The Scottish Government acknowledges that publication of this report has been delayed due to our pandemic response efforts. We will be publishing the Independent Expert Working Group report on 6 October 2021.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities, separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority to structure the council and form a decision making process that is appropriate for the individual local authority.

New regulations require that, where applicable, from November 2022 local authorities, along with other public bodies, report a target date for achieving zero direct emissions of greenhouse gases and targets for reducing indirect emissions of greenhouse gases. Overall, around 50% of reported public sector emissions are now covered by a net zero target that aligns with, or is more ambitious than, the 2045 national target.

Since 2015, local authorities, along with other public bodies, have had a duty to report on their compliance with the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, as well as their annual organisational emissions.

Further to the answer to question S6W-01792, the Scottish Government invests £862 million in general medical services, and a further £250 million in support of general practice through the Primary Care Fund.

Specific details of actual expenditure would require to be requested directly from individual NHS Boards .

As with the rest of the UK, fully vaccinated travellers returning to Scotland from countries other than those on the red list are required to take a day two test regardless of the length of their trip. The risk of transmission of the virus remains regardless of how long a traveller’s trip was for.

The Scottish Government has confirmed it intends to align with the UK Government’s proposals to relax the required standard of the day two testing.

Details on this are still being finalised and we will continue to engage with the UK Government ahead of confirmation.

Until these changes are confirmed, fully vaccinated travellers returning from countries that are not on the red list will be required to purchase a PCR test via CTM, the UK booking portal for international travel or from one of the private providers listed on the gov.uk website.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Addictions Prevalence Testing has been reviewed and renamed Drug Trend Testing. Along with the testing of individuals being admitted and liberated from SPS custody in a given month, results from Rapiscan machines will also be analysed as part of Drug Trend Testing (DTT) in the SPS. DTT will take place in January 2022.

Scottish Government has been working with heath boards most likely to be impacted by COP26 and have put in place measures to support provision of health services to official delegates and others visiting Scotland during the summit period.

Hosting this event does place an additional demand on our NHS and we continue to work closely with Scottish and UK partners to mitigate potential impact on NHS services and staff workload.

Special Advisers in the Scottish Government are bound by the Special Adviser Code of Conduct and the standards of integrity and honesty required of all civil servants as set out in the Civil Service Code. The Scottish Government has accepted the Hamilton Report proposal to give further consideration to matters relating to Special Advisers. We will cooperate with the Independent Advisers on taking this forward as part of any wider revisions to both the Ministerial Code and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers that might be required.

Under the terms of our Agency Agreement with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Carer’s Allowance must be delivered in Scotland under the same procedures and rules as in England and Wales. As the COVID restrictions are lifted, DWP’s firm position is that there is no longer a need for these easements. We have encouraged DWP to consider closely the impact of this change. Regulations remain in place that continue to ensure that breaks in care for the period from March 2020 up to 31 August 2021 are disregarded as part of Carer’s Allowance calculations. Moreover, if Parliament passes the Carers Allowance Supplement (Scotland) Bill then an increased payment of Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be made in December, which will total £462.80 for those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance in Scotland.

Carers Allowance sits alongside a wide range of carer support, including the Carers Act which enhances and extends the rights of all carers in Scotland. This year we have invested an additional £28.5m for local carer support, bringing total investment in the Carers (Scotland) Act to £68m per year. We are currently consulting on how best to amend the Carers (Scotland) Act to create a new right to breaks from caring. Alongside the statutory support, we fund Shared Care Scotland and Family Fund to deliver the £3 million per year Short Breaks Fund. Last year we put an extra £1.1m into the Short Breaks Fund and £300,000 in our Young Scot young carer package, to support carers of all ages to enjoy some time away from their caring role and look after themselves. This year we have already committed an extra £570,000 for the Short Breaks Fund and in October will be opening the ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme for carers and families on low incomes. Although not specifically for carers, the Scottish Welfare Fund can also provide a vital safety net for those on a low income experiencing a short term financial crisis.

Strategic national action on dementia to support local service design and delivery is informed by extensive national data, both actual and estimated. We commissioned and published in 2016 the first national report on estimated annual diagnosed dementia incidence, designed to show the estimated annual flow of new diagnoses into the health and social care system, specifically to help local workforce planning and resourcing around dementia post-diagnostic support, and to enable local and national measurement against the national dementia post-diagnostic commitment. This report will be re-commissioned this year.

Local systems collect and hold diagnosis data when individuals with a dementia diagnosis are referred for post-diagnostic support.