Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government and sport scotland are committed to working with stakeholders, including the Scottish FA, to undertake the necessary planning and risk assessments so football - and other sports – can return for all ages in a healthy and safe way and in line with current guidance and best practice.

Non-contact training activity can currently take place for ages 18 and above, providing it is undertaken in line with the current restrictions on outdoor gatherings.

Non-professional adult outdoor contact sport is expected to resume in Phase 3 of the route map, but not before 31 July and when it is safe to do so. We envisage guidance will be provided at that point to enable people to play safely.

Since 13 July 2020, children and young people have been able to play outdoor sport in an organised setting, where there is sport specific guidance in place from the sport’s governing body. The Scottish FA have agreed guidance with sportscotland and this includes information on strict hygiene measures and the ability to contact trace participants, as required by sport scotland’s overarching guidance. Organised sports for children and young people can use a ‘field bubble’ where contact is allowed on the field of play when the activity is taking place.

The Scottish FA has also launched a 'Return to Football Hub' which provides resources for all its National Affiliated Associations’ leagues, clubs and facilities to use to return to football safely in accordance with the Scottish FA and Scottish Government regulations.

The Scottish Government and sportscotland have been working with stakeholders, including Scottish Sporting Governing Bodies, local authorities and leisure trusts, to develop appropriate sectoral guidance for the resumption of organised outdoor contact sport. This can be found on the sportscotland website . Similarly, sportscotland have been working with partners to develop, review and refine their sport specific guidance in line with the current restrictions.

We will continue to work closely with partners as we prepare for the resumption of outdoor contact sport for adults when it is safe to do so. Non-professional adult outdoor contact sport is expected to resume in Phase 3 of the route map, but not before 31 July at the earliest.

Since 13 July 2020, children and young people (0-17) have been able to play outdoor contact sport in an organised setting, where there is sport specific guidance in place from the Sport’s Governing Body. These changes relate to activities being run by an organisation, not to informal sport between groups of friends.

The Scottish Government and sport scotland are committed to working with stakeholders, including the Scottish FA, to undertake the necessary planning and risk assessments so football – and other sports – can resume for people aged 18 and over in a healthy and safe way and in line with current guidance and best practice.

Non-professional adult outdoor contact sport is expected to resume in Phase 3 of the route map, but not before 31 July 2020 at the earliest, and only when it is safe to do so.

There is no shortfall in staffing numbers within the contact tracing service as part of NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect. Low numbers of people are currently testing positive for COVID-19 and Boards are sufficiently staffed to meet that demand, but the staffing model is designed to be able to increase or decrease in response to demand.

The contact tracing workforce is designed to be a flexible resource and health boards can call upon a total pool of over 2,000 staff who are available at short notice.

We will continue to deliver Employability Fund through 2020-21 and during the current pandemic we have taken steps to ensure that current participants continue to be supported appropriately. We will make decisions about future employability interventions as we progress through the pandemic.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30276 on 8 July 2020. 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 information is not centrally held.

Testing for COVID-19 in Scotland is available through the NHS in Scotland to all Health and Social care staff delivering NHS services and providing social care to protect and care for the most vulnerable. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/pages/who-can-be-tested/ .

Testing for COVID-19 in Scotland is available to all symptomatic individuals aged 5 years and over through the Test and Protect Programme further information can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/ or by calling 0300 303 2713.

The Scottish Government is committed to using testing where it has a clear purpose and can contribute to reducing the risk of transmission. We will continue to adopt a flexible approach to testing which is based on the best available evidence to address the challenges where it can have the greatest impact and is guided by scientific, clinical and public health advice from our expert advisory structures.

Testing is one of a number of key public health mitigation measures and must be seen alongside a strong emphasis on removing symptomatic health and social care staff from the work, the use of PPE, physical distancing, environmental optimisation and decontamination and good social hygiene. It must not be seen as a substitute.

The information is not centrally held.

Testing for COVID-19 in Scotland is available through the NHS in Scotland to all Health and Social care staff delivering NHS services and providing social care to protect and care for the most vulnerable. Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/pages/who-can-be-tested/ .

The Scottish Government have engaged with Social Work Scotland Learning Disability and Autism sub group and the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities to monitor what has been happening across the country for day care services. This has included consultation to understanding the potential barriers to safely re-open and reconfigure services; what creative solutions have been implemented to date; and what support and guidance is needed to support local decision making.

Social day care services encompass a wide variety of types of support. Some critical day care and respite support for people with learning disabilities has remained in place with appropriate physical distancing and hygiene measures, whilst other services have re-opened, providing essential support in a different way.

It is critical that social care support is maintained throughout this difficult period to ensure the safety, dignity and human rights of people who already receive support and their unpaid carers. We have made clear to local authorities that they should act to do what is right to deal with the virus, and not be constrained by funding issues. In addition to the funding directed towards social care from the 2020-21 budget, we have agreed with COSLA that Scottish Government will meet additional social care costs incurred because of the impact of the pandemic.