Full information on what personal information we process , including ethnicity, and how we use your data as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme can be found on NHS Inform under Data, Privacy and Ethics.

Personal information we process - Personal information we process to support the coronavirus vaccination | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

How we use your data How we use your data to support the coronavirus vaccination programme | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) .

It is not currently possible to identify the number of hospitality businesses nor the proportion of hospitality businesses that use the Check-in Scotland service. Whilst the collecting of customers contact details is a legal requirement, use of the Check-in Scotland service is entirely voluntary and can be used by many different types of business and venues, not just in hospitality. It is also possible to register different parts of a single venue so that they have different check-in locations (e.g. a bar with a separate address in a cinema complex could have a different check-in code to the cinema itself) and a single business may register multiple venues meaning that total figure does not equate to the number of businesses that may be using the service. Further details can be found at www.checkin.scot .

Other than the Check-in Scotland service, hospitality businesses may also use the NHS Scotland Covid Check app to verify a customers Covid Status. No personally identifiable or venue information is collected by the Covid Check App so it is it not possible to identify the number of businesses using the Covid Check app. Further details can be found at www.covidcheck.scot.

No businesses have access to any other Test & Protect systems.

The Scottish Government’s commitment to the early diagnosis of cancer is reflected in the £44m Detect Cancer Early (DCE) Programme. The NHS Recovery Plan – published August 2021 – commits an additional £20m for the DCE Programme, to provide greater public awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer and supporting the development of optimal cancer pathways to improve earlier diagnosis rates. Research will be undertaken in the coming months to better understand the possible barriers and levers to early diagnosis that any new DCE campaigns should focus on.

An overarching DCE social marketing campaign 'Survivors' was previously developed in close consultation with the Scottish Cancer Coalition in 2018. The campaign aimed to reduce fear around cancer and empower people to take early action, be it visiting their GP practice or attending screening when invited. To coincide with the campaign, a symptom-checker tool was developed on DCE’s website (getcheckedearly.org) to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of cancer, including blood cancer.

The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy sets out our intention to reform Energy Performance Certificates to ensure they are a suitable basis for future Energy Efficiency Regulations. In Summer 2021 we consulted on the first step of our proposed EPC reforms which focused on removing the cost element and instead using energy consumption as the headline metric. We are currently analysing feedback from this consultation and will consult on wider proposals for Energy Efficiency Regulations in Summer 2022. We are also considering what other changes are needed to EPCs to provide a robust basis for Energy Efficiency Regulations, and whether any changes are required to the 2008 regulations that established EPCs.

The National Cancer Plan, published on 9 December 2020, includes 68 actions and has been backed with up to £114.5 million. This includes a flagship innovation of the introduction of Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC), with three Early Cancer Diagnostic Centres (ECDC) already established in NHS Scotland this year. The Centres provide primary care with a new referral route for patients with non-specific symptoms suspicious of cancer (i.e. weight loss, fatigue, nausea), which don’t meet site specific Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer. The Clinical Lead for two of the Centres are Haematologists, reflecting the role that this new model can play in diagnosing blood cancers in Scotland.

The establishment and implementation of ECDCs are overseen by a national oversight group, of which the Scottish Cancer Coalition (that includes blood cancer charities) has representation on.

Officials are currently in discussion with the Blood Cancer Alliance to arrange a meeting in the new year, to explore how further improved outcomes for patients diagnosed with blood cancers can be achieved.

The Scottish Government continues to promote the requirement for hospitality businesses to collect contact details from visitors to their premises, in line with regulations and guidance, to support the work of local Health Protection teams. Use of the Check In Scotland app, by premises or the public, is not a legal requirement; it is a tool to support settings to more easily comply with regulations and public health guidance.

In terms of monitoring the collection of contact details by settings covered by regulations, Environmental Health Teams within Local Authorities, as part of ongoing engagement with premises or in response to members of the public notifying them of non-compliance, encourage compliance within settings, and take any enforcement action deemed necessary.

As advised in my previous answer, health boards lead on the local delivery of the vaccination programme and they manage the process for housebound people locally. We therefore do not hold information on average, longest, or shortest waiting times for housebound people and this information would have to be requested from the relevant health board.

The commitment to reduce car kms by 20% by 2030 (against a 2019 baseline) as set out in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan update (CCPu) published in December 2020 remains unchanged, either in terms of measurement or time scale.

An incorrect graphic was posted on social media on the 10 th of December. As soon as the error was noticed, the post was removed at the earliest opportunity to avoid further confusion, and we remain fully committed to reducing car km driven in Scotland by 20% by the year 2030.

NHS Lothian has, as part of their response to the reports, sent diagnostic appointments for those children identified in the review as being of clinical concern and requiring recall. In addition, the Board is working with the British Academy of Audiology to review the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) recordings of all children seen by the service for ABR testing during the last five years. An agreed escalation process is in place to highlight any cases of concern on a weekly basis and those of significant concern within 24 hours.

The Board is also undertaking work to review children known to the service who have risk factors for hearing loss and, based on the outcome of each review, recall children where appropriate in line with national guidance.

NHS Lothian will continue to report to the Scottish Government on a monthly basis.

COVID vaccines are procured by the UK Government on a four nations basis, and the cancellation of the contract with Valneva is a matter for the UK Government. Valneva is a valued contributor to our life sciences sector and the Livingston facility is an important asset, developing vaccines for the treatment of many infectious diseases and supporting high quality jobs. This includes their COVID-19 vaccine, and I welcome the positive results Valneva has reported from clinical trials. I met with Valneva last week to hear more about their COVID-19 vaccine and the impressive work underway at their Livingston facility. Ministers and Scottish Enterprise are in advanced discussions with the company to agree a package of support which would underpin the company’s operations in Scotland.

The Scottish Government will continue to be guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations in deploying vaccines in the face of Omicron. In line with the JCVI’s advice, the best defence against the virus is for everyone who is eligible for a booster to come forward now, alongside following the Scottish Government’s guidance on testing, face coverings and restrictions.