Chamber and committees

Public health advice can be found on NHS Inform at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus and at Public Health Scotland at: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/ .

The advice on these websites is being constantly reviewed and updated based on the developing evidence base to ensure information relevant to specific vulnerable groups is included and up-to-date.

Treatment plans are specific to individuals and should not be changed without advice from a medical professional. There has been adverse publicity regarding ACE inhibitors and susceptibility to coronavirus (COVID-19) but there is no evidence to support this. Treatment with ACE inhibitors must not stop unless an individual is told to do so by a medical professional.

The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020, which came into force on 7 April 2020, further protects people living in the mainstream private rented sector, including any students.

The temporary measures introduced by the emergency legislation supports tenants to be secure in their homes during the coronavirus pandemic by extending the notice to leave period for up to 6 months, ensuring tenants have additional time to apply for and receive the available support so they can pay their bills in the short term and, if necessary, to give them time to plan for the longer term over this unprecedented crisis.

The extended notice periods apply to notices which have been issued from 7 April 2020 and apply across the board, for all statutory tenancies currently in existence in the private and social rented sectors until 30 September 2020. These measures will prevent evictions during the pandemic, providing certainty for tenants who are concerned about paying their rent and supporting efforts to reduce the spread of the disease by keeping people in their homes, it also ensures that tenants have time to apply for and benefit from the interventions available to support them to pay their bills, before a landlord can take eviction action.

Veterinary practices have not been instructed to close and the Scottish Government has issued advice concerning ongoing veterinary surveillance activities and statutory testing of livestock to the effect that such work should continue provided all public health guidance can be adhered to.

A wide range of business support measures have been made available to businesses. Veterinary practices will be eligible for the universal 1.6% rates relief. Where veterinary businesses are in receipt of Small Business Bonus Scheme relief and/or Rural Relief, they will also be eligible for a one-off £10,000 grant. A new package of measures announced by the Scottish Government on 15 April includes £120 million to extend the Small Business Grant scheme to ensure that, in addition to a 100% grant on the first property, small business rate payers will be eligible to a 75% grant on all subsequent properties.

Veterinary practices are advised to contact their respective local council directly to determine their eligibility for financial assistance.

This is a rapidly evolving situation and Scottish Government will continue to monitor its position and work with the UK Government to consider where further support may be required.

On 25 March, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture and the STUC General Secretary issued a joint statement outlining the shared commitment to fair work practices in Scotland. This calls on employers, trades unions and workers to work together to reach the right decisions on all workplace issues that arise throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and ensure workers are treated fairly.

The Fair Work statement includes that temporary agency workers and self-employed contractors should be treated as if they were employees during the current health crisis.

Guidance with information relating to health and safety advice and financial protection measures has been published by the UK and Scottish Governments.

The Scottish Government recognises that many individuals will continue to require dental advice and support during the on-going COVID-19 outbreak. In the earlier stages of our response dental professionals were permitted to continue to treat patients in a practice setting if appropriate precautions were taken but this provision had to be withdrawn on 23 March 2020 due to the tightening of restrictions on social interaction.

Practices have been advised that contact with patients should be by telephone to avoid patients presenting at the practice, to minimise any contact while travelling or in the practice. Practice teams should make every effort to triage, advise and reassure patients who have a dental problem, operating on an Advice: Analgesia: Anti-microbial basis. Patients in urgent need of dental treatment will still have access to dental care through an urgent dental care centre in each NHS Board area.

On 30 March 2020 the Scottish Government announced a further package of financial support to NHS dental practices which will allow them to ensure business continuity while they are unable to treat patients. We recognise that the dental workforce is particularly well equipped to support the response to COVID-19 by the wider NHS. We have asked independent dental practices to be available for a COVID-19 response redeployment.

We are pursuing a range of potential deployments for dentists and dental teams in response to COVID-19, including deployment in Community COVID HUBS and assessment centres, using the Public Dental Service to bolster the COVID care response in the community, deploying dentists in community pharmacies and using quick induction of dental nurses to support general nurses. Dentists and the dental team will also support Boards in the provision of urgent dental care in various centres.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28087 on 3 April 2020. 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 .

The Scottish Government has not provided advice to the Royal Mail in respect of Covid-19.

Workplace health and safety is a reserved issue. Employers have a duty of care to their workforce to carry out a risk assessment of work activity and the workplace and put in place appropriate mitigating measures.

We require all employers to act on the guidance we have published on social distancing and safe continuation of essential services:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others-social-distancing/

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28087 on 3 April 2020. 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 response to Covid-19, ScotRail has temporarily removed the toilet facility entry fee at Aberdeen, Fort William, Inverness and Glasgow Queen Street stations. Previously these were the only four railway stations in Scotland where a fee was payable.

Both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central railway stations are operated by Network Rail and entry to the toilet facilities at these stations is free of charge.