Chamber and committees

The decision to enable cruise restart was based on the upward trajectory in Covid cases, concerns around the more transmissible Delta variant and the potential to transfer Covid (that has a relatively long asymptomatic incubation period) to multiple touchpoints across different locations, even with the use of near-person testing regimens.

By waiting until all of Scotland reaches level 1, risk of viral spread across the country will be lower. If the evidence supports the planned lifting of restrictions at the next review point, domestic cruising will be allowed from 19 July. By this time, more of the population will be fully vaccinated further reducing the risk of viral spread.

All of the evidence is published online and can be found here: COVID-19 in Scotland (data.gov.scot)

The guidance to support the provision of the £400 one-off payment to teachers is available on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-employers-on-one-off-gbp400-payment-for-teachers/

This exceptional payment is being made in recognition of the additional workload for teachers who have supported the delivery of the Alternative Certification Model (ACM) in the unique circumstances brought about by Covid-19 in 2020/21.

This will be paid through a grant arrangement to education authorities and directly from the Scottish Government through a grant to independent and grant-aided schools, further to claims being received.

Travellers returning to Scotland from green and amber list countries must use the NHS tests, which can be booked through the UK Government’s booking portal for international travel. These kits are home test PCR kits provided by NHS Test & Trace.

NHS Scotland has no role in setting the price of the kits. The cost of the kits is set by the UK Government and the process managed through its contract with the travel management company, so our ability to reduce costs unilaterally is limited.

Information on the number of patients within NHS Grampian who have been waiting more than 12 weeks is published quarterly by Public Health Scotland and can be found at NHS waiting times - stage of treatment 25 May 2021 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

This data shows the number of (a) inpatient or day case admissions and (b) outpatient appointments who have been waiting over 12 weeks.

Since the start of the pandemic the Scottish Government has made considerable investment in tackling misinformation through a number of channels. Our approach based on behavioural insight is not to directly challenge misinformation as this provides further exposure to the incorrect information. Instead, priority is placed on establishing reputable sources of information for the public to access and trust such as NHSinform.scot. Activity has included:

1. First Minister Briefings

2. Pro-active and reactive media relations

3. The Scottish Government issues proactive social media content that informs and engages the public on facts to do with COVID-19 and the actions required of them to stop the spread of the virus.

4. Public information campaigns linked to the pandemic to promote compliance with guidelines, steps that can be taken to reduce exposure to the virus and what to do if an individual or a close contact develops symptoms. For example, our recent Vaccination campaign, Roll Up Your Sleeves, was independently evaluated with a sample of 1,480 adults eligible for the vaccine. The campaign had 95% prompted recognition, with 78% of those recognising it agreeing that the advertising made them more aware of the importance of being vaccinated

5. During 2020-2021, funding to support the newspaper industry was delivered via a £3m press partnership which provided the Scottish Government advertising across national, regional and local titles.

6. Collaborating with the UK Government on campaigns being delivered across the four nations.

7. National door drops on coronavirus, Test & Protect and the vaccination programme

8. Working with Health Boards and Local Authorities

9. Working with key stakeholders such as Young Scot and BEMIS to co-create content for their audiences that communicates key information. For example, the recently published Vaccine Explainer video was developed following stakeholder feedback on barriers to vaccination, has been translated into multiple languages and distributed via stakeholders.

10. Using NHSInform.scot and gov.scot as the two-lead digital sources of information relating to Covid-19 in Scotland

11. Publishing daily information on virus levels and progress of vaccination via Public Health Scotland website to enable any member of the public to easily access information relating to current position of the pandemic.

Examples of guidance available to help tackle misinformation:

• NHS Inform COVID-19 Information [15 languages/formats]: Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Scotland | NHS inform
• Test & Protect Self-Isolation Fact Sheet [26 languages/formats]: Coronavirus (COVID-19): self-isolation factsheet - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
• COVID-19 Vaccine Information on NHS Inform [Available by Language]: Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine translations | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

To ensure the information detailed in all marketing campaigns is accurate, guidance is provided by our key clinical experts; Chief Medical Officer; Deputy Chief Medical Officer; National Clinical Director for Scotland. On occasion these experts have featured in our communications to further validate the clinical accuracy of our messaging to the public.

The Scottish Government is continuing to invest in communications activity to provide the public with clear and simple guidance on the actions they need to undertake in response to the pandemic.

A web-based app has been developed as a means to collect data from those who agree to participate in the COVID in Scotland Study to understand the long-term health of people who have had COVID-19. This research study, led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Public Health Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office, is Scotland-wide. Invitations to take part in the study are sent via SMS to all adults in Scotland who have had a positive COVID-19 test with the app available to those that agree to participate to submit data on their symptoms. This approach using an app to collect data from study participants will be described and evaluated as part of the reporting of this study once completed.

The Scottish Government will be able to provide more detail about a Scottish exchange programme in due course. The programme will be developed based on what would deliver the best value for Scotland and on the needs of Scotland and those of our learners and institutions.

In the meantime, we are engaging with the European Commission and European institutions in line with our commitment for Scotland to remain close to the Erasmus+ programme.

As set out in Scotland’s Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP - December, 2020) the Scottish Government is working with SDS, agencies, skills providers, industry and independent experts to design a Green Jobs Workforce Academy capable of supporting the retraining and upskilling interventions needed for the transition to net zero. As part of the 100 day manifesto commitment, phase 1 of the Green Jobs Workforce Academy will be launched by 26 August 2021.

A budget of circa £10 million was agreed to cover the necessary activities associated with the mobilisation of ScotRail Trains Ltd, in a manner that complies with the UK Government’s railway legislation. This is a significantly smaller sum than the costs to all parties which would be incurred through a procurement competition under the UK Government’s failed franchising model.

Berthing trials of the MV Pentalina were carried out during the week commencing 14 June 2021, at the following ports on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services (CHFS) network: Campbeltown, Ardrossan, Brodick, Craignure, Kennacraig, Port Ellen, Oban, Stornoway and Ullapool.