Chamber and committees

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation to people who require it while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application. The Scottish Government has no control of asylum accommodation and support.

The Home Office procures asylum accommodation through private sector contracts. Mears Group are the current contract holder in Scotland.

While recognising that hotels have enabled people to be accommodated during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been clear that hotel accommodation for people seeking asylum is not acceptable as general practice or as long term accommodation. People seeking asylum should be provided with accommodation that is suitable for their needs and is based in communities to enable integration from day one of arrival. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Home Office, Mears Group, Glasgow City Council, COSLA and third sector support organisations in Glasgow on matters relating to asylum accommodation, support and integration.

In March 2021, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill (the “Bill”), which aims to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law to the maximum extent possible within the powers of the Scottish Parliament. The UK Government challenged the legislative competence of certain provisions of the Bill in a reference to the UK Supreme Court. A hearing was held on 28 and 29 June 2021 and judgment is awaited.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the incorporation of the UNCRC to the maximum extent of the Parliament’s powers and to commencement of the Bill as soon as possible. Whilst the reference means that the Bill cannot receive Royal Assent at this stage, the majority of work in relation to implementation can and is continuing, consistent with the fact that the case is before the UK Supreme Court.

• We are investing in a £4 million programme over three years to help to ensure public services are consistently upholding children’s rights
• The UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board has been meeting monthly since 1 July 2021 to provide strategic vision and oversight of a comprehensive and joined-up implementation programme
• A UNCRC Implementation Guidance Reference Group has been established comprising of key partners, and has been meeting fortnightly since 17 May 2021 to assist Scottish Government in developing non-statutory guidance to assist public authorities and those undertaking functions of a public nature to fulfil the UNCRC
• To support the meaningful and inclusive participation of children and young people in the UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board and wider implementation programme, we are working to establish a consortium of organisations that have strong, trusting relationships with children and young people across Scotland

Ensuring high quality palliative and end of life care for people towards the end of life is an important priority for the Scottish Government.

Since 2016, it has been the responsibility of Integration Authorities to commission and plan palliative and end of life care services and supports to meet the needs of their local population. The assessment of palliative and end of life care services is also their responsibility.

For this reason, the Scottish Government does not collect this data centrally.

However, Integration Authorities report on their progress using a range of indicators within their Annual Performance Reports, which provides some data on palliative and end of life care services. Information on the Core Suite of Integration Indicators can be found at https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/8411/2021-07-13-coresuiteindicators-background-and-glossary.pdf. It is, however, important to note that due to the pandemic, full data is not currently available for all indicators at present.

Public Health Scotland also publish official statistics on the percentage of time spent at home or in a community setting in the last six months of life. ( Percentage of end of life spent at home or in a community setting - Financial years ending 31 March 2011 to 2020 - Percentage of end of life spent at home or in a community setting - Publications - Public Health Scotland ).

The information about the number of individuals requesting hospital-based palliative care is not collected centrally.

The following table shows the number of people recorded as receiving inpatient palliative care in 2019-20. However, this information may not reflect the totality of hospital-based palliative care as it only contains the patients recorded under the care of a palliative medicine consultant, in a Palliative care unit or diagnosed with a Palliative care condition.

Scottish Government officials are currently working to identify the most appropriate and effective way to appoint a National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care. This work is ongoing and further information regarding this appointment will be made available in due course.

Social Security Scotland has been proactively promoting Scottish Child Payment by writing to those eligible on Universal Credit and HMRC tax credit databases to invite them to apply. Social Security Scotland also continue to work closely with public sector services and third sector organisations to reach out to families. This includes information in the baby box, NHS midwife and health visitor packs, nurseries and schools, food banks and other family support and welfare advice groups.

To drive take up of Scottish Child Payment further, as well as Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods, we launched a Five Family Payments campaign in March 2021, which will continue throughout this financial year, and targets parents through TV, radio, online adverts and social media.

Using the latest available forecasts published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission in January 2021 1 , it is estimated that 163,000 children are eligible for Scottish Child Payment in 2021-22.

Social Security Scotland publish official statistics on the number of applications they have received, processed and the number of children who have benefited from Scottish Child Payment. The latest statistics published in May 2021 2 cover the period from 9 November 2020 to 31 March 2021. The next publication, covering up to 30 June 2021, will be released on 31 August 2021.

1 Scottish Fiscal Commission (January 2021) Scotland’sEconomic and Fiscal Forecasts. Available at https://www.fiscalcommission.scot/publications/scotlands-economic-and-fiscal-forecasts-january-2021/ .

2 Social Security Scotland (May 2021) Scottish Child Payment: high level statistics to 31 March 2021. Available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-child-payment-high-level-statistics-on-applications-to-31-march-2021/ .

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. We are however developing a meaningful equality and diversity objective for Chairs of NHS Boards that directly support the work of staff equality networks, ensuring they have a voice and influence to drive change, with clear and defined lines of accountability. While this is in development we are actively encouraging Health Boards to develop staff led equality networks across a range of protected characteristics, which includes disability.

We are also working with service-led disability organisations to support graduates with disabilities enter the NHS workforce and the development of a user-focussed workplace adjustment policy.

Around 10-15% of patients presenting with acute stroke in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C) Health Board area are candidates for reperfusion with thrombolysis. The other 85-90% of admissions require specialist local care. Within NHS GGC, acute stroke thrombolysis is already available on a 24/7 basis. This is currently based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) with a thrombolysis on-call rota covering the entire NHS GG&C area.

Patients presenting to the Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) out of hours and at weekends with acute stroke, are assessed immediately on arrival and have appropriate imaging performed. If it is thought that the individual patient would potentially benefit from thrombolysis, then they will be transferred to QEUH. Patients presenting at GRI during weekday hours, who are thought to potentially benefit from thrombolysis, would have thrombolysis performed at GRI.

Patients presenting to other NHS GG&C sites with acute stroke, and who are thought to potentially benefit from thrombolysis, are either assessed, have appropriate imaging performed, and transferred to QEUH where appropriate, or are taken directly to QEUH by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), where stroke thrombolysis can take place.

Reperfusion in acute stroke circumstances is time-critical, as the benefit of thrombolysis diminishes with any delay to treatment. Therefore, work is ongoing within the NHS GG&C Stroke Improvement Group to develop a consultant telemedicine thrombolysis model with local stroke specialist nurse support for patients presenting with acute stroke.

NHS GG&C can provide further information on the Acute Stroke Service.