Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00977 on 22 July 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  

The Scottish Government regularly engages with the business community. The main six business organisations – Scottish Chambers, Scottish Council for Development and Industry, CBI Scotland, Federation of Small Business, Institute of Directors and Scottish Financial Enterprise, and others have been meeting with Ministers and with the Director General Economy and other senior officials regularly around business issues arising from the development and implementation of the COVID-19 Strategic Framework. For example, we have committed to engaging with businesses on how we work together to determine the appropriate baseline measures as we move beyond level 0. We are currently undertaking a series of meetings with key stakeholders to ensure their views are considered.

In addition to the regular Ministerial and policy official dialogue with business, a roundtable meeting bringing together Chairs of each Industry Leadership Group in Scotland to explore cross-sectoral and public sector private sector opportunities has been established. Co-Chaired by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism & Enterprise and Nora Senior (Chair of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board) the group is focused on identifying the key areas where industry and public sector collaboration can best drive action to address common strategic economic challenges and opportunities. It last met in March and the next meeting is being arranged.

A meeting of the National Economic Forum (NEF) on 16 June also provided an opportunity for a broad range of ministers to engaged directly with and hear from businesses. Around 165 delegates, mainly from business, attended with over 100 being first or second time attendees while 11 ministers participated (including the FM and DFM). The forum generated a range of fresh ideas and potential opportunities which will now be reviewed to identify which suggestions to progress and how best to do so in a collaborative way with business.

The Scottish Government provides a significant amount of financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises in Scotland, notably through our enterprise agencies.

The following table provides information on funding predominantly aimed at businesses with fewer than 250 employees, which was approved by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise in each financial year between 2017 and 2021.

Funding approved by the enterprise agencies aimed at businesses with fewer than 250 employees (£m)

Note: Approvals by South of Scotland Enterprise are included only for 2020-21, the agency’s first year of operation. 

We want everyone who would benefit from palliative and end of life care to have access to it, including those who are homeless. As the Marie Curie report makes clear, good end of life care requires collaborative, multi-disciplinary support which is based on the specific needs of the individual and their loved ones. However, we know that people experiencing homelessness are less likely to engage with healthcare services regularly and are more likely to have multiple mental or physical health problems - often with uncertain trajectories. This can make it challenging for care and support services to recognise a palliative care need in a timely manner.

To support better identification of the healthcare needs of homeless people, Public Health Scotland published a learning resource primarily aimed at primary care staff earlier this year. The course aims to raise awareness of the health challenges and barriers that homeless people face and support staff in better identifying the health and care needs of people who are homeless. Although the course has been developed with primary care staff in mind as they act as first healthcare points of contact, it is a foundation level course which is accessible and relevant to all staff working with people who are homeless, particularly those working in frontline homelessness services. This course can be accessed here: https://learning.publichealthscotland.scot/course/view.php?id=553

Over the coming months we will continue to work with key stakeholders to explore what further steps we can take to help ensure that people who are experiencing homelessness can access the palliative care and support that is right for them.

We want everyone who would benefit from palliative and end of life care to have access to it, including those who are experiencing homelessness.

We are committed to working with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships between health, homelessness and frontline services to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness with multiple and complex needs. Over the coming months we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore areas where improvements to palliative and end of life care could be made as well as reflecting on lessons learned during the pandemic.

I would also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01041 on
22 July 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

While the Scottish Government has access to management information (MI) on the number of independent contractors participating in the Covid-19 vaccination programme. This MI has not been subject to the same level of validation and checking as National Statistics or Official Statistics. Therefore, the data are not publicly available; however, as individual Health Boards have responsibility for local deployment decisions, they are best placed to advise on the composition of their respective workforces.

The Scottish Government’s office of the Chief Medical Officer is working closely with the UK Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to prioritise potential treatments for COVID-19. Further results of well-designed randomised controlled clinical trials exploring treatment efficacy of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 are awaited.

The MHRA, together with an independent advisory group, continues to review the emerging body of evidence regarding potential medicines for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, including Ivermectin.

The MHRA advises that, at this time, no application has been received for a licence for ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19, in the UK. However, should an application for a licence be made, then the MHRA has processes in place to expedite such an application, as required.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age and that COVID-19 risk increases exponentially with age.

JCVI priority group 4 of the vaccines programme incorporates those considered Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) on the GP system and therefore at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19.

First doses and second doses of vaccine are offered in accordance with the same clinical prioritisation guidelines outlined under the JCVI priority groups.

There is no exemption anywhere in the UK for oil and gas workers arriving from red list countries. Passengers arriving from red list countries are required to enter managed isolation in a quarantine hotel.  

There is an exemption for oil and gas workers arriving from amber list countries to undertake work on critical infrastructure in Scotland. They are still required to take a pre-departure test before travel, complete a passenger locator form before travelling to Scotland, book and take a testing package for days 2 and 8, self-isolate at home for 10 days when not at or travelling to and from a place where they are required to undertake the activities this exemption applies to and show a letter to Border Force from their employer outlining the work they will be doing.

We continue to liaise regularly with OGUK, trades unions and other stakeholders on measures to protect the safety of those working in the industry, including through the forum of the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group.

Since the publication of the rehabilitation framework in August 2020, we have established a National Advisory Board to oversee its implementation and we have appointed a professional advisor to lead on this programme of work.  

The rehabilitation programme is currently undertaking a significant scoping exercise through a self-assessment process to understand the current status of rehabilitation services in Scotland, from the perspective of the staff working in them.  

The self-assessment tool has been circulated to all NHS Boards, Health & Social Care Partnerships, third sector organisations, and Leisure Trusts as part of Local Authorities.  

The outputs from the self-assessment tool along with demand and capacity data will help us shape priorities, understand challenges and opportunities and inform funding decisions.