Chamber and committees

The recruitment of members for the new Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel will be underway imminently. The Panel will comprise a Chair and five Members, at least one of whom must have lived experience of fuel poverty. Assuming there are sufficient applicants who meet the criteria and can be recommended for appointment, we expect the Panel to be in place by early November.

We have provided funding to Energy Action Scotland for a number of years to undertake a programme of work that supports Scottish Government fuel poverty policy development and delivery, as well as increasing stakeholder awareness of fuel poverty issues in Scotland . In 2020-21 this amounted to £130,000.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we also made funding available to a number of organisations to assist households struggling with their energy costs. The Fuel Bank Foundation was provided with £877,000 in total, which it used primarily to provide same-day top ups to households with prepayment meters who were at risk of self-disconnecting. Later their services were extended to include households reliant upon unregulated fuels such as heating oil. Advice Direct Scotland delivered the Home Heating Support Fund on our behalf, making available £1,050,000 to households referred by specialist energy and debt advice services, who were at serious risk of self rationing their energy use, regardless of fuel type or meter type. A further £2,100,000 was provided to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations to deliver the Social Housing Fuel Support Fund, which supported member RSLs to deliver schemes designed to support tenants experiencing fuel insecurity.

Further funding is planned for 2021-22, as part of the Social Renewal Advisory Board Response Fund, which will build on the projects undertaken over the last year. Details are expected to be confirmed soon.

The information requested regarding the number of NHS staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital level is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. Public Health Scotland publishes Health Care Worker Data by NHS Board, this information can be accessed here:

Dashboard - COVID-19 Statistical Report - 14 July 2021 - COVID-19 statistical report - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government or by Public Health Scotland.

Information relating to the number of suspected cancer referrals made by NHS dentists would be held by individual Health Boards.

The option for women aged 71 and over to self-refer for a breast screening appointment will resume once capacity in all screening centres returns to pre-Covid or close to pre-Covid levels. This is based on the recommendation of the Scottish Screening Committee, the National Screening Oversight and the Breast Screening Programme Board, all three of whom are keeping the situation under regular review. They are also working closely with Health Boards to increase appointments and meet this criteria as soon as possible. We continue to emphasise that everyone should remain symptom aware and report any symptoms to their GP immediately for these to be investigated.

The information requested relating to (a) Aspergillus, (b) Pneumocystis jirovecii, (c) Staphylococcus epidermidis and (d) COVID-19 cases by hospital site is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. This information is held locally for local learning and quality improvement and can be sourced by contacting [email protected].

We have provided additional funding to NHS Boards where required to support prioritised care for individuals affected by the incident within the cervical screening programme.

Four Boards have requested funding to provide additional clinics as follows:

• Lanarkshire - £28,000
• Lothian - £8,098
• GGC - £5,000
• Fife: £2,700

No other Boards have requested funding, but we will keep the situation under review and will provide further funding if needed. Additionally, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, who are helping support the response with their Helpline, have also received funding from the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. Information on the number of NHS dental consultations can be found on Public Health Scotland at: https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments/dental-statistics-fees-and-treatments-statistics-as-at-march-2020/ .

An adverse event involving a very small number of women in a single NHS Board area was identified by the Board in the course of conducting its annual audit into invasive cervical cancers in December 2020. NHS National Services Division became aware of the incident in one NHS Board on 26 February 2021. They subsequently established an Adverse Event Management Team (AEMT), which met for the first time on 9 March 2021 to assess the implications for the wider screening programme and determine further action. Immediate control measures were put in place to prevent any new exclusions from being applied incorrectly. Scottish Government officials were also informed of the incident on 9 March and attended the AEMT meeting.

The British & Irish Lions rugby match was a flagship event approved by the Scottish Government through an events gateway process. Flagship events are internationally significant events which maintain Scotland’s longer-term profile as a host of major events, with an eye to recovery from the pandemic, and with appropriate Covid-19 mitigations in place. There are a very small number given the quite high bar of international significance.

Scottish Rugby submitted a comprehensive spectator proposal that was considered by Scottish Government Clinicians and the Chief Medical Officer before it was approved to enter the gateway process by the First Minister. The proposal for 25% capacity at Murrayfield was based on a fixed seating plan with seats sold in singles which required an exception for a reduction in physical distancing. Clinicians were satisfied with the comprehensive and robust plans that Scottish Rugby and the British Lions had in place and with the public health measures to help keep people safe. The proposal was considered at local level by City of Edinburgh Council at Event Planning & Operations Group Meetings which was also attended by others including Police Scotland and NHS Lothian.

It was made clear that fans should take a lateral flow test before attending to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Flagship events provide an opportunity to monitor and learn from events operating with reduced physical distancing and a comprehensive range of mitigations like maximising points of entry and staggered arrival times to ensure that fans could attend safely for this outdoor event. The Scottish Government and event organisers will use this knowledge to support the wider restart of events across Scotland.