comes to saving lives. Yet, despite cross-party support, the UK Government has refused point blank to take this initiative of removing VAT forward, and I think that that is shameful. In the 15 to 44 age group, melanoma of skin cancer is the second most common cancer in males and the third most common in females. One in 36 females and one in 47 females will be diagnosed with melanoma of skin cancer in their lifetime. Cases are increasing, yet most cases can be prevented if people use high-factor sunscreen. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and admittedly not yet this year, but our summers are getting hotter, so there will never be a better time to review the policy of paying VAT on a healthcare item. It is good news that supermarkets Tesco and Asgah have recognised the cost as a prohibitive barrier to people buying sunscreen, and as we heard Jackie outline Tesco have reduced the price of its own brand by 20 per cent, as I called for VAT to be removed, and Morrison's have also pledged to pass on VAT reduction. Removing VAT from sunscreen would not have been possible under EU rules, but it is now possible. Perhaps this is the only benefit of Brexit. In the US sunscreen products have been federally exempted from VAT-style taxes since 2012. In Australia, their exempt provided their market principally for use of sunscreen and have an SPF rating of 15 or more. It is high time that common sense and our duty of care to save lives prevails and those health items are exempt from VAT. I thank again my colleague Jackie Dunbar for bringing this to the chamber and wish Amy Callaghan all the best with her commendable campaign. I look at sun creams, which recommend as their own brand at £3.50, boots own brand at £4, but safety issues it raises with Hawaiian tropic at £14, green people at £25, Alba at £12, tropic at £28, ultrasound at £28 and clinic at £26. So if you look around and look for the best type of sun cream which works most effectively, it's not about price, it's about what's inside it and what's inside it that costs more as you go up on the different factors. Looking at skin cancer, that's what I really want to talk about and this is abnormal cell growth on the outermost part of our skin then, that's the epidermis and what happens is ultraviolet light damages the DNA and triggers mutations and that rapidly spreads. Now it's more pronounced in people with fair skin and people who are more susceptible to sunburn but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen to people of all colours. Having a large number of benign moles and a family history of skin cancer is also a risk factor and we need to also be clear that it's harder to diagnose in people with darker skin and also children under 15 and a lot of that has to do with the fact that a medical school, the only things I saw were from rashes to moles to cancer were on people with Caucasian white skin. There are different types of skin cancer, some are very rare so the three most common are BCC, the basal cell carcinoma which is sort of a pearly white lump, you get squamous cell carcinoma, the SCC and that's a pink lump with a rough or crusted surface and then melanoma which is the most aggressive and dangerous and we've heard that 12,000 people are diagnosed with it annually. About 1,200 malignant melanomas most serious are registered each year and it's important that sun cream isn't just the answer because it's not just about sun cream which is very important but we also need to be sun aware, we need to make sure that we spend time away from the sun especially during those hottest times. We also need to make sure that we're covered up so we wear a hat, we wear long sleeves and though tempting as we don't get a huge amount of sun here in Scotland we do want to go and enjoy it as much as possible, it is that that we need to be wary of. Now what I really want to talk about is how people go about looking at moles, what do they need to do so if you're out then you've got a mole or you're not sure then what I would like you to do is get a ruler and take a picture of that mole. That allows you to have a mole with a line which means if you take more pictures of it we know how big it is. A, B, C, D, E is what we want to be doing, A stands for asymmetry so you want to look to see if it matches, B is the board, is it irregular, is it rugged or blurred and C is for colour, is it uneven or is it the same colour through, D is diameter so it's about the size of five pence piece and E is evolving, is it changing over time so if these things are happening to you we need to be clear that you should present to your GP and your doctor because I think it's time that that gets photographed and sent to dermatology. A small spot can still be very significant so this is very important if you are concerned and this is what the sun causes. We need to limit our use of sunbeds as well. The proposal to remove VAT on sun cream which would cost the public purse around £40 million a year is definitely worthy of further discussion but as I said at the start it's important we all wear sun cream no matter what our colour and we need to spend time out of the sun. People need to be educated in what is important when it comes to the moles that they have and please present to your GP if you're concerned and I declare my register of interest as a practising NHS doctor. Thank you very much Dr Gohani. I now call Ruth Maguire to be followed by David Torrance around four minutes. I congratulate Jackie Dunbar for securing this debate and bringing the important topic to the chamber. My thanks also go to Amy Callaghan MP who's been campaigning tirelessly for the removal of VAT on sunscreen products recommended by the NHS. 16,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year across the UK with 2,300 people dying. 90% of cases of melanoma could be prevented by staying safe in the sun. We heard those shocking statistics from Jackie in opening. However, it is important that those numbers are repeated and highlighted to press home how crucial action, like removing VAT on products, could be in preventing cancer and saving lives. Prevention is what this campaign is about. Sunscreen is often seen as a luxury that somebody buys when they head off on holiday and perhaps you only think about it in Scotland after the searing pain of being sunburn, which has probably happened to all of us at some point and we've maybe even joked about it. However, would we, if we knew and I quote, play Scotland, stay safe? It only takes one blistering sunburn, especially at a young age, to more than double a person's chance of developing melanoma later in life. Education in a young person's life is crucial to their understanding of the world, giving them tools that influence their decisions throughout their life. As parents and carers, we like to be role models for our children and young people, encourage them to drink water and stay hydrated, eat healthily, get outdoors and move around and play, especially when the weather is nice. When we manage to get them off their devices and outside, we teach them not to speak to strangers to be careful of traffic, but we always make sure that they use sunscreen and if not, why not? £3.50 might be cheap on an MSP's salary but, for lots of families, that still impacts on their weekly money that they have to spend. When we talk about being safe in the sun, we know sunscreen alone is not enough with the cost of hats, summer clothes and sunglasses. Cost of families can be significant. Over the last wee while, the cost of living crisis has been high on the agenda. Energy prices have risen, interest rates have soared and people have endured an increase to the costs of their weekly shop. With the Met Office reporting that average hottest summer day is between four and seven degrees warmer than previously recorded, it is vital that families are able to afford to protect themselves and their children. A survey by Tesco showed that 57 per cent of adults think that sunscreen is too expensive. 29 per cent said that they would weight it daily if it was a little cheaper. Nearly a third of parents said that they cannot always afford to apply sunscreen to the whole family, often deciding to apply it just to their children. As we have heard, Tesco has already absorbed the cost of that on all products in their own brand range, meaning a reduction of 20 per cent in the price. I know that Morrison backs Amy's campaign, too. As summer approaches urge families are feeling the pinch with the cost of living crisis, not to skimp on buying sunscreen. Remember that it is not the brand that keeps you safe. Melanoma UK projects over 1,900,000 people in the UK who are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma in 2025. It is vital that action is taken now to remove that on sunscreen so that protection is affordable and easy for young people and families to save lives and prevent cancer. I thank Jackie Dunbar for bringing this important debate to the chamber today. I would also like to express my gratitude to my Westminster comic, Amy Callagham MP, for leading that burn campaign, for the UK Government to remove that from sunscreen products that have significant health benefits. There are 16,000 UK cases of melanoma diagnosed each year across the UK, yet 90 per cent of the cases could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and using sunscreen that is at least SPF 30 with a four star or above UVA protection rating. Skin cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, yet sunscreen products are still subject to that, creating significant barriers to access. Cancer affects so many of us and our constituents' lives. I am making a simple and effective change. Removing that from sunscreen products could have enormous impact on people across the country, now looking for generations to come. The benefit of Scrapp and Barton Scrumpting products is well known, and the UK is a decade behind the US in exempting sunscreen products from that style of taxes. If the last three years of Covid and the last 13 years of Tory austerity has taught us anything, we cannot put a price on our health and at any time when thousands of families across the country are facing incredible difficult decisions regarding their finances, it is clear that making sunscreen more affordable and readily available is a common sense approach that the UK Government needs to take to save lives. No family should feel that they have to forsake sun protection for the sake of cussing costs. According to a 2021 survey, 15 per cent of adults think that sunscreen is too expensive and 29 per cent said that they would wear it daily if it was a little cheaper. Nearly a third of parents surveyed said that they cannot always afford to apply sunscreen to a whole family, often deciding to apply the justice of children, although it is incredibly welcome that some supermarkets have made this decision to absorb the cost of that and to reduce overall price of some sunscreen items. It is essential for the UK Government to recognise that sunscreen is an essential product, not a luxury, and should be treated as sick for that purpose. I join many of other condemning UK Government's response to a campaign. The argument that a Government funding would reduce if that and sunscreen products were scrapped is almost laughable, considering the estimated cost of skin cancer to the NHS as £100 million. To put this into perspective, less than 0.5 of revenue generated by a treasury from that comes from sunscreen products. It is also massively disappointing that the UK Government has placed responsible for these issues on retailers. Many of whom are small businesses and individuals, many of whom are suffering as a result of a cost of living crisis. The UK Government previously committed to reviewing that on sunscreen products, and I join others in their calls for a Government to consider its commitment once again. I also very much support the second component of the That Burn campaign, which is the proof of education and awareness around skin protection and sun. It has made a skin cancer awareness month where prevention, detection and treatment of skin cancer takes centre stage, and this debate today is helping to give the important topic of political attention that it deserves. Research from Mellonville Focus shows that 35% of Scots really are never used sunscreen when in the UK, with only 15% always using it. This is despite the fact that 44% of Scots report getting sunburn at least once per year. We have seen record temperatures in recent years as climate crisis make us more susceptible to heat waves and intense periods of direct sunlight. As we reach a warmer months, raising awareness of skin cancer prevention and symptoms is absolutely essential. I am proud of a number of the news that Scotland has introduced such sunburn regulations, improving sun awareness education to thousands of pupils and increasing the number of clinical nurses and specialists in skin cancer, including in Victoria hospital in my constituency. Thanks to the Tylers and other work of researchers, the NHS and medical profession, campaigners and cancer charities these initiatives have made a tremendous impact on the way we approach skin cancer and prevention awareness. In conclusion, it is clearer as much more has to be done and the contributions to this debate have highlighted just how much support that burn campaign has across all areas of Scotland. It is our duty to make these products more accessible and affordable to our constituents. I am reassured to see that the Scottish Government's priority to improve the experience of outcomes for people affected by all cancers across Scotland. With the UK Government's support of a blackburn campaign, we can continue to improve the lives of people affected by skin cancer and their families and loved ones. I thank Jackie Dunbar for bringing this really important debate to the chamber. It is right that we debate this topic this evening because it is important that we consider this campaign and discuss all options that allow people to be safer in the sun. As the motion states, the vast majority of melanoma cases could be prevented by staying safe in the sun, so it is critical that we are always raising awareness of the key components of good sun safety practice, such as being mentioned wearing clothes that provide some protection, finding shade and taking extra precautions if, for example, you have many moles. I would like to also add that it is only right when we debate in this chamber that we take the opportunity to look at where the Scottish Parliament has legislated in the past to tackle the incidence rate of skin cancers in Scotland. People may know that a former Labour MSP and Presiding Officer of the Parliament, Ken Macintosh, delivered legislation that directly addressed the lack of clear and visible warnings surrounding the use of sunbeds, which we know has direct links to skin cancer, sunburn and other skin-related conditions. That was important then, and it remains so now. Possibly even more so, given that, through analysis into Britain's high streets, businesses such as tanning salons are concentrated in areas of the country that already have high levels of deprivation and perhaps target some of our specific communities. It is really important that we get a chance in this chamber to discuss those broad issues. I was wondering if Carol Mock was sharing with me, first of all, apologising for not bringing this up on my speech. Unions have done a huge amount of work to ensure that sun creams are used as part of the PPE in a lot of workplaces. I was wondering if the member would join me in thanking them for all the hard work that they have done with that. I am sure that the member will understand that the next part of my speech addresses that particular issue, so it is a very welcome intervention. The role that employers play in protecting employees—we all agree, particularly those who work outdoors during periods of high temperature—cannot be understated. During last year's heat wave, the TUC and the STUC rightly called on employers to provide sun cream in advance of the need for protection from the sun when employees were working outdoors. Indeed, from a workplace perspective, the TUC argued that sun cream was PPE and should be considered, although it is within the rights of an employee to refuse to take up the offer of wearing PPE. In this case, sun cream, for whatever reason, should remain the case that employers are fully expected to still make that offer to the wider workforce. Often, when we think about the times of someone who may be at the highest risk of damaging themselves in the sun, we think about being on the beach or being overseas, but the NHS rightly advised the public that they can burn in the UK even if it is cloudy, as we have heard, and sunburn, as we have heard, increases the risk of sun cancer. We must always be aware of the risk, no matter where we are, and no matter what the way there is. Therefore, it is absolutely right that we debate tonight the matter and that we look at all the avenues, including the campaign that has been spoken about today. I thank Amy Callaghan MP for the opportunity to discuss this in the chamber. We can and we must do better for people. In concluding, my party and I fully appreciate and acknowledge the importance of protecting skin from the sun. In the place where we have the power to do something, we should always make sure that we do what we can. We must increase awareness, and everybody tonight has done that. I thank you again for bringing the debate to the chamber and to all the speakers this evening. I thank Jackie Dunbar for bringing this important issue to the debate in the chamber this evening. I would also like to lend my support to our colleague Amy Callaghan for her very important VAT burn campaign, which is to remove VAT from the sunscreen of SPF 30 and above. It is timely that we are debating this this month, because skin cancer awareness month has been mentioned by some other speakers this evening. Despite what many might think, this is one of the sixth most common cancer to be found in Scotland. It is right that we take this opportunity to raise this issue, to discuss it, and we have taken the opportunity to do that this evening, covering such issues as medical things to look out for and different brands and so on. I am somewhat of an expert in this topic, being a redhead who likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible and also having two redheaded children. We are so into sunscreen in our house that we spend time discussing the merits of different brands against each other, because not all of them perform or are as pleasant to use as others. However, sunscreen is not a luxury item, and that is why I support this campaign. It is very important to use sunscreen, especially for children, as we know that one very serious burn as a young child can seriously increase your risk of going on to develop skin cancer later in life. I think that this is a good opportunity to talk about sunbed use. I know that some members of my family have become very addicted to using sunbeds, and I know that that is far from rare in Scotland. I think that there is a dilemma there. Obviously, the weather that we have in Scotland is very popular at the moment, and many people like to look tanned. The reason for sunbeds being so popular in Scotland is that, because it contains some of the rays that you would naturally find in the sun, it can give people a bit of a boost to their mood. That is why one of the reasons is that they are popular in Scotland. We need to remind people that sunbed use and overuse of sunbeds can be an extreme risk factor for going on to develop skin cancer of one type or another. We have made mention of the weather so far, and it sometimes seems like the latitude that Scotland is at is that we very rarely see the sun, and when we do, we want to rush out and enjoy it. That is the right thing to do. Being in the sun can make you feel better, as we have discussed, but it also allows your body to generate vitamin D, which is obviously a very important vitamin or even a hormone that is sometimes described in your system that can help people to remain at optimum levels of health. We have seen over the past several decades at least that many Scots are now seriously deficient in vitamin D. I wonder if that is at least partly because we have significantly moved away from what would have been that traditional Scottish diet, which, certainly in my mother's generation, was very heavy on oily fish that used to eat herring very regularly, and that has obviously got a large component of vitamin D in it. However, it is quite difficult to get all the vitamin D that you need from your diet, so it is important also to expose your skin to sunlight, but I must stress not to the point where your skin burns or becomes pink. Most of us will know at what point that is and how many minutes that takes, but if you are interested, you can go online and check the various different skin types. You can see where your skin type falls on that and how long it might be appropriate to expose your skin without suns being over to retain some vitamin D into your system. The important message is to get outside and enjoy the sun. If you can exercise while you are doing it, it is so much better. Do not burn yourself. Sunscreen is obviously very important and not a luxury item, and I support that very important campaign. Thank you very much, Ms Reagan. I now call to any minute to respond to the debate minister for around seven minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you for everyone's contributions to the debate. It is a privilege to respond to this debate as Minister for Public Health and Women's Health. I would like to thank my colleague Jackie Dunbar for bringing this motion to the chamber today and also welcome Amy Callaghan to the chamber of our Scottish Parliament. I am very much for driving this campaign not only here in Scotland but also in Westminster. As others have done, I want to praise Amy Callaghan for using her personal experience with skin cancer to campaign for that to be removed from sunscreen products. Now, I am old enough to remember the campaign Slop Slap, or perhaps it is simply because I am a Peely Wally Scott with blond hair who burns easily that it stuck with me. As Amy Callaghan referenced in her debate in Westminster, this campaign originated in Australia and New Zealand and it was aimed to reduce unhealthy sun exposure by slipping on a shirt, slopping on sunblock and slapping on a sun hat. The Scottish Government recognises how important tackling skin cancer is. As others have said, malignant melanoma is the fifth most common cancer in Scotland, affecting over 1,000 new individuals each year. This is excluding non-melanoma skin cancers that are of course much more common with over 12,000 cases registered in 2019. To my colleagues here today, thank you for sharing such important contributions, really raising the profile and informing people about the importance of sunblock and being aware of the impact of sun on our skin. It is great to see such a united front across the parties in identifying the need to support the public in preventing skin cancer. Ruth Maguire highlighted that one bad bout of sunburn doubles the chance. It is not just the sunblock but also the other protections and highlighted the impact of the cost of living on this. David Torrance quite correctly said that we cannot put a price on our health and that we need to take the common-sense approach. Jackie Dunbar has asked to adjust your microphone so that the audio is struggling to pick it up. It is on. You do not want me to start again? No. Jackie Dunbar had a couple of asks from me with regard to writing to the UK Government to make changes or to give us the powers to make the changes. I am very happy to do that. Rona Mackay talked about a higher factor and a higher price—the £40 million that will drop in the ocean in saving lives, which I absolutely agree with. Sandesh Gullhane gave us a very helpful way for us to monitor any moles that we have with the ABCDE, so I thank you for that. Carol Mockan again raised the importance of raising the profile within the chamber and also the TUC on raising the responsibility of employers. As you said, we can and we must do better. Ash Regan, I thank you for highlighting the importance of vitamin D. I know a lot of people that suffer from SAD, but I also thank you for ensuring that it is done safely and the online checklist to check the length of time that you can stay with some block on. As you are aware, cancer remains a national priority for the Scottish Government across NHS Scotland. We are developing a new ambitious 10-year cancer strategy to launch very shortly. We conducted a public consultation on what its aims and principles should be and there was general agreement on priority areas, including placing an emphasis on the role of prevention. The new strategy will take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care. Its vision will be supported by a three-year action plan. We know that, and that has been said in the debate. We know that the earlier cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. That is why the Scottish Government has committed to raising awareness of all forms of cancer, including melanoma, through our detect cancer earlier programme that we continue to invest in. You might have spot the early bird posters across Scotland and short videos that I would ask members to share on their social media if they have not already. Work to develop a new earlier cancer diagnosis vision in Scotland that will outline the future of the detect cancer early programme is nearing completion. That vision will form part of the new cancer strategy. The programme helps to ensure those with suspected symptoms of cancer are put on the right pathway at the right time. Our aim is to reduce later stage disease so that cancer, when detected, is more likely to be curable. We know that melanoma is often detected early and contributes to its high five-year survival rate of over 90 per cent, and we hope to continue that trend. However, the ideal is to prevent cancers in the first place. It is possible for only some types of cancer, but reducing risk factors to help prevent cancer is one of our new ambitions. As that motion recognises, the risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers are increased by exposure to ultraviolet or UV radiation, both natural sunlight and tanning lights. As Carol Mocken said, the Parliament introduced legislation by prohibiting the use of sunbeds by those under 18 years old, including a requirement of proof of age. Secondly, the act states that written health information must be provided to any person before using a sunbed. Thirdly, it prescribes the content and form of notices to be displayed in sunbed premises. I encourage anyone who is considering using a sunbed to consider its implications and the higher risk of skin cancer it produces, especially among those under 25 years of age. When enjoying the outdoors, as Ash Regan talked about, the best way to enjoy the sun safely and protect one's skin is to use shade, clothing and sunscreen. Sunscreen does not protect completely from sun damage on its own, however, it can be useful for taking care of the parts of skin not under shade or cover. It is important to highlight the importance of using a sunscreen with at least SPF 15, if not higher, and with four or five stars. As members of the Parliament have said in this debate, the power to set value-added tax or VAT rates remains reserved to the UK Government. I echo my colleague's call on the UK Government to remove VAT on sunscreens with the sun protection factor of at least 30 and those with at least a four star UVA protection rating. As I have said before, I will write in as a result of this debate to the UK Government. As Amy Callaghan stated in February this year in Westminster, removing VAT from sunscreen is not a radical idea. In fact, when asked, most people are surprised, if not shocked, that VAT is charged on sunscreen. I believe that this simple but necessary act is one of common sense, emphasising to the public, as Ms Callaghan has said, the importance of using sunscreen as a sun safety measure. In closing, I would like to thank again all those who have spoken to support our fight against cancer. I want to reiterate to members and those who are watching the debate that the Scottish Government is enduring commitment to reducing the burden of cancer in Scotland through a wide range of actions from preventing the onset of cancer and detecting it earlier to strengthening our treatment options and providing wider supportive care. Thank you very much Minister. That concludes the debate and I close this meeting of Parliament.