Chamber and committees

NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, health boards along with GPs are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance.

In Scotland, we already deliver nearly two million doses of vaccine routinely every year and we have a comprehensive delivery infrastructure in place. Our Flu Vaccination and COVID-19 Vaccine programme board has a national delivery framework to support deployment plans from each Health Board. This includes logistics such as who delivers the vaccination and how it is stored. Clinical advice indicates that overall levels of seasonal flu circulating are very low, and therefore associated risks are lower than in previous years.

Given the prevalence of COVID-19 across Scotland, delivery for the COVID -19 vaccination programme is being taken forward by Health Boards. The workforce will be pivoted and resources redirected to the planning and delivery the COVID -19 vaccination programme. The COVID-19 vaccination programme builds on pre-existing arrangements for vaccination delivery in Scotland. This includes use of pre-existing vaccination holding and delivery locations, cold-chain and delivery arrangements and staff resource. In the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, in cohorts 3-5, some boards have used the same infrastructure as the delivery of their annual flu programme, particularly the ones who opted for a GP delivery model.

Moving forward to larger cohorts, it will be harder for boards to sustain the same delivery model as the flu vaccination programme due to the larger populations needing to be vaccinated and balancing second dose appointments. Consideration also needs to be given to make the programme as inclusive as possible and tailor delivery models for harder to reach communities. We are working with health boards to develop plans for future cohorts.

Regardless of delivery models, lessons learned from previous vaccination programmes are always taken into consideration when planning new programmes. The COVID-19 vaccination programme builds upon, and extends, infrastructure used for flu vaccinations. Workforces, such as vaccinators, support and administrative staff, are being deployed on the programme. GP practices are contributing to the programme and other facilities like town halls and football stadiums have been utilised for COVID-19 vaccinations via health board teams. Digital infrastructure used for flu, such as the NHS Inform and Public Health Scotland websites will also be utilised as information resources for people who wish to seek information on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The change in relation to the timing of the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, in line with Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice and supported by all four UK Chief Medical Officers, does not affect the consent for treatment when the first vaccine was administered. Obtaining informed consent is a process and not a single event and it does not guarantee that a treatment will be provided in the way originally set out if the circumstances change, in light of informed medical opinion as to the best way to most effectively protect public health.

Consent collected at the point of first vaccination dose only relates to the dose being provided at that time. When an individual presents for their second dose, it cannot be presumed that consent is continuing and before the second doses is administered the individual should be asked to consent to receive the second dose.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.

The official source of statistics about deaths related to Covid-19 in Scotland is the National Records of Scotland (NRS). NRS Publish official statistics on Covid-19 deaths in Scotland, including breakdowns by location of death such as care home. These statistics are sourced directly from death certificates, and are the most accurate record of deaths. These statistics can be found on the NRS website here;

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/covid19stats

The Care Inspectorate also collected management information on care home resident deaths which is published on the Scottish Government website;

https://www.gov.scot/publications/cornavirus-covid-19-additional-data-
about-adult-care-homes-in-scotland/

The Scottish Government recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on individuals and groups across the whole of society, including people on low incomes, disabled people, older people and people from minority ethnic communities.

We recognise that the pandemic has had a detrimental impact on access to, and enjoyment of, a broad spectrum of human rights as the Scottish Government has had to take unprecedented and necessary action to suppress Covid19 and preserve life.

Human rights and equality have, however, been embedded throughout our COVID response and recovery work. We have sought, as far as possible, to minimise both direct and indirect impacts for everyone in Scotland and to use every opportunity to address inequality, to ensure dignity, fairness and respect and to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act, introduced by the Scottish Labour / Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2000, sets out the purposes for which a covert human intelligence source may be authorised.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Juveniles) (Scotland) Order 2002 was introduced in 2002 which sets out additional safeguards for juveniles (under 18) including:

• that no authorisation may be given for the conduct or use of a source where the source is under 16 and the conduct or use would relate to the relationship between the source and their parent or any person who has responsibility for them.
• The requirement for the presence of an appropriate adult at all meetings between a source under 16 and the representative of the relevant investigating authority.
• Appropriate risk assessments where the source is under 18.
• Amends the period of authorisation from 12 months to 1 month.

Since its formation in 2013, Police Scotland has not authorised a CHIS under the age of 18 years.

As a result of the recent Court of Appeal judgement in regarding to Covert Human Intelligence Sources criminal conduct, the Scottish Government does not intend to bring forward emergency legislation. The Scottish Government have no plans to give Police Scotland additional powers in relation to covert human intelligence sources aged under 18.

The Scottish Government is dismayed by the reported rise in the theft of dogs and would encourage dog owners to report any concerns to Police Scotland, be extremely vigilant, ensure dogs are microchipped, and also report the loss/theft to the microchip database operators to ensure that if anyone attempts to re-register the microchip number, the rightful owner will be informed.

Dog theft is dealt with under the common law of theft. In any given case, courts have discretion in sentencing decisions to reflect the individual facts and circumstances of each case, with maximum penalties available all the way up to life imprisonment. In 2016 the Scottish Government made it compulsory for all dogs to be microchipped and for contact details to be kept up to date. This was to ensure the swift return of lost and stolen dogs. It is standard practice for enforcement agencies to scan dogs coming into their care.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 provides the regulatory framework in respect of covert human intelligence sources. It was introduced by the Scottish Labour / Liberal Democrat coalition government and passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2000.

The Scottish Government are currently considering the compatibility of current legislation with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Each one of these deaths is a tragedy. We are committed to ending homelessness once and for all and the recently published statistics on homeless deaths, while experimental, will help us further understand the challenges faced by those experiencing homelessness.

We set out a renewed commitment to ending homelessness in our updated action plan of October 2020. This plan is backed by a £50 million Ending Homelessness Together fund, most of which is used to help local authorities prioritise settled accommodation for people. Our plan is clear on the importance of improved joint working between homelessness, mental health and substance use services, and we are scaling up Housing First for those with more complex needs to improve both health and housing outcomes.

We know that over half of the homeless deaths reported were drug related. The First Minister has allocated more than £250 million to tackle drug deaths in Scotland and appointed Angela Constance as the new minister for drugs policy.