Chamber and committees

David MacBrayne Ltd is a Relevant Authority under the Islands Act. It is for individual bodies to consider their responsibilities under the Act when carrying out their activities.

CalMac Ferries ltd is not listed as a Relevant Authority in the Act, and is therefore not subject to the same duties under the Act.

Antibody tests measure the number of antibodies in the blood when the test is taken, however immunity is more complex than antibodies alone and we still do not know what level of antibodies offer protection from COVID-19 infection or reinfection. Research is underway to understand more about COVID-19 antibodies and reinfection and therefore antibody tests are currently only available as part of research and surveillance studies and in some specific circumstances for the clinical management of patients. There are currently no plans to introduce on-demand antibody testing in Scotland.

Current self-isolation policy does not permit a positive antibody test as an exemption to self-isolation, and there are no plans to introduce this at the present time. Adults aged over 18 years and 4 months can end self-isolation as a close contact if they remain without symptoms, are fully vaccinated and receive a negative PCR test result. If they are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or are involved in a clinical trial which means they cannot take a vaccine as part of the trial, they are also allowed to leave self-isolation if they remain without symptoms and receive a negative PCR test result. If they test positive they will need to self-isolate for 10 days. If someone is identified as a close contact related to the Omicron variant, Test and Protect will phone them to give them specific advice.

The current advice for people at highest risk (who may formerly have been asked to shield) is for them to follow the same advice as the rest of the population.

The Scottish Government will continue to build on the discussion and networking that was in place before and was developed through the Glasgow Climate Dialogues at COP26. This includes hearing directly from partners in the Global South and working in collaboration on shared issues.

As European co-chair, Scotland is committed to promoting values of justice and inclusivity within the Under2 Coalition. This includes championing dialogue with and response to the interests of members from the Global South.

The Just Transition Alliance the Scottish Government established at COP26 will act as a vehicle for discussion, knowledge sharing and action across Coalition members on issues of voice, inclusion and fairness.

The following electric vehicle charging points have been installed at Core Scottish Government buildings or premises in each of the last four financial years, including 2021-22 to date

2018-2019

Dumfries

2 x wall mounted smart sockets

Thurso

2 x wall mounted smart sockets

Bonnington, Edinburgh

8 x wall mounted smart sockets

Saughton House, Edinburgh

1 x 22kW dual charging post

Victoria Quay, Edinburgh

1 x 22kW dual charging post

2019-2020

Victoria Quay, Edinburgh

6 x 7kW dual outlet

1 x 50kW triple outlet

1 x 22kW dual outlet

Saughton House, Edinburgh

1 x 22kW dual outlet

4 x 7kW dual outlet

Marine Lab, Aberdeen

4 x 7kW dual outlet

2 x 22kW dual outlet

Faskally

1 x 7kW dual outlet

Cameron House, Oban

2 x 7kW dual outlet

1 x 22W dual outlet

Longman House, Inverness

2 x 22W dual outlet

Atlantic Quay, Galsgow

1 x 7kW dual outlet wallbox

Tankerness, Orkney

1 x 7kW dual outlet wallbox

Stornoway

1 x 7kW dual outlet wallbox

2020-21

Projects delayed due to Covid.

2021-2022

Victoria Quay, Edinburgh

1 x 22kw dual outlet

Saughton House, Edinburgh

2 x 22kw dual outlet

GP practice records show lists of acute and repeat prescribed medication lists during consultations with quantities of medication prescribed. Over ordering of repeat medication (or repeated consultations for acute prescriptions) are therefore visible on the acute and repeat prescribing sections of the medical records. It is therefore possible to add minimum days before reordering of monthly repeat medications to help prevent medication being ordered early or alert future prescribers to the potential for suspected addiction. ‘Special notes’ can be added or alerts to the patient record in daytime practice to inform prescribers of previous medication seeking behaviour or suspected addiction to pain medication. This information can be added to the patients ‘Special notes’ to be visible to Out of Hours services. Scottish Government is developing tools to accurately display prescribing habits to clinicians during consultations in order to help identify medication (including analgesic) over/under use.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that legal assistance continues to be available to all those facing legal concerns. In our Programme for Government we committed to engage with the legal professionals and other stakeholders to review the Legal Aid system, and to introduce a Legal Aid Reform Bill in this Parliament, to deliver a system that is flexible, easy to access and that meets the needs of those who use it.

The Scottish Government consulted on legal aid reform in 2019 and has stated its willingness to take forward supported recommendations that will deliver an enhanced system of legal aid across Scotland and reiterated its commitment to retaining a demand led Fund to support a wide scope of actions. Particular consideration will be given, during the development of the Bill, to how more targeted and planned interventions can support user need and align with identified government priorities. There is real value for both users and providers in achieving a user-focused and diverse delivery model; users can access appropriate interventions at the right time, and providers can better target their expertise to those who require it.

The Scottish Government was pleased to work with Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and partners to deliver the Glasgow Climate Dialogues, and its communique which set out recommendations for COP26 from four thematic dialogues.

The Scottish Government has already advanced communique recommendations for our climate justice work, including our announcements on funding to address loss and damage, and – following the evaluation of the Climate Justice Fund - by committing to ensure communities themselves are central in future project design. The final Glasgow Climate Dialogues meeting, to take place in January, will discuss post-COP26 actions.

The scope of legal aid will be considered as part of the development of a Bill, and I refer to my response to S6W-04609 on 8 December 2021 which provides information on the Scottish Government’s plans to reform legal aid. The Scottish Government has previously committed, in its response to the Independent Review on Legal Aid by Martyn Evan, that legal aid will continue to be available for a wide range of cases and proceedings.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Legal aid is currently available to meet the costs of mediation where appropriate. Again, interaction between mediation and legal aid is a matter that will be considered a part of development of a Bill and I refer to my response to
‎ S6W-04609 on 8 December 2021. In the meantime, the Scottish Government is actively working with stakeholders to expand the availability of mediation and arbitration services within the civil justice system to give our citizens, businesses and organisations access to flexible, affordable and less stressful means of settling disputes, benefitting them and saving time in courts.

The Scottish Government is making available £2.332 million to the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 2021-22 to support projects offering in court expert advice and representation to help people tackle and resolve a wide range of problems including debt, housing, homelessness and small claims court actions.

The Scottish Government is also making available £100k to Scottish Mediation and £115k to the Scottish Arbitration Centre in 2021-22 to promote and expand the provision of Mediation and Arbitration services in Scotland.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

COP26 delivered some progress on Loss and Damage – and, in pledging £2 million, the Scottish Government were pleased to lead the way as the first [developed nation] to pledge funds. However it is widely acknowledged the issue requires greater prominence and wider action at scale. In the run up to COP27, the Scottish Government will be working with international colleagues including Under 2 members such as Wallonia, research communities and philanthropic partners with the aim of building broader consensus and plans for programming on Loss and Damage.

We recognise that the scale of finance needed far outstrips what Scotland alone can commit but we hope that our action will galvanise others to be similarly ambitious. We will be working closely over this coming year with international colleagues.