Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00055 on‎ 2 June 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

Responsibility for collective bargaining rests with ScotRail and the Unions concerned. The Scottish Government has advised both railway Unions and ScotRail of the substantial additional funding provided to maintain full employment of railway staff throughout the pandemic period. And therefore, that any pay increase, including any further increase to overtime payments for rest day working, would need to be funded by efficiencies agreed through meaningful discussions.

Throughout the process, the Scottish Government has encouraged all parties to resolve this issue for the benefit of passengers, staff, the environment and the economy.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age. Additionally the committee considers frontline health and social care workers who provide direct care to vulnerable people a high priority for vaccination. The JCVI priority list represents 99% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme we will be guided by the clinical expertise of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and our own senior clinical advisers.

In December, we started vaccinating elderly people in ‘longer-stay’ hospital settings - i.e. those who were clinically stable and therefore appropriate to be vaccinated. Vaccinating people as soon as they enter hospital will not immediately prevent COVID-19 infection or disease as it takes time for an immune response to develop to the vaccine (2-3 weeks).

The recommendation for patients admitted to hospital for non-COVID illness, is not to give a vaccine until the patient recovers from their acute illness. It will not always be possible for hospitals to offer the vaccination as not all sites facilitate this. Where not practicable, an alternative will be arranged.

Elderly people should be vaccinated when they are in hospital in line with where they fall in the JCVI prioritisation list, if this is not possible we would expect vaccinations to take place before or upon entering a care home.

NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, Health Boards along with GPs are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with the JCVI guidance. This includes how to vaccinate elderly people being discharged from hospital into temporary care home accommodation.

There is no one definitive way to protect women who are over 65 from the effects of HPV infection. However, evidence shows that measures such as stopping smoking and undertaking good sexual health practices can help reduce the risks associated with it. Education and information is therefore a vital tool – not just to protect women from HPV, but to improve overall health outcomes.

The Scottish Government is developing a Women’s Health Plan. An early action from the plan was to develop a women’s health campaign, which launched on 1 February 2021, and includes information about sexual health and contraception for women of all ages, including specific links to sexual health advice and support for older women. In addition to this general campaign, we will continue to work closely with third sector organisations such as Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, to ensure that messaging around HPV and cervical cancer targets a range of demographics, including women over the age of 65.

It should also be noted that most people who become infected with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) clear the virus from their body without any intervention. However, we also recognise that persistent HPV can result in some cancers – for women, the most common of these is cervical cancer.

That’s why we also continue to work to protect women from the effects of HPV through our cervical screening programme with women aged between 25 and 64 invited for regular screening. We know that those aged 65 and over who regularly participate in and are discharged from the programme are unlikely to develop cervical cancer.

Finally, as part of our long term efforts to prevent HPV-related cancers, in Scotland, the HPV vaccine is offered to every S1 pupil because the evidence now shows that it helps protect both boys and girls from HPV-related cancers.

In 2020-21, the Scottish Government has provided £1.7 billion in additional funding for NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to meet COVID-19 related costs, including COVID-19 vaccine delivery.

The COVID-19 vaccination programme is one of the largest and most complex logistical exercises undertaken in Scotland and is using a system-wide approach for delivery across local authorities, NHS Boards and other key delivery partners. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships to identify and confirm total costs of delivery, and will ensure that these are fully funded as the roll-out continues.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35832 on‎ 12 March 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35832 on‎ 12 March 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35832 on 12 March 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

In relation to the request for a breakdown of expenditure, the sum £54,378 was spent in its entirety for obtaining individual legal advice for civil servants in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Management Code published by the Cabinet Office.

Four members of staff received the individual legal advice. The breakdown of the expenditure by grade is SCS - Permanent Secretary; SCS – Director x2; SCS – Deputy Director.

The name of the legal firm that provided the legal advice cannot be revealed in order to maintain the right to confidentiality of communications between legal advisers and clients.

Vaccinations are taking place differently across Scotland to reflect the needs of local communities. NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, Health Boards are responsible for making decisions regarding local delivery in line with the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance. This includes how to deliver vaccines to their those with known allergies.

Information for those with known allergies is available in the green book .

The Coronavirus Vaccination Helpline can be called on: 0800 0308013 (available 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week) for advice relating to receiving vaccinations in individual health boards.

Further general information about the coronavirus vaccine and its delivery is also available at NHS Inform .