Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has set up a National Vaccine Inclusive Steering Group with representatives from Health Boards, faith groups, third and community sector, and works closely with BEMIS, the national umbrella body supporting the development of the Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector in Scotland, and regularly participates in the Ethnic Minority National Resilience Group (EMNRG), which includes organisations representing the Polish Community.

Polish is one of the primary languages as set out by Public Health Scotland, and Polish translations have been prioritised for all coronavirus-related guidance, which has included regularly updated translations on NHS Inform, Strategic Framework updates on gov.scot and Polish translations of all National door drops. This is shared via SG Marketing, SG Policy, NHS 24 and via a number of stakeholders, to reach Polish communities.

Provision of messages/ guidance has been made to Polish community organisations in order to appropriately translate and share in language more likely to elicit action within the context of Polish culture/language. An explainer video for minority ethnic communities – tackling barriers – translated into Polish was developed as part of the Phase 2 campaign deliverables targeted at 18-49 year olds, which looks to address barriers to vaccine uptake identified by ME communities. The explainer video was produced in multiple languages including Polish, and provides key facts about the Covid vaccines for those who may be hesitant, or for those more likely to have been exposed to myths/misinformation. The content of this video has been shaped by engagement with BEMIS and the Ethnic Minority National Resilience Group, which includes input from the Polish community. This video has been distributed via partnership channels and via stakeholders to those groups who may not be as likely to be reached by traditional media.

FENIKS have been awarded funding via the Scottish Government award to BEMIS, for additional translations of Coronavirus vaccine information/materials into Polish. Feniks was set up in 2007 as a charity supporting integration and aiming at improving the wellbeing of the Central Eastern European Community in Edinburgh. It seeks to help individuals and families who have moved away from their homeland in facing the challenges which can result from immigration. https://www.feniks.org.uk

A live Q+A session was held online 6 July 2021 with Professor Jason Leitch, National Clinical Director, with the session chaired by Feniks. Key questions were gathered beforehand from members of the community, including issues causing some hesitancy, for example on vaccine efficacy and safety. The session was also translated live. The Scottish Government is continuing to support the work of Feniks on providing information and increasing uptake of Covid vaccine.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) are supporting the work of health boards including work continuing in local health board areas with the Polish community, including targeting workforces and large employers, including food processing.

The mesh fund is being administered by NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. The following table illustrates, as at 26 July 2021, the number of applications approved, declined and pending:

Beyond the amounts spent for the United Kingdom via the national testing programme, resource spend within the Health portfolio in Scotland for 2020-21 was £152 million and capital spend was £21 million.

The Scottish air quality monitoring network consists of around 100 central government and local authority operated sites across the country. Monitoring sites are generally located at known pollution hotspots where there is relevant public exposure, and also at background sites to provide a baseline for comparison.

Air quality monitoring measures the total concentrations of pollutants in ambient air from all sources. Emissions from specific sources such as NEE are estimated taking into account a range of information such as monitoring data, national statistics and other datasets.

Annual emissions estimates for tyre wear, brake wear and road abrasion arising from fine particulate matter and benzo(a)pyrene for the period 1990 to 2018 (the most recent year for which data are available) can be found in the report 'Air Pollutant Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland:1990-2108' - https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/2010220959_DA_Air_Pollutant_Inventories_1990-2018_v1.2.pdf

The Scottish Government recognises that clinical trials for vaccinations are critical for responding to COVID-19 and we would like to thank all those who have volunteered to take part in these trial, you are providing a great benefit for our society and indeed the rest of the world.

On 11 June 2021 the Deputy Chief Medical Officer wrote an open letter to UK residents who have volunteered to take part in COVID-19 vaccine studies outlining that those participating in such trials should not be disadvantaged in terms of any future domestic vaccine certification, if introduced, compared to anyone else who has had their vaccines under the standard NHS programme.

Those involved in clinical trials will shortly receive a letter confirming their involvement in the trials. This letter can be used for domestic purposes as proof of trial status. We are also working on a technical solution that will enable them to access their record on NHS Inform.

The Scottish Government has issued guidance emphasising the need to ensure good ventilation across all indoor settings.

Our Covid-19 ventilation guidance includes reference to the possibility of monitoring carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels in buildings, with a link to the more detailed information on CO 2 monitors provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

We are currently considering what further steps we can take to support good practice in ventilation across all settings and this includes consideration of the role of CO 2 monitors and standards.

As previously set out in the Chamber, Scottish Government will take forward a comprehensive review of the arrangements in place for provision of financial support for patient travel. This review will take full account of the matters raised by Members.

Regrettably, this review has been delayed due to prioritisation of NHS recovery and remobilisation planning, and will be taken forward as soon as possible.

Special Advisers are appointed in accordance with Part 1 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 by the First Minister as a Special Adviser for the purpose of providing assistance to the Scottish Ministers.

Their specific responsibilities are as follows:

In April 2020 the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) consulted on future support for low carbon heat, proposing the Green Gas Support and Clean Heat Grant schemes as successors. The Scottish Government responded to the consultation and has separately engaged with BEIS to press the need for replacement schemes to account for particular circumstances in Scotland.

BEIS published its response on the Green Gas Support scheme and associated levy in March 2021. BEIS is yet to issue a response on the Clean Heat Grant. These schemes will provide a reduced level of support to a narrower range of non-domestic heat decarbonisation projects.

The Scottish Government has allocated almost £1.6 billion over this parliament to heat and energy efficiency, including support for non-domestic projects. We already offer a loan and cashback grant offer for SME businesses via the Energy Efficiency Business Support Service and will invest up to £400 million over the next five years in large-scale heat decarbonisation infrastructure, as well as continuing to offer low interest unsecured loans for both district heating low carbon and renewable technology projects in Scotland.

Our commitment to tackling the climate emergency and transitioning to a net-zero society by 2045 is unwavering.

The Scottish Government is committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy, and are considering options to take forward this review. Parliament will be updated on plans for this in September, when we will outline a timeline for the review.