Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government continues to review the best available evidence and consider the safest possible approaches to visiting in care homes.

It is important to balance the serious risks posed by the virus to care home residents with other considerations, including human rights, such as the right to a family life.

All residents should be able to enjoy contact with their loved ones where it is safe to do so given the beneficial impact which visits have, on mental and emotional wellbeing. That is why it is recommended that a designated visitor is identified for each resident and is supported to visit indoors where it is safe to do so . The updated guidance, which was published on 12 October, provides advice on ways to support and enhance those visits.

It remains the recommendation that essential visits are safely and generously supported by care homes. This should enable visits to always take place, where they can be done so safely, to benefit the health and wellbeing of residents or visitors, or bring comfort in other challenging circumstances such as when there is distress or approaching the end of life.

National recommendations that indoor visiting resume have been in place since 8 th August, subject to strict safety criteria first being met and including review of care home risk assessments by local Directors of Public Health.

Weekly returns from Directors of Public Health provide updates to the Scottish Government on the level to which visiting is being supported in each health board area.

The Clinical Professional Advisory Group for care homes continues to meet weekly and discuss progress with implementing visiting.

In relation to local care homes oversight, Local NHS and local authority clinical and care professionals have a lead role in care homes oversight, including advising on visiting risk management.

Decisions around care home visiting are made by care homes themselves, drawing on advice and recommendations from local oversight arrangements and health protection teams.

Defining safe and reasonable visiting is based on dynamic assessment of a range of factors and national recommendations provide the framework for these local decisions to be taken as safely as possible.

Updated guidance to support dynamic risk assessments and local decision making on visiting is being developed and will be available shortly.

In addition officials and I have very regular discussion with both Scottish Care and CCPS to understand issues and concerns their members face and both organisations are members of CPAG.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has provided the following funding to Kishorn Ports Limited for drydock facilities.

The Scottish Government is not aware of any other public funding being provided to privately owned ports or by other organisations for drydock facilities.

This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

It is for each port authority to decide what business their port facilities are suitable for, and to consider tendering for work as appropriate.

The efficiency of operations performance metrics are assessed by reviewing the following:

1. evidence of any ways in which the Franchisee has sought to identify and implement ways to run the Franchise more efficiently and avoid nugatory costs, acting as a Good and Efficient Operator, including details and supporting evidence of the Franchisee’s actions;

2. evidence of appropriate revenue protection being applied in the interests of the taxpayer and/or otherwise evidence that the Franchisee has followed government guidance prevailing at the time regarding revenue collection; and

3. evidence of plans in place to return the operations and business to pre-COVID-19 levels of operation, including encouraging the public to travel on public transport where appropriate.

The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) in place with Abellio ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper specifically prevent the paying of dividends or interest to parent companies.

The Emergency Measures Agreements (EMAs) in place with Abellio ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper prevent both Franchisees from increasing any emoluments payable to directors employed by the franchises.

As part of the Transport Transition Plan the Scottish Government produced a range of guidance in relation to transport. This includes guidance for transport operators to keep their staff and those using their services safe, initially published on 26 May 2020.

The cornerstone of our guidance for transport operators is its emphasis on the importance of robust and on-going risk based assessment with full input from trade unions. Among other things operators are expected to implement measures to manage transmission risk, reinforce cleaning procedures and promote good hygiene regimes. They should also communicate how safety measures are being implemented to staff and passengers and make clear what is expected of them.

Officials are in regular dialogue with operators and other stakeholders on safety measures, and the guidance will continue to be reviewed and updated as appropriate.

The Scottish Government's preferred option is to have an integrated rail system that is public sector-controlled.