Chamber and committees

Our top priority is to vaccinate as many people as we can as quickly as possible, starting with those at the highest clinical risk.

To achieve this, the Scottish Government is working to ensure everyone is fully informed and supported on COVID-19 vaccinations to encourage high uptake. Some of our actions include:

Our digital and social media campaigns which went live on January 4th, as well as a national door drop which arrived with households on the same week. Our outdoors campaign began on the 11th of January.

Our TV and radio campaigns began on the week starting the 21st of January.

The Scottish COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline (0800 030 8013) was also set up and open to make sure those who are called forward for the vaccine can get the information they need.

Our marketing and insights work will look at whether we need additional ways to promote the protection of being vaccinated to younger age groups.

The decision to withdraw funding from Autism Network Scotland, which does not provide direct support to autistic people or their families, has been taken over a long period of time and spans a wide range of discussions with the previous and current Directors.

The organisation was asked to wind up existing projects in February 2020 and funding was reduced. Autism Network Scotland was, however, given an additional opportunity to set out what it could contribute going forward in response to a request from the current Director and this has been considered in detail by the Scottish Government.

The decision to withdraw funding from Autism Network Scotland is linked to the role of the organisation and is not directly linked to the evaluation of the Scottish Autism Strategy. Autism Network Scotland has been operating on reduced funding and a reduced role in this financial year following a series of discussions over a long period.

The Scottish Government is working with partners such as Health Boards and Public Health Scotland to ensure that Covid-19 information is in accessible format for blind and partially-sighted people.

The vaccination material is available in multiple formats such as audio and social media assets which have audio descriptors. The appointment letters also have a provision of a QR code which has been introduced after having a consultation with the policy, marketing, public and third sector organisation to ensure that people have information in accessible formats. The appointments letters issued by Service Now are all in accessible formats.

Furthermore, help is also provided through the Covid-19 Helpline which is 0800 030 8013.

It is responsibility of NHS Health Boards to ensure that those who are partially sighted are aware of their appointment details.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35059 on 4 March 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government has been very clear from day one that the pace and rollout of our national vaccine programme is key to tackling the pandemic and we are determined to reach as much of the population, and in order of vulnerability based on clinical advice, as fast as the vaccine supply allows us. The health of every person living in Scotland is important which is why the Scottish Government is making proactive policy decisions to make this programme as inclusive and accessible as possible, given the current constrains of supply and social distancing.

The Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland are actively engaging with third sector organisations, such as BEMIS and Scottish Refugee Council, to reach people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), including both new entrants into Scotland and people who have lived and worked in the UK for many years.

The Scottish Government has undertaken a wide range of campaigns in print, online and across media, and in various locations, to try to reach everyone in Scotland and inform them of the vaccination campaign. As part of this, the vaccination work builds on the other coronavirus messaging aimed at these individuals, which has included highlighting the self-isolation funding available to eligible individuals with NRPF.

We anticipate that everyone on the JCVI priority list that has received their first dose will have received their second dose by end of March 2021, if supply allows.

Based on our latest data published today on 3 March are as follows:

• 92,550 people have received the second dose of the Covid vaccination.
• This is an increase of 8,105 reported from 2 March.

The full breakdown can be accessed here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Public Health Scotland reports on vaccination on first and second doses by week which can be accessed here: COVID-19 Daily Dashboard - PHS COVID-19 | Tableau Public

All public authorities must have regard for commitments in the, UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”), Withdrawal Agreement, Northern Ireland Protocol, WTO rules (including the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures), and Trade Agreements between the UK and non-EU countries.

Non-domestic rates reliefs, like other subsidy or support measures, may be subject to the conditions set out in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which in certain cases limits sectoral public subsidisation to 325,000 Special Drawing Rights (equivalent to approximately £340,000, although the exact amount will fluctuate) over any period of three fiscal years.

The Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief is provisionally being awarded as 'no aid' although this, and the position in relation to the Aviation relief, will be confirmed following the conclusion of the UK Budget.

Information on the proportion of contacts traced using the single SMS is not currently published by Public Health Scotland.

From 10th October, Test and Protect temporarily moved to a system that defaulted to contacting all close contacts of those who tested positive via text message. However, contact tracers still called close contacts if clinical advice recommended it. As a result of increased capacity within the system, from 2nd February contact tracers have reverted back to, by default, calling close contacts.

Information on the number of individuals who have consented to details being passed to local authority in relational to support for isolation is also not currently published by Public Health Scotland.

If an individual has any questions after being asked to self-isolate after identification as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, they can contact the National Contact Tracing Centre on 0800 030 8012 for further advice.

Scottish Government monitor the number of people requesting support to isolate. There is no distinction made been those who phone the National Contact Tracing Centre after receiving SMS or those who completed contact tracing interview by phone.

It is too soon to introduce any form of certification. We need to know more about the efficacy of the vaccines, their impact on transmission and the length of immunity before it would be safe to introduce a vaccine certificate.

We continue to engage in national and international developments in relation to Coronavirus (COVID-19), including on the issue of vaccine certification. These discussions are led by the World Health Organisation and include consideration of technical details, ethical and equality issues, and privacy standards. The outcome of those discussions will guide our work in this area.