Chamber and committees

This is an operational matter for ScotRail in negotiation with its staff through established collective bargaining arrangements.

I understand that established rest day working agreements remain in place for all ScotRail operational staff. The exceptional supplementary arrangements for Ticket Examiners and Conductors came to an end following successful recruitment, training and deployment of some 140 additional staff.

Similarly, 160 new drivers have been recruited, but Covid safety restrictions governing training in driving cabs have prevented their full training and deployment and therefore the exceptional supplementary arrangements remain in place until their training and deployment can be completed.

The Scottish Government has already spent around £1bn to support Scottish rail services – including an increase of more than £400m over normal rail support payments for ScotRail. As well as maintaining essential railway services this funding has secured full railway staff employment throughout the pandemic period.

Abellio ScotRail is authorised to negotiate increases in pay from within the available railway Emergency Measures Agreement funding where the cost of these increases can be fully covered by mutually agreed efficiencies negotiated through the existing collective bargaining arrangements.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00322 on 16 June 2021 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

Some key workers, such as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, are included in the top priority groups, and already eligible for a vaccine, but other pharmacy staff including drivers and medical home care delivery drivers who deliver medication and equipment to patient homes are not included in the priority list.

The decision is to not prioritise other pharmacy staff for the following reasons:

• Criticality of service is not an indication for priority vaccination because clinical risk is the overriding concern. This is influenced most greatly by age, not occupation.
• Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of any workers other than frontline health and social care workers.
• Individual staff will be called forward for vaccination according to their position on the priority list, if they are eligible within the JCVI Cohorts.

Our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, informed and guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

Key workers including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, are included in the JCVI priority groups, and are already eligible for a vaccine under cohort 2.

The full JCVI priority list is currently:

• residents in a care home for older adults and their carers

• all those 80 years of age and over, and frontline health and social care workers

• all those 75 years of age and over

• all those 70 years of age and over, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals

• all those 65 years of age and over

• all those aged 16 to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality

• all those 60 years of age and over

• all those 55 years of age and over

• all those 50 years of age and over

To save lives it is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), these being residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, people over the age of 80, and frontline health and social care workers.

Some key workers, such as Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, are included in the top priority groups, and are already eligible for a vaccine. But Pharmacy drivers and Medical Home Care delivery drivers who deliver medication and equipment to patient homes are not included in the priority list.

Prioritisation by sector is not being considered for the following reasons:

• Criticality of service is not an indication for priority vaccination because clinical risk is the overriding concern. This is influenced most greatly by age, not occupation.
• Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of any workers other than frontline health and social care workers. This is because we don’t know if the vaccine prevents spread, but it does reduce the harm to those most at risk should they catch the virus.
• Individual workers will be called forward for vaccination according to their position on the priority list, if they are eligible within the JCVI Cohorts regarding their age and/or underlying medical conditions (e.g. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality).

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

The Joint committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) initial advice is focussed on preventing severe illness and loss of life, first and foremost and this is why it focusses on older people and health and social care workers.

Home Care workers are considered Patient facing, Frontline health care staff, and are therefore prioritised for a COVID-19 vaccination.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-S5W-33989 on 29 January 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 .

Personal assistants employed in the adult social care sector by the person they support will be in scope of the pro rata £500 payment being made to those NHS and adult social care staff who have been employed since 17 March 2020.

Following a number of detailed discussions, the distribution mechanism for the £10 million grant funding has been agreed with the Scottish FA. This has now been communicated to clubs and affiliated national associations to allow this this urgent emergency financial support to be distributed as soon as possible.