Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is not currently considering ‘health passports’ to verify negative tests and vaccine, or mobilising mass testing to allow the safe return of spectators to football stadia. In addition to ethical considerations, there are practical issues with any such approach.

Scotland's Strategic Framework published on 23 October 2020 permits limited numbers of spectators at stadia events in local authorities with protection level 1 or level 0 restrictions. Our priority remains supressing the virus and safeguarding lives – and that remains the best way to get supporters back into grounds and to allow other activities to resume.

Information on cases of hospital onset of COVID-19 is published weekly by National Services Scotland, ARHAI (Antimicrobial Resistance Hospital Acquired Infection). Reports are published here:

https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/population-health/covid-19/

The agreed nosocomial case definition for the UK is based on the number of days since admission to an NHS health board to the date of specimen sampling for a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test. Time since admission to specimen sampling is categorised as probable hospital onset where the first positive specimen is on days 8 to 14 of admission to NHS board and definite hospital onset where the first positive specimen date was 15 or more days after admission to NHS board.

The Scottish Government is working closely with our event partners, the Scottish FA, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and EventScotland, on preparation for the UEFA EURO 2020 matches at Hampden in June and July 2021. In response to the Covid situation we are considering a range of planning scenarios for the tournament, including spectator attendance at the stadium. It is currently too early to say what will be permitted in terms of spectator attendance, however, the Scottish Government is doing all we can to ensure fans can safely attend sporting events going forward, including EURO 2020.

I refer the member to the response provided for S5W-34041 on 23 December 2020, which sets out planning considerations for UEFA EURO 2020 at Hampden in June and July 2021. Regarding health or immunity passports, there are not something that the Scottish Government is contemplating at this stage. In addition to ethical considerations, there are practical issues with any such approach - we do not yet know the extent to which vaccination prevents transmission of Covid and we cannot be sure that, just because someone has been vaccinated, they cannot pass Covid on to somebody else.

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
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Graduation is an important moment in a student’s life and a chance to celebrate their achievements and hard work paying off. As autonomous institutions, it is for each university to decide its own policy on graduation fees.

The Scottish Government provided emergency funding of £5m earlier this year to support students across further and higher education, and brought forward access of £11.4m of Higher Education Discretionary Funds. Students facing hardship should apply for discretionary funds administered by their university.

Institutions are best placed to consider the financial position of individual students, taking into account their overall income and expenditure, to decide who, based on need, should receive support from the Discretionary Fund.

Where Health Boards have concerns about cannot attend (CNA) and do not attend (DNA) rates, patients are being contacted and encouraged to attend an appointment when one is offered. Patients are being risk stratified on a continual basis ensuring that those with sight-threatening conditions are prioritised. Health Boards also have strict Health and Safety and infection control measures in place to support patient pathways.

The Scottish Government has no plans to continue using Protect Scotland beyond the current pandemic. Protect Scotland relies on the Google/Apple' Exposure Notification System (ENS) to work. Access to this ENS technology has only been granted for use during the Covid-19 pandemic and will be disabled on a regional basis when it is no longer needed.

As part of the Digital response to the pandemic we will publish a refreshed Digital Health & Care Strategy in 2021. This will build on some of the progress and learning we have seen this year, including on the use of Protect Scotland.

The development of a masterplan for the Cairngorm Estate, of which the funicular railway is an important asset, aims to develop an agreed vision and strategies to support the sustainability of the resort. Alongside this, HIE is reviewing operating and governance models for the Estate and will align this work with the outcome of the masterplan. In the meantime, Cairngorm Mountain Scotland Limited (CMSL) continues to work on managing and reducing costs and improving income where possible. HIE is monitoring this and working closely with CMSL on financial matters.

The Cairngorm Mountain Full Business Case concluded that reinstatement of the funicular is more cost-effective and will provide a service that is less prone to severe weather related disruption than replacement with a gondola service. The funicular will attract greater visitor numbers and therefore have greater local economic impact.

Scottish Government held regular discussions with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) during the development of the Cairngorm Mountain Full Business Case which considered a range of options, including removal of the funicular and replacement with a gondola. Scottish Government was represented at meetings of HIE’s Board and its Risk and Assurance Committee meetings, at which Cairngorm was regularly discussed, as well as meetings of the Board’s sub-group on Cairngorm.