Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to review student loan administration or student loan interest rates.

Student loans are administered on a UK-wide basis by the Student Loans Company (SLC). Any changes to the system adopted by SLC would have to be considered, and agreed, by all of the UK administrations.

In Scotland, the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) receive and process applications for student loans which are then passed over to SLC to make the payments and in due course, collect the repayments.

Student loan interest for Scottish borrowers is based on the lower of either the Bank of England base rate or the Retail Price Index. The current interest rate for Scottish borrowers is 1.1%. With the planned increase to the repayment threshold (to £25,000) in April 2021, the Scottish Government has committed to keeping the interest rate low for Scottish borrowers.

All travellers arriving in Scotland from a country which is non-exempt from quarantine rules are required to quarantine for a period of 14 days.

Passenger arrivals into Scotland are provided by the Home Office to Public Health Scotland (PHS). PHS are contacting all travellers returning from high-risk countries by email. PHS also take a sample of those passengers required to quarantine and pass the data to the National Contact Tracing Centre.

The National Contact Tracing Centre contact a random sample in order to provide public health advice and support.

Published data does not record the point of entry of those who are sampled by PHS to be called by the NCTC.

Published data (26 October – 1 November October) shows the National Contact Tracing Centre (NCTC) is exceeding the commitment of contacting at least 2,000 people per week who are required to quarantine.

Out of the 2,804 attempted contacts, successful contact has been made with 2,165 (77%) . A further 194 (8%) are in progress. 445 have been unable to be contacted (15%), for reasons such as an invalid phone number or no response to the call.

The Scottish Government are encouraged how organisations have been innovative through the pandemic, to continue to develop programmes to deliver physical activity for all.

From 2 November 2020, a strategic approach to outbreak management based on five levels of protection was introduced, as set out in the strategic framework document. Local authority areas placed into levels reflecting the current infection rate.

Under the new level system, outdoor exercise classes are permitted to take place in levels 0-4 and indoor exercise classes for adults in levels 0-2, with classes for those aged under 18 also permitted in level 3. Operators should ensure the appropriate sport scotland guidance is followed and physical distancing is maintained.

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 BusinessSupport . The website is regularly updated with information on any new support packages or changes to existing ones.

The following table gives the number of live homeless applications at December 25th 2019 for each local authority, along with the number of adults and children these applications refer to.

From 2 November, it is the position that hospitality businesses are subject to different operating restrictions depending on the level allocated to their local authority area under Scotland’s Strategic Framework. Under level 3, businesses which normally sell alcohol can remain open for the service of food and non-alcoholic drinks within restricted operating hours.

There would be no reason why a premises would seek to ‘suspend’ their licence to sell alcohol (premises licence) under the rules in place. The operation of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 does not have processes and procedures which would enable suspension of a premises licence, though there are such processes and procedures if a licence holder wishes to give up their licence for any reason.

Should a golf club or indeed any establishment wish to seek clarity on their premises licence, they should engage with their local authority and environmental health team.

The Scottish Government published updated guidance on 3 rd September detailing that healthcare professionals including dentists could resume visits to care homes and setting out that emergency dental care was always available. Care home providers were advised of this by letter on the same date. 

Contact sports for those aged 18 and over is currently not permitted in areas under temporary restrictions. From 2 November 2020, a strategic approach to outbreak management based on five levels of protection is due to be introduced and as currently drafted, contact sports for those aged 18 and over will not be permitted in level 3 and level 4 areas.

Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed.

This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate. We have used scientific evidence on transmission coupled with the social and economic benefits which Ministers have used to make decisions. There are a number of relevant factors that would have been considered:

• Duration of contact.
• Ability to maintain distancing.
• Challenge of cleaning surfaces, spaces between and around users.
• Aerosol transmission risk since such activities could give rise to heavier breathing, panting, shouting etc which would all increase the chance of transmission particularly as masks cannot be worn.

The Scottish Government is currently preparing to publish this information in due course.

Parliament was advised on 3 August 2020 about the terms of the remit for the Ministerial Code referral in PQ answer S5W 31054. The decision to proceed with a referral and the setting of its terms are consistent with the provisions set out in the Ministerial Code and have been agreed with the Independent Adviser. The terms of the remit address the concerns that have been raised about the First Minister’s compliance with specific aspects of the Code in relation to certain meetings and other contacts, as described in the remit. As indicated by the First Minister at First Minister’s Questions on 29 October, in delivering the remit the Independent Adviser is not constrained in taking evidence and reporting on other aspects of the Ministerial Code that he deems to be relevant.

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 acknowledge the importance of visits for women and infants in the Mother and Baby Units. Family-centred care is core to the delivery of perinatal mental health services. Wherever possible, the Mother and Baby Units are working to facilitate visiting in accordance with the relevant guidance.

Updated Visiting Guidance for Hospitals in Scotland was published on 2 November 2020, which aligns each stage of visiting to the Tiers in Scotland’s Strategic Framework, to encourage person-centred visiting, provide clear information and most importantly promote safety for patients, staff, visitors and communities.

St John’s Mother and Baby Unit, NHS Lothian and Leverndale Mother and Baby Unit, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde are both currently operating under Tier 3 of the Framework. This includes essential visits only, where it is imperative that a relative or friend is allowed to see their loved one in a number of exceptional circumstances. These include mental health issues, where the absence of a visitor would cause distress or any other situation where clinical staff assess that it is essential to involve family or carers for ethical or patient safety reasons.

Additionally, if clinicians at hospital level judge it to be safe and appropriate, one designated visitor may be allowed if they observe physical distancing, wear a face covering, as well as any further PPE that the area being visited considers necessary.

Organised exercise is exempt from the restrictions around meeting other households. Coaches can therefore deliver outdoor sport and exercise sessions. sport scotland guidance provides there is an upper limit of 30 people for such an activity, including the coach/es. Coaches should follow the detailed guidance set out by sport scotland here: https://sportscotland.org.uk/covid-19/latest-sport-and-physical-activity-guidance/ and physical distancing (outwith any field of play bubble for permitted contact sport) and hygiene measures should be implemented.

From 2 November 2020, a strategic approach to outbreak management based on five levels of protection is due to be introduced as set out in the published strategic framework document. This may affect local restrictions throughout Scotland, dependant on the tier set in each Local Authority.