Chamber and committees

At this stage, I am unable to give Annabelle Ewing a definitive timetable, but I quite understand the concerns that she raised and the points that she has articulated on behalf of her constituents in Cowdenbeath.

The JCVI is an independent committee and it is, correctly, taking time to review the emerging clinical evidence including, crucially, the information on vaccine waning, infection rates and hospitalisation. I am certain that, once the JCVI has had the opportunity to do that, it will publish its findings accordingly.

I reassure Annabelle Ewing that, as we have demonstrated over the past 18 months or so, the Government and our health boards are ready to deploy vaccination activity. The vaccination programme has been an extraordinary success, given the scale at which it has been carried out, and I pay tribute to those who have organised and delivered the programme. I assure Annabelle Ewing and her constituents in Cowdenbeath that the same arrangements will be in place if required on the basis of the JCVI’s advice.

During the pandemic, the Scottish Government provided more than £4.7 billion in support to businesses in Scotland. Most recently, our £80 million Covid economic recovery fund is providing funding that affords local authorities the flexibility to target support for their businesses and communities. Aberdeenshire Council and Moray Council have been allocated £3.7 million and £1.3 million, respectively.

Further, since 2020, Aberdeenshire and Moray have benefited from the £6 million of additional support that the Scottish Government has provided to town and community partnerships and business improvement districts.

In providing the material that I have already given in my answer, I hope that I have reassured Karen Adam that the Government is targeting funding to particular localities where there is demonstrable need. Aberdeenshire and Moray councils have been funded appropriately in that respect.

The Government will continue to look at all funding streams, to make sure that they are relevant and will meet the challenges of different localities in the country. Specific funds, particularly in relation to the transition to net zero, are available only in the north-east of Scotland, which will be of relevance to the communities that Karen Adam represents.

Since its beginning, the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been guided by expert advice, provided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The JCVI’s interim advice in May recommends an autumn/winter 2022 booster programme for those people who are at higher risk of severe Covid-19. We are already working closely with national health service boards in line with that advice. The protection of the most vulnerable people in society continues to be of primary importance, and we stand ready to act on any further advice that recommends boosters for additional groups.

Alongside our evolving response to the pandemic, our Covid recovery strategy continues to focus effort and resources on bringing about a fairer future, particularly for those who are most impacted by Covid-19.

There are, of course, a range of financial instruments available to local authorities in addition to the measures that were announced last week by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy. The Government has always given a fair and affordable settlement to local government.

It is available to Mr Fraser to bring forward any alterations to the Government’s budget that he wishes to advance. We hear a lot of rhetoric on this question from the Conservatives, but we see absolutely no action or substance whatsoever. Until we get some action from the Conservatives, we will continue to deliver fair and affordable settlements for local government that enable them to deliver the public services on which we all depend.

The vaccination programme has been an extraordinary success and it has been undertaken at an extraordinary scale. Therefore, I will not stand in Parliament and say that a process at that scale will be error free. For members of Parliament to expect it to be error free is on the ambitious side, if I can put it delicately.

Every effort is made to ensure that vaccinations are delivered timeously and conveniently to members of the public. If there is an error involved, I apologise for that—I want nobody to be inconvenienced and nobody’s time to be wasted—but, given the scale of the vaccination programme that we have undertaken, the number of errors that have occurred has been kept to an absolute minimum, which is a tribute to everyone who is involved in running the programme.

As I explained in my answer to Annabelle Ewing, guidance on the distribution of any booster vaccination is given to the Government by the JCVI. Governments of all political persuasions have followed the advice of the JCVI in undertaking vaccination programmes over many years, and the Government will listen very carefully to the advice that we receive from the JCVI, which will specify which groups should be eligible for the vaccination.

Carers are in receipt of much greater support in Scotland than in other parts of the United Kingdom, given the carers allowance supplement that is available here. Mr O’Kane will be familiar with the details of that, and he is welcome to promote it to carers, just as the Government promotes awareness of that benefit to carers. Carers do a phenomenal amount of work to benefit our society. I express my warmest thanks to them and hope that those who are eligible for that support are able to access it.

The 2022-23 local government finance settlement of almost £12.7 billion provides local government with a fair and affordable settlement, even in challenging circumstances. As long as councils act lawfully and first fulfil their statutory obligations and jointly agreed national and local priorities, it is a matter for each council to manage its resources and use the total budget that it has available on the basis of local needs.

The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities have agreed shared priorities for recovery that focus on targeting support for those who were most affected during the pandemic. Alongside the COSLA president, I chair the Covid recovery strategy programme board, which brings together a range of partners to co-ordinate activity, increase financial security for low-income households, enhance the wellbeing of children and young people, create good green jobs and fair work and deliver person-centred public services.

The highest risk list ended on 31 May 2022, as we have strong clinical evidence to show that, as a result of the vaccination programme and new medicines, most people who were on the list are at no greater risk from Covid than the general population. The Scottish Government has written to those who were formerly on the highest risk list to provide advice and guidance.

The Scottish Government continues to promote the distance aware initiative, which helps people to feel more comfortable in public spaces, and we strongly recommend that people still follow basic mitigations such as ensuring adequate ventilation and wearing face coverings where appropriate. Our approach to testing in different groups of the population will also continue to be informed by clinical advice.

Alongside our evolving response to the pandemic, the Scottish Government’s Covid recovery strategy will continue to focus effort and resources on those who were most impacted during the pandemic, to ensure a fairer recovery.

Fundamentally, the Covid recovery strategy is focused on tackling inequality that existed before and that was exacerbated by Covid. Our efforts are now focused on ensuring that the socioeconomic inequalities that Stephanie Callaghan highlighted are addressed as a consequence of our cross-Government work on Covid recovery.