Chamber and committees

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Prisoner Custody Officers (PCOs) at HMP Addiewell are paid by Sodexo Justice Services. who are the operating sub-contractor of Addiewell Prison Limited.

On 13 April 2020 a new additional payment scheme was introduced at HMP Addiewell for PCOs. Under this new scheme PCOs who work additional hours will be paid the standard overtime rate and a further £500 payment for working a minimum of 9 additional hours over a 4-week period. If 3 consecutive 4-week periods are completed then an additional payment of £250 will be paid, representing a 12-week additional payment of £1750.

Where PCOs are required to escort those displaying symptoms of COVID-19 to hospital, then they will receive an additional £20 per shift.

All staff undertaking front line, prisoner facing roles, will receive an additional £150 per month during this period.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has introduced a temporary additional payment scheme In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, This payment scheme will provide an incentive for staff to work additional hours, over a 12-week period, in order to maintain the safe operation of the prison estate during these unprecedented times.

In addition to normal overtime rates, SPS employees in pay bands B to E will receive payments dependent upon the number of additional hours worked. These additional payments are detailed in Table 1.

Table 1:

Scottish Enterprise are reviewing and reprioritising their spending plans for 2020-21, so that existing funds can be used to address the impacts of Coronavirus on businesses and the economy. In March, the Scottish Government allocated £300,000 additional funding to Scottish Enterprise to support the enterprise agencies to deliver a dedicated website, FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot, and helpline to support businesses through the Covid crisis.

On 15 April, we announced around £220 million of further grants are being made available for businesses - including the recently self-employed. The new package includes a £100 million fund being made available to protect self-employed people and viable micro and SME businesses in distress due to COVID. This fund will be channelled through local authorities and enterprise agencies to target newly self-employed people and businesses who are ineligible for other Scottish Government or UK Government schemes. Our total support for Scottish business now exceeds the £2.2 billion passed on from the UK Government.

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with sport scotland, will continue to work closely with all partners to understand their specific circumstances in supporting community sport to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and will consider these as part of our ongoing commitment to determine what further support might be needed. We are helping sporting organisations and groups to access the various funding streams available for community sport organisations which can be found on the COVID-19 dedicated pages on the sport scotland website. Particularly, the job retention scheme, non-domestic rates relief and the third sector resilience fund.

Sport Scotland have communicated to all Scottish governing bodies of sport and local partners that they will receive six months of their annual investment in April/May, totalling £16.4m. They have also relaxed the usual targets or outcomes they would normally attach to this funding. This will allow recipients to mitigate the worst of the immediate impact on their operations, protect jobs, and continue to support their clubs and communities.

Further to these, we announced on 15 April additional support for business including £120m to widen eligibility for the business grant scheme to additional ratepayers. A one-off £10,000 grant is available to small sports clubs eligible for the Small Business Bonus Scheme but in receipt of discretionary sports relief and rateable values under £18,000 but whose cumulative rateable value is between £35,000 and £51,000.

We recognise the significant impact the pandemic is having on our national game and are working closely with the football authorities on issues specific to all levels of the game and to ensure clubs receive the right business support and advice.

Sporting issues like these, however, are solely for the SPFL and its members.

Closing the poverty related attainment gap is the defining mission of this government and our commitment to that will remain consistent throughout and beyond this challenging period. We recognise the challenges that this unprecedented situation presents, in particular for children and families from the most deprived backgrounds.

To address this, we are continuing with our commitment to invest £182 million from the Attainment Scotland Fund in 2020-21. I have been clear that this can be deployed flexibly by local authorities and headteachers to support vulnerable learners from the most deprived backgrounds during this period while maintaining a focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. In parallel, Education Scotland’s Attainment Advisors continue to provide dedicated support to each local authority.

In addition to this, we are providing an additional £350 million through the Communities Fund to support local government, the third sector, communities and the public during this unprecedented public health emergency.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) has developed specific guidance for social or community care and residential settings on COVID-19 to support those working in the social care sector. It is based on the National Infection Prevention & Control Manual and includes advice on how to prevent the spread of all respiratory infections, including COVID-19, with social care setting-specific information and advice.

In addition to the HPS guidance, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) has developed targeted clinical advice for nursing home and residential care residents and COVID-19. This was issued in a letter by myself to Integrated Joint Boards Chief Officers, Local Authority Chief Executives, Integrated Joint Boards Chief Social Work Officers, Scottish Care, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS), Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and published on Friday 13 March. Based on the current emerging picture around COVID-19, CMO advice suggests that long term care facilities should be subject to ‘social distancing’, to reduce the risk of infecting residents and their carers in this vulnerable group.

The long-term care and residential care sector is vital to the wider health and social care system. It is essential that it continues to function in an effective way so that people and communities are supported in the right way. It also in some cases provides a safe alternative to more acute settings, including hospital care.

Both the HPS and CMO guidance outline the measures care home providers need take to protect staff and residents. These measures include communications with staff, residents and families about ways to prevent spread of the virus along with appropriate signage for example around best practice on hand washing.

At this time of global crisis, Scotland is all the more committed to acting as a good global citizen, including reinforcing the resilience of vulnerable countries to tackle Covid-19. Scottish Universities are working with international scientists in efforts to defeat the virus and we continue to offer support to international citizens in Scotland. I would like to offer solidarity to Colombian and other South American citizens as we face similar challenges in containing the spread. I would encourage us all to work collaboratively, learn from one another and continue to come together to support those in need and ultimately overcome the virus.

While Colombia is not a named priority country for the Scottish Government, exports are valued at £50m per year and links are being developed in the field of human rights and culture. Colombia were one of 30 countries to attend the 2019 Momentum delegate programme, led by Festivals Edinburgh and supported by Creative Scotland. Colombian arts and culture delegates from Cali International Dance Biennale, and Teatro Santander; Nova et Vetera visited Edinburgh in August.

The Scottish Government has made clear its support for, and solidarity with, the work of human rights defenders in Colombia. In October 2019 the Minister for Older People and Equality met representatives of the Guardians of the River Atrato from Chocó province. On 11 March 2020 a delegation from the Colombian Commission for the Clarification of Truth, Co-Existence and Non-Repetition held a roundtable event in the Scottish Parliament and met the Minister for Older People and Equality. The Commission is a key component of the Colombian peace accord, and was established to secure the right to truth and to recognition for all victims of the armed conflict in Colombia.

Colombia’s record on human rights, and the essential role played by both civil society campaigners and the international community in promoting positive action to uphold human rights, formed part of the subject matter of the debate held in the Scottish Parliament on 10 December 2019 to mark Human Rights Day.

It is the responsibility of NHS Boards and healthcare contractors to ensure that used needles are disposed in a safe manner as set out in the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 .

NHS Boards have the authority to decide how best to provide this service in the context of their local population. The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards to ensure that they have robust policies and guidance in place for the disposal of sharps and that due risk assessment has been undertaken accordingly.

I refer the Member to the answer to question S5W-27927 on 25 March 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