Chamber and committees

There will be an on-going campaign to make sure that awareness is high. We will monitor the pattern of applications, and we have a good benchmark from the advance payment scheme of what may be a reasonable expectation of applications to come forward. We have to make sure that the work that surrounds the survivors forum is inclusive and gives a platform for survivors to have their input. I hope that what I have said today gives reassurance that the Government is interested on a continual basis to listen to survivors and understand how we can support the enhancement of the delivery of the scheme to make the maximum impact on individuals who have suffered in the past.

We know that the impacts of Covid-19 continue to be felt acutely by many individuals, businesses and other organisations across our island communities.

The £30 million islands programme will ensure delivery of the national islands plan, and is informed by our learning on how island communities have responded and adapted to Covid-19. We continue to work closely across Government and with our island partners to implement the shared vision and outcomes of the Covid recovery strategy, which sets out the actions that we will take to address systemic inequalities made worse by Covid-19, make progress towards a wellbeing economy and accelerate inclusive, person-centred public services.

We will look at that issue. I acknowledge the reality of the point that Rachael Hamilton puts to me. Some of the aerial footage showing the loss of forestry stock is terrifying. Obviously, practical steps have to be taken to resolve the situation. We have a great deal of expertise to bring to the discussion, and I will make sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands can engage appropriately with the industry. The Government will take whatever steps are necessary to assist in any way.

The Government’s regional resilience co-ordinators are in place and are supporting local responders across Scotland, including in the Dumfries and Galloway area. I recognise the challenges from coastal flooding that will have taken place in those communities.

In relation to financial support, my colleague the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, who is sitting alongside me on the front bench here, has activated the Bellwin scheme in relation to both storm Arwen and storm Barra. That opens up the opportunity for local authorities to put to the Government legitimate financial claims for consideration.

If Mr Fraser would care to send me the details, I will look into it. I can see no good reason why that should be the case. Certainly, in light of the information that Mr Fraser has given me about the case, it makes no sense for that individual to be requested to come back to Scotland to receive the booster vaccination. If Mr Fraser writes to me with those details, I will attend to that.

The waiver scheme is a sensitive part of the scheme, and it was sensitive during the passage of the legislation. In the Government’s view, and ultimately in the Parliament’s view, it was the right measure to enable us to secure contributions. We have to make sure that, when individuals are making applications, they are doing so with the full knowledge and understanding of the issues with which they have to wrestle. Independent legal advice is crucial in equipping individuals to make a judgment on whether the scheme is appropriate for them and whether the waiver is appropriate for them to sign.

Despite progress, we know that the impacts of Covid continue to be felt acutely by many individuals, businesses and other organisations across Scotland. We are working closely with local government to implement the shared vision and outcomes of the Covid recovery strategy and we will continue to work with local authorities, including Perth and Kinross Council, to shape the recovery activity that will support the rebuilding of local public services, create and sustain good, green jobs and fair work, drive financial security for low-income households and improve the wellbeing of children and young people.

Our review process over the past few weeks has included ministerial engagement with a wide range of business sectors, including hospitality, tourism, culture and events, which have been most impacted by Covid. The new omicron variant has refocused our efforts and those discussions and, again, stressed the importance of our protection measures, such as the Covid status certification scheme. Last week, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy met the Confederation of British Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise.

Pauline McNeill will be familiar with the delicate balance that the Government is trying to strike in the matter. We want business sectors to be able to operate as normally as possible, but we face significant threats, and a renewed threat from the omicron variant into the bargain. The message that the Government has been setting out over the past 10 days about increasing the volume of individual testing before socialising or going to a retail environment is important in encouraging individuals to take more responsibility in ensuring that they are safe to go out and circulate.

As I indicated in a radio interview earlier this week, I am now testing myself daily when I am likely to be in contact with members of the public. That is a personal decision to protect my family and ensure that I am able to safely exercise the functions of my office in relation to others. I encourage members of the public to do likewise.

It is essential that we ensure that lateral flow device testing kits are available. They are freely available through the NHS inform website and at numerous pharmacies. In partnership with local authorities, we are trying to extend the physical availability of the kits in communities.

The First Minister, along with the First Minister of Wales, wrote to the Prime Minister last week to set out a number of practical issues that we believe need to be addressed in relation to the possible implications of the omicron variant. One of those issues is the possibility of business operations being interrupted due to additional restrictions that we might have to bring in. We make the point in the letter about the importance of having a flexible approach across the United Kingdom to ensure that different Administrations—which might be affected at different times, although the scale and time of any impact could be the same across the whole of the United Kingdom—have financial support made available to them.

We welcome the fact that there was support from Her Majesty’s Treasury in earlier stages of the pandemic. As we have reflected in this question time session, the threat has not gone away. It might—it is likely to—intensify as a consequence of omicron, so we need to have financial support. We will continue to discuss the matter with the United Kingdom Government.