Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33178 on 25 November 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 no plans to fund universal supplementation of vitamin D.

In June this year, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published the outcome of their reviews on vitamin D and COVID-19. Both found that the evidence at that time did not support the contention that vitamin D supplementation could improve COVID-19 outcomes.

SACN concluded that evidence at that time did not support vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infection in the general UK population. Its review reiterated the importance of vitamin D for bone and muscle health. SACN’s statement is at: https://app.box.com/s/g0ldpth1upfd7fw763ew3aqa3c0pyvky

NICE conducted a rapid evidence summary on vitamin D in the context of COVID-19 which concluded that there was no evidence at that time to support taking vitamin D supplements to specifically prevent or treat COVID-19. NICE also reiterated that people should continue to follow advice on daily vitamin D supplementation to maintain bone and muscle health. The summary of NICE’s review is at: https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/es28/chapter/Key-messages

We are aware that evidence around vitamin D is constantly evolving and we will continue to look to SACN for advice as that evidence develops.

Everyone should consider taking a daily 10 microgram supplement of vitamin D to protect bone and muscle health, particularly during the winter months. It is specifically recommended that groups at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency take a daily supplement all year round. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, infants and children under 5, people who have low or no exposure to the sun, and people from minority ethnic groups with dark skin who require more sun exposure to make as much vitamin D.

Current advice on vitamin D is available at: www.gov.scot/publications/vitamin-d-advice-for-all-age-groups

Everyone on the shielding list has been offered a free four month supply of vitamin D from December 2020. Information outlining how to receive this offer has been sent to all those on the shielding list. Advice on the importance of vitamin D supplements has also been provided to those on the shielding list through Scottish Government websites and information updates attached to letters from the Chief Medical Officer.

The publication of the NHS Scotland Sustainability Strategy has been delayed due to COVID priorities. The new date of the publication has not been agreed and it will be reviewed once the position with the pandemic clarifies.

As indicated in the answer to question S5W-32879 on 9 November 2020, responsibility for arranging learning for children who have to self-isolate or quarantine rests with the child’s school and the relevant local authority.

To enhance the options available to schools, Scottish Government and Education Scotland are working with the Association of Directors of Education to deliver the e-learning national partnership initiative. This seeks to widen access to live lessons, recorded lessons and digital learning and teaching resources. The initiative comprises a range of projects including the expansion of e-Sgoil's remote learning offer, as well as the West Partnership's online school which is providing teacher led lessons online which can be accessed at a time and place of the learner's choosing. The aim of the partnership is to ensure that different areas collaborate in order to provide access to materials across regions. Further detail on the e-learning partnership is available at:

https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/news-and-events/new-partnership-offer-to-improve-availability-of-online-learning-across-scotland/

Education Scotland's new Scotland Learns mini site provides additional learning at home activities and ideas to complement any online learning and offline learning provided by the school. Further information is available at:

https://education.gov.scot/improvement/scotland-learns/

Further advice and support to parents, as well as learning activities for younger pupils. is provided via the Parent Club website, which now has a number of dedicated pages on how to support children’s learning during Covid-19.

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 is strongly committed to advancing equality for LGBTI people and we are deeply concerned about reports of attacks on LGBTI people or activists in Poland. We condemn any such attacks in the strongest terms and we are particularly concerned by the creation of “zones free from LGBT ideology”.

We not only work to promote, protect and realise the rights of every LGBTI person in Scotland but we also promote respect and equality of treatment internationally, regularly raising issues around our fundamental values of tolerance and inclusion through our diplomatic engagement. Our most recent formal meeting with the Polish Authorities took place in February 2020, when the then Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs met the Polish Ambassador to the UK and introduced our publication “Strategic Priorities for Scotland and the European Union 2020-24” one of whose four key strands is to defend Europe’s democratic values and protect individual freedoms.

We will not hesitate to reiterate these messages at any future meetings.

The last bilateral engagement with a representative of the Polish Government was on 4 February 2020. Fiona Hyslop, then Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, met with Arkady Rzegocki, Polish Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The meeting with the Polish Ambassador focused on Brexit, recent Scottish Government publications “Strategic Priorities for Scotland and the European Union 2020-24” and “Migration: Making Scotland Prosper paper” and support available to Polish nationals in the United Kingdom through Stay in Scotland campaign.

The Consul General of Poland has attended recent ministerial briefings for the members of the Consular Corps in Scotland which have focused on our response to Covid-19 crisis and the commitment to democratic values that we share with our European neighbours.

Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment carried out detailed reviews of glyphosate and concluded that the available scientific evidence did not raise safety concerns that would prevent its continued approval.

All pesticides products must be authorised by the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Division for use in the UK and we will continue to adopt an evidence-based approach to glyphosate.

The Scottish Government funds research into, and promotes, the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which aims to help land managers in all sectors reduce their reliance on the use of pesticides, including those containing glyphosate. IPM is a site specific approach that integrates a full range of measures to manage pests, weeds and diseases, while minimising risks to people and the environment. The Scottish Government monitors the use of both chemical and non-chemical pest control methods in the agricultural, horticultural and amenity sectors to assess the impact of this policy position.

IPM is also promoted through documents such as the UK National Action Plan for the Sustainable Use of Pesticides. The National Action Plan is currently under review and a public consultation will be launched later this year to obtain further input from the industry, professional and amateur pesticide users.

Information on the use of pesticides, including herbicides containing glyphosate, on a range of agricultural and horticultural crops, is collected and published annually by the Scottish Government’s Pesticide Survey Unit. www.sasa.gov.uk/pesticides/pesticide-usage/pesticide-usage-survey-reports

The Scottish Government are also currently surveying 2019 Local Authority usage of herbicides and other forms of weed control to inform us about practices in this sector.