Chamber and committees

We currently have no plans to revise our advice on vitamin D supplementation. We will continue to be guided by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and others as the evidence base on vitamin D develops. We will review our advice as necessary based on their recommendations.

Our current advice on vitamin D supplementation, which is based on recommendations by SACN, advisors to the four UK nations, is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/vitamin-d-advice-for-all-age-groups/

In terms of supplement dosage, our advice is a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D (400 IU). This applies to adults and children over one year of age. Ten micrograms per day is the average amount needed by the majority (97.5%) of the population to maintain adequate vitamin D levels when UVB sunlight exposure is minimal to maintain bone and muscle health. Our advice is based on SACN’s 2016 report; Vitamin D and Health.

This report is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537616/SACN_Vitamin_D_and_Health_report.pdf

In December 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), SACN, and Public Health England published updated guidance on vitamin D in relation to COVID-19 following a rapid review of recent evidence. The guidance states that there is still currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. It reiterates that people should continue to follow current advice on vitamin D supplementation to maintain bone and muscle health.

The NICE guideline is available at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG187

SACN published an updated rapid review on Vitamin D and acute respiratory tractinfections (ARTI) in December 2020. In it, SACN recommended the reference nutrient intake for vitamin D remain unchanged, at 10 micrograms per day.

The review is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945179/SACN_December2020_VitaminD_AcuteRespiratoryTractInfections.pdf

In June 2021, SACN published a paper summarising monitoring of recent evidence on nutrition and COVID-19. It did not identify any new trials in relation to vitamin D and COVID-19 that would require the re-review of the current rapid guideline from NICE, SACN and PHE, or that would change current dietary advice.

The paper is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992875/SACN_Process_for_monitoring_evidence_on_nutrition_and_COVID-19__June21_.pdf

SACN will continue to support NICE with their monitoring of evidence on vitamin D.

The UK COVID-19 Therapeutic Advisory Panel (UK C-TAP) continues to monitor ongoing COVID-19 related Vitamin D trials. It is responsible for reviewing and prioritising suitable compounds based on promising scientific evidence. Evidence on vitamin D and on COVID-19 is also being monitored by RAPID-C19, a multi-agency initiative aiming to get treatments for COVID-19 to NHS patients quickly and safely, as well as by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Innovation Observatory (IO), a national medical horizon scanning facility at Newcastle University. SACN has agreed it will no longer monitor evidence in relation to vitamin D and COVID-19/ARTI, as monitoring is being continued by these organisations.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have recommended that, where operationally possible, those aged under 40 should receive an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

However, everybody who has already had a first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine should receive a second dose of the same jab, irrespective of age, except for the very small number of people who experienced blood clots with low platelet counts from their first vaccination. There have been no confirmed cases of thromboembolic events to date in second doses.

People will not be offered options on which vaccine they will receive, unless there is a clinical reason why this would be required, such as an allergy. Any vaccine authorised for use in the UK, by the appropriate Medical authorities is safe and effective, and will have a similar effect in terms of protection.

It is also worth noting that this is the case with many other vaccines. People are not routinely offered a choice of the type of vaccines in other vaccine programmes in Scotland. The Scottish Government currently has no plans to introduce an option for receiving either COVID-19 vaccine, beyond a clinical recommendation as the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the risks for the vast majority of the population.

The following table shows office-cancelled breast screening appointments, broken down by month from January 2020 until July 2021. It is important to note, however, that all of these office-cancelled appointments are reappointed as a matter of course and an invitation to screening sent to the participant. Where appointments are rescheduled in this way before a letter of invitation has been sent, the screening participant may be unaware their appointment has been cancelled and reappointed .

The data provided below was provided as management information and has not been subject to quality checks that would be applied in an official publication. Quality assured breast screening programme statistics are published annually by Public Health Scotland.

The following table shows the number of people who attended a breast screening appointment from January 2019 to July 2021. 2018-2019 data is provided as a baseline; as the programme operates on a 3 year basis, and as in some years the locations are further away from base sites, these figures are provided as an average. It is important to note that the 2020 and 2021 data provided was collected and used for management purposes for monitoring the recovery of the program and has not been subject to quality checks for official publication. Public Health Scotland publish breast screening programme statistics every year; the last publication was in May 2021 and the next publication is due in 2022.

A table has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib Number 62617) that provides ongoing maintenance and repair costs per vessel within the Clyde and Hebrides fleet for CalMac Ferries Ltd. contract years 2016-17 to 2021-22.

The choice of disposal method for ordinance found on the Seagreen Offshore Windfarm will be a hierarchy of methods made up of leaving in situ , relocating the UXO, applying a low-yield method which disrupts and disintegrates the UXO without combustion of the explosive material, a low-order method which disrupts the UXO by deflagration without an explosive combustion of the main explosive filling and, only where those methods are unsuitable, to use a high-order method to penetrate the UXO casing and trigger detonation of the main explosive filling.

Bubble curtains are not being used as, due to the water depth at the site, they would be technically challenging and may be of limited effectiveness.

The vaccination programme uptake in Scotland is highly successful overall with around 90% of the adult population (18+) having received their first dose - far beyond our planning assumption of 80% - and so far 73% have received their second dose.

To ensure good uptake amongst younger age groups the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are undertaking a wide range of initiatives.

Drop in clinics are widely available for people who want a first vaccination or are 8 weeks or more from their second vaccination – regardless if they have an appointment in the system. Drop-in mobile centres are attending a range of sites such as football grounds, parks, workplaces and shopping centres.

Young people within the eligible Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) age cohorts will still also receive a scheduled invitation which they may attend if the time and date suits. A dedicated self-registration portal allows SMS notification to take account of the greater turnover of registered addresses amongst young people.

We continue to engage with young people in a variety of ways, including through social media outlets, to make sure they have access to the correct information on vaccines. To this end the Scottish Government has developed a comprehensive set of public information campaigns across TV, radio, print and online to disseminate quality information on vaccines and positive encouragement to take up vaccination invitations.

We are presently strengthening communications targeting the 18-29 age group, such as the Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign, to ensure we vaccinate as many people in this cohort as possible.

All NHS Boards have dedicated inclusion plans within the vaccination programme, outlining how they will actively offer vaccination to people who may face barriers in taking up the vaccine. Some examples of outreach include offering vaccinations in places of worship, in other community settings, providing concessionary bus travel to appointments and working with community leaders to promote uptake.

We are continuing to discuss a range of measures with universities and colleges to help ensure students get vaccinated as soon as possible before arriving on campus. We remain in regular dialogue with Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland and have agreed with Health Boards and Higher and Further Education Institutions to appoint Single Points of Contacts in universities and colleges. Additionally, we are engaging with the Health Boards to support vaccine delivery for both international and home based students where there is local need, including the possibility of on-campus pop-up clinics.

Medical students who are studying medicine full-time as a first degree are entitled to the standard undergraduate student support package for their full period of study. This means their tuition fees are paid by the Scottish Government through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) – plus they can apply to SAAS for loans and bursaries to help with living costs dependent on their individual circumstances.

The only bursary specifically for Medical Students is a £4,000 per annum optional ‘return of service’ bursary offered to those who secure a place on ScotGEM – which is a graduate-entry undergraduate medical programme. If the bursary is accepted in all 4 years of study, amounting to £16,000 overall, the student would be expected to remain and work within NHS Scotland for 4 years following graduation.

Meetings of the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group have taken place on 10 December 2020, 18 February 2021 and 19 August 2021. All minutes, once approved by the Group are publicly available on the Scottish Government website Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group met on 19 August 2021. The meeting was chaired by myself and also attended by Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work. The date of the next meeting has yet to be confirmed.