Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government fully appreciates the impact the pandemic has had on the tourism and hospitality sector and we continue to support business survival as much as we can. We have been continually seeking to find a balance between action to suppress the virus and the protection of people’s jobs and livelihoods.

In addition to the £2.3 billion business support package we have already provided which now far exceeds the consequentials afforded to us by the UK Government, we have created an additional support package worth over £40m. Of this, £20m has been earmarked for the hospitality sector.

The COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will now provide one-off grants of up to £4,310 to businesses required to close by regulations. For businesses that may remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, the maximum hardship fund grant will increase to £2,155. Additionally, grants of £1,650 will help those firms that are required to close to help meet the 20% employer’s contribution that they required to pay under the current UK Government furlough scheme.

Our new five-level Strategic Approach to managing Covid sets out our planned levels of support for business in the event of any future restrictions.

The Scottish Government is committed to the long term recovery of the tourism and hospitality industry both in the Scottish Borders and across Scotland. The report by the Tourism Recovery Taskforce, published on 23 October, makes a number of recommendations that will be considered carefully, to allow us to continue to mitigate against the impacts of the virus, and to protect jobs.

Case rates per 100,000 are determined from the total number of positive
cases over 7 days. Between 23 October and 29 October 2020, the Borders
had a case rate of 39.8 per 100,000.

The 7 day number of cases for neighbourhoods in the Scottish Borders is
available from Public Health Scotland’s interactive dashboard which now
provides a map showing the number of cases in local areas, as well as trends
for local authorities and NHS boards https://public.tableau.com/profile/phs.covid
.19#!/vizhome/COVID-19DailyDashboard_15960160643010/Overview .
Of note, 5 Scottish Borders neighbourhoods had a 7 day positive case rate
per 100,000 over 100: Berwickshire East, Cheviot West, Jedburgh, Kelso
South and Tweeddale East Area.

Scotland joined the COVID-19 Infection Survey, led by the Office for
National Statistics, in September, with letters inviting households to
participate in the survey reaching the first households on Friday the
18 th of September. Fieldwork commenced in Scotland on Monday
the 21 st of September and has been ongoing since then. Approximately
5,000 households were invited to participate in the survey in Scotland
in the first week. As of the 29th of October, over 64,000 households
have been invited to participate in the survey.

The COVID-19 Infection Survey is being conducted by the Office for
National Statistics (ONS) and the University of Oxford, on behalf of the
UK and Scottish Government. The Scottish Government is not actively
involved in the training of swab technician and blood tester roles.

The first results for Scotland were published on Friday the 23 rd of October
and are published on the Scottish Government website, and on the ONS website : https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthand
socialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infection
surveypilot/previousReleases alongside results for England, Wales and
Northern Ireland.

This is a matter for the Office for National Statistics. The information requested is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32817 on 9 November 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 .

This is a matter for the Office for National Statistics. The information requested is not held centrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32817 on 9 November 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32817 on 9 November 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 Scottish Welfare Fund is a discretionary scheme administered by local authorities. The purposes for which the Fund can be used are set out in legislation: to provide occasional assistance to people to help meet immediate short-term needs, and to support people to establish or maintain a settled home who would otherwise be in prison, hospital, residential care or be homeless or otherwise living an unsettled way of life. The process through which decisions on applications are made is set out in Statutory Guidance. This is developed by the Scottish Government in conjunction with local authorities, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) and other stakeholders.

There is a comprehensive and robust process in place to enable applicants who are unhappy about the outcome of their application to have the local authority’s decision reviewed, firstly by the local authority itself and secondly, if necessary, the SPSO.

Through the Statutory Guidance, the Scottish Government encourages local authorities to adopt a holistic approach to Scottish Welfare Fund applications. By maintaining close working relationships with the support and advice services in their local areas and in their own authority, local decision makers can ensures that applicants are signposted or referred to the Welfare Fund and to other local services which may be of benefit to them.

The Scottish Government also works closely with national agencies and third sector organisations to ensure that people receive advice and information about the support available to them and the benefits to which they may be entitled.

We also highlight the provision of support through the Fund when statistics are published every month.

Individuals who are requested to self-isolate are informed of the availability of financial and other support.

Since the introduction of the Scottish Welfare Fund in 2013, we have built and maintained strong relationships with local authorities, both individually and through engagement with COSLA. The Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People had a teleconference meeting with Councillor Kelly Parry, COSLA Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing on 29 September to discuss using the Scottish Welfare Fund to deliver the new Self-Isolation Support Grant. Policy officials also hold regular teleconferences with local authorities’ Welfare Fund practitioners. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with COSLA to ensure local authorities were quickly able to deliver the Self-Isolation Support Grant and continue to be able to do so. This vital intervention is enabling people on low income benefits who have been asked to self-isolate, to stay at home and stop the spread of Covid-19.

The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 introduced a new requirement for planning authorities to prepare and maintain a list of people interested in self-build.

The Scottish Government does not currently provide support to help people purchase a plot of land for a self-build home. The Scottish Government's national self build loan fund offers loans of up to £175,000 to eligible applicants for development costs to support build completion. The scheme requires applicants to have full land ownership or a contract to buy land.