Chamber and committees

The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures both Vaxzevria and Covishield, both branded vaccines are exactly the same COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and administered in the UK were those branded as the ’COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca’ which is now known commercially as ‘Vaxzeria’. The MHRA has not approved doses branded as ‘Covishield’ and none were in administered in the UK.

All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS Vaccination status letter as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised this vaccine and we are confident travel will not be affected.

Individuals can access the batch number of the vaccine they received in Scotland via a Subject Access Request from their GP.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside have concluded agreements to buyout the PFI car park contracts for the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, respectively. As a result, these car parks have now come under the direct control of the NHS and the Scottish Government’s policy of free hospital car parking for patients, staff and visitors will continue to apply.

Negotiations for NHS Lothian to buyout the PFI car park contract for the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh are at an advanced stage with an agreement expected to be reached in the coming months. Car parking charges there remain suspended as a result of an arrangement reached with the PFI operator in March 2020 and the Scottish Government does not expect them to be reintroduced.

The Scottish Government remains committed both to a public inquiry to be set up this year to consider matters in relation to Scotland’s handling of the pandemic, and to placing bereaved families at the heart of our work to establish an inquiry including in the development of Terms of Reference.

During the first 100 Days of the new administration, the Government has held discussions with the UK Government on its plans for a public inquiry, as well as with stakeholders including representatives of bereaved families. To ensure that lessons are learned, we will now proceed to establish a Scottish public inquiry. The inquiry will be established by the end of this year.

As the beginning of a process of engagement with stakeholders and others with an interest, and to inform development of the Terms of Reference, the Scottish Government has today published a set of draft aims and principles for an independent COVID-19 public inquiry in Scotland under the Inquiries Act 2005: www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-inquiry-establishment. This document will form the basis of a process which will allow us to listen to the views of those affected by COVID-19, including the bereaved families, on what they wish for a public inquiry to focus on, and marks an important step in the progress of its establishment. Discussions are underway with the Lord President to identify and appoint a chair for the Scottish Covid inquiry, in line with our previous commitment that we would wish it to be led by a judge.

In considering the Terms of Reference for the inquiry, and to ensure that all the areas that need to be considered are covered in a way that gives confidence to bereaved families and others, the Scottish Government will continue discussions with the UK Government on the planned UK inquiry.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport is operated on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government. These discussions are commercial matters for Prestwick Airport’s senior management team. As is common practice with other airports across Scotland, commercial agreements between the business and other windfarm developers are already in place.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-02055 on 24 August 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

No. Ministers do not intervene in the commercial discussions and agreements between Glasgow Prestwick Airport and any third party. The business is required to operate on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government in compliance with our obligations under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and the EU.

The process to return Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the private sector continues and decisions have still to be taken in relation to the prospective sale of the business. We have committed to updating Parliament on the sale process at the appropriate stage and to protect the integrity of the process we will not be making any further comment at this time.

Discussions between Glasgow Prestwick Airport and parties interested in purchasing the business are commercially confidential. Any interested party will, however, be aware of all the sources of the airport’s revenue through their due diligence process with the airport.

The Contingency Plus Fund offered additional funding to Travel Agents, Breweries and Indoor Football Centres in recognition of the specific challenges that businesses operating in these sectors experienced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and regulations. This fund closed on 31 March 2021 and as at 25 June 2021, £3,670,000 had been paid to 223 Travel Agent businesses who met the eligibility criteria for the scheme. Travel agents may also have been eligible for other funding such as the Strategic Framework Business Fund and associated hospitality retail and leisure top ups and Restart Grants.

For all covid business support funds, the level of funding paid out was determined by the level of eligible applicants, which may have been lower or higher than the original estimated budget. Where underspends have occurred in relation to specific funds these have been recycled into other business support schemes.

The Bus Emissions Abatement Retrofit Programme (BEAR) Phases 1, 2 & 3 has made available £12.2 million funding to support the costs of retrofitting of 762 mid-life buses and coaches to Euro 6 standard in Scottish Air Quality Management Areas from 2018 to 2021. A further £5.7 million is being made available in Phase 4 of the scheme. This launched on the 31 st of July and closes for applications on the 26th of August 2021.