Chamber and committees

Forensic toxicology services are currently provided by the University of Glasgow under a contract with COPFS. COPFS has agreed a contract extension with the University of Glasgow to 31 March 2022 to facilitate transfer of service provision to another provider.

As part of the process aimed at improving the delivery of toxicology services, the University of Glasgow agreed an Improvement Plan with COPFS which sets out performance targets and requires the University to provide data on a weekly basis to COPFS on the progress of their outstanding cases. The current work in progress is ahead of the Improvement Plan target and the level of work in progress has reduced significantly since June 2020. There are seven outstanding 2020 cases and these will be completed shortly. The average turnaround time is currently 48 days.

COPFS has identified a new provider of toxicology services and detailed transition planning work is being undertaken by this provider with a view to the service transitioning to them at the cessation of the University of Glasgow contract. COPFS and the University of Glasgow have agreed to work together to assist the new provider to manage that transition effectively.

We are continuing to work with sportscotland to continually review and establish the needs of the sector. For leisure centres which are owned by the public sector, the Scottish Government and COSLA have now finalised a lost income scheme, including support for ALEOS worth £200 million. Taken together with the £49 million previously announced the total support for lost income is now potentially £249 million. The Scottish Government are also committed to passing on any additional UK Government consequentials for lost income, in full to local government. However, it is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak the Scottish Government has worked closely with the UK Government and private and public sector partners to develop a range of support mechanisms for businesses. Information on all available support for businesses can be found on Find Business Support . The website is regularly updated with information on any new support packages or changes to existing ones.

Public Health Scotland provide regular reports which include suspected drug-related deaths, to help maintain and improve the quality of care and support available to people who use drugs. That data is closely examined by Public Health Scotland and key partner organisations, particularly any notable increases in suspected deaths such as those noted in December 2020. There can be a number of reasons for spikes in the number of deaths being recorded, but at this stage no specific causes or geographical links have been identified to explain this particular increase. We continue to work closely with partners to monitor these figures and any arising concerns.

The official, confirmed, drug deaths statistics for 2020 will be published by National Records of Scotland in the summer. Whilst there were significant concerns about the potential impact of the pandemic on vulnerable groups, including those who used drugs, a range of work was undertaken by Scottish Government, with significant investment made, to mitigate these risks. At this stage we do not have any clear evidence to suggest that the total number of confirmed drug-related deaths in 2020 will surpass the numbers recorded in 2019.

In sexual offence cases, there can be a legal right of anonymity for sexual offence complainers, but this requires a decision by a court to be made to protect a person's identity in a given case. Separate from this, there is a long-standing non-statutory protocol operated by the media not to name complainers in sexual offence cases.

Lady Dorrian's independent review on the management of sexual offence cases was published on 18 March 2021. The review recommends that complainer anonymity in rape or other sexual offence cases is put on a statutory footing. We will give the report and its recommendations careful consideration as we look to build on actions already taken to improve the support provided to all participants in sexual offence cases and to promote efficient case management. Decisions on implementation of the report will be a matter for the incoming Administration.

The original specification for this report was for Patients fully registered of all ages with a coded diagnosis of asthma (and no more recent code of asthma resolved) who:

Have had one or more hospital admissions or A&E attendances with asthma in the previous year

OR

Have ordered 6 or more ‘short acting beta agonist’ inhalers in the previous year

OR

Have ordered 6 or less steroid containing inhalers in the previous year

OR

Have had 2 or more asthma exacerbations in the previous year (prescription for oral steroids)

AND

Have not had an asthma review within the previous year

This is a local report which sites within local GP IT systems, and it is for practices to manage this information themselves.

We recognise that high quality data is important to the NHS because it can lead to improvements in both care and safety. Our Respiratory Care Action Plan will aim to build on existing data from the Atlas of Variation from ISD Scotland and work towards a core respiratory data set. This will inform the implementation of the Plan and allow us to track improvements over time. We will work closely with key stakeholders, including those working on SPIRE, to ensure any data collection is consistent and appropriate for Scotland.

Under Scotland’s green port model, green port operators and eligible businesses operating within a green port area will be required to adopt the full Fair Work First criteria and commit to becoming a Scottish Business Pledge signatory. The Scottish Business Pledge asks members to commit to:

• Three core (mandatory) elements: Payment of the Real Living Wage; No inappropriate use of Zero Hours Contracts; Action to address Gender pay Gap; and,
• Any 5 of the following 7 elements according to their particular sector: Investing in a Skilled and Diverse Workforce; Workforce Engagement; Environmental Impact; Prompt Payment; Innovation; Internationalisation; Playing an active role in the Community.

We are confident that our green port model reflects the Scottish economic policy context, with its central focus on worker’s rights; protection of the environment, and driving inclusive and sustainable growth.

The Scottish Business Pledge and its criteria is under constant review.

Green port operators and businesses directly benefitting from new tax incentives will be required to adopt Fair Work First. In doing so, they will be encouraged to use the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First guidance to inform their approach and to advance Fair Work as they develop. We recommend that employers within the green port zone engage constructively with relevant trade unions and where a union is not present, with appropriate worker representatives to ensure effective decisions are made about workplace matters.

All Fair Work First criteria will be incorporated into the design and operation of green ports in Scotland. Fair Work First asks employers to commit to:

• appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition.
• investment in workforce development
• no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts.
• action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
• payment of the real Living Wage.

Work to review the Minimum Unit Price (MUP) level was paused in order to respond to the urgent demands of handling the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This has restarted in order to review the level of the MUP in the course of this year. The price level will be considered in line with the latest evidence on the affordability of alcohol. Should the Scottish Government consider that an amendment is required to the MUP level, any proposals would of course be brought to Parliament for full consideration.