Chamber and committees

Public library services in Scotland are devolved to local authorities which have a statutory duty to secure the provision of adequate library facilities for all persons resident in their area.

The last figures which have been published by CIPFA are for 2019-20 which show 544 libraries open in Scotland. No figures have been published yet for 2020-21. Due to the pandemic, we are not able to provide an estimate of which libraries would be ‘open’ otherwise and whether any have been permanently closed. We do not have records for 2007.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35918 on 10 March 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

Costs have not been finalised but we expect them to be close to the original estimate of £16 million.

To 31 January 2021, under the Scottish Growth Scheme some £333.5 million has been in invested in 560 companies.

The following table contains a breakdown by year of the funding delivered by the Scottish Growth Scheme and also the proportion that was delivered by (a) European funding streams, (b) Scottish Enterprise and (c) other public bodies.

We are working with airports to help rebuild connectivity for business and inbound tourism once we are able to safely lift travel restrictions. Transport Scotland, working in partnership with VisitScotland and Scottish Development International, has a well-established process in place to help Scotland’s airports recover routes lost as well as help secure new ones.

Tim Hair, Turnaround Director of Ferguson Marine, is preparing an update for the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802. This will be submitted prior to parliamentary recess on 25 March and will be the first of regular quarterly updates on progress, as requested by the committee in their report on ferry procurement.

At the start of the current financial year, the Scottish Government directed the enterprise agencies to focus on meeting the emerging fiscal, economic and social challenges of COVID-19 and to re-evaluate and halt all but their most critical ‘business as usual’ activity.

Throughout the year, the enterprise agencies have reprioritised their work and budgets in response to COVID-19. As well as delivering national COVID-19 related funding schemes such as the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund and the Creative, Tourism & Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund, the enterprise agencies have also developed their own funds dedicated to supporting businesses and communities severely impacted by the pandemic.

The enterprise agencies have a key role to play in supporting re-start and recovery post COVID-19. Our budget for 2021-22 increases the spending power of the enterprise agencies by £60 million. This additional funding will underpin their work to improve business and community resilience and deliver the national mission to create new, good, green jobs.

The Scottish National Investment Bank will also play a key role in supporting Scotland’s economic recovery by delivering patient and sustained investment over the medium and long term. The Bank will catalyse private investment to achieve a step change in economic growth by powering innovation and accelerating the move to a net zero emissions, high tech, connected, globally competitive and inclusive economy.

Bank branch closures are a matter of great concern, affecting communities across Scotland. I engage regularly with the banks through the Banking and Economy Forum and work in partnership through the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB) to maintain and grow Scotland’s financial services sector.

As financial services is reserved to the UK Government, we have regularly expressed our concerns to the UK Government over bank branch closures and the impact they have on local communities. The consistent position of the UK Government is that they will not intervene since decisions over branch closures are made on a commercial basis.

The Scottish Government stands ready to work constructively with the UK Government, banks and other stakeholders to ensure that customers, local communities and staff and businesses have access to banking facilities and to mitigate the impact of closures on the communities affected.

Care homes have received regular updated guidance from the Scottish Government throughout the pandemic and guidance has also been made available from Health Protection Scotland. NHS Inform also makes available advice that is helpful for families.

When applying guidance, each care home will have its own risk assessment and protocol, that take account of individual factors relating to each home. To support homes in applying guidance, they also receive advice from local health protection and oversight teams, led by the local Director of Public Health, involving key partners such as the Care Inspectorate and clinical leads.

We have regularly updated guidance on visiting, most recently on 24 February. This is available on the Scottish Government’s website and it includes guidance to assist families. In addition, we are hosting a series of workshops to support care homes to implement the new approach to the revised visiting guidance.

On 25 November, I updated Parliament on our decision to significantly expand testing to include healthcare professionals who attend care homes and designated visitors. That statement is available on the Scottish Government’s website.

To support care homes in testing designated visitors, professionals who attend care homes, and asymptomatic staff testing, guidance is available on the Scottish Government’s website. Workshops have been held to support the implementation of LFD testing in care homes. Throughout the pandemic, we have been in regular contact with homes in relation to the testing of staff and residents and HPS Guidance has been updated accordingly.

Care home staff and older residents were a priority for vaccination, being among the first to receive a first dose, and guidance and advice have been issued in relation to their implementation. Guidance on vaccinations is available on the Scottish Government’s website. We have worked with Public Health Scotland in developing resources for care homes. In addition, NHS inform provides further practical information.

We understand the distress that this pandemic has caused for people living in care homes and their loved ones. Care home staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support continued contact between residents and their loved ones but these restrictions have been hugely challenging for all.

On 24th February 2021, I published new guidance ‘Open with Care’ to support the return of indoor visiting and meaningful contact between care home residents and their loved ones. This is relevant to all adult care homes, including those for younger people with learning disabilities. After a short period to the necessary arrangements in place, care homes should now support residents to have up to two designated visitors each, with one visit a week for each visitor (or twice for one) from early March. This has been made possible by the multiple protections now in place being maintained and rigorously sustained.

This is a welcome step forward for all.

The guidance has been developed by the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Medical Officer’s Clinical and Professional Advisory group (CPAG) for Social Care in consultation with; relatives of care home residents, care home providers, Scottish Care, Directors of Public Health, Health and Social Care Partnerships and a range of other partners.

A CPAG sub group with representatives of residents and their family members has also supported this guidance. Its membership includes Age Scotland, Alzheimer Scotland, Care Home Relatives Scotland, National Dementia Carers Action Network PAMIS, Scottish Autism and Tide UK.

The Scottish Government has worked with other partners to support care homes in introducing these layers of protection through guidance, training, consultation and equipment which have included:

• appropriate and effective infection prevention and control;
• an extensive testing policy; testing of residents prior to hospital discharge; twice weekly PCR testing for staff, tests for visiting professionals and testing available for all visitors; and
• support to source PPE (adequate, available and proper used).

98% of residents in all care homes and 95% of care home staff now been vaccinated with first dose.

The Scottish Government will continue working with care home providers, partners and relatives to support implementation of the guidance. National and local monitoring will take place from the point the guidance is published and support will be in place for providers to help them open with care.

In addition to monitoring and oversight the Scottish Government is continuing to provide funding for reasonable additional costs incurred as a result of the pandemic, including staffing and non-staffing costs associated with facilitating safe visiting in care homes. This is in line with the financial support for social care providers guidance, published in December 2020.

The Scottish Government will also continue to provide funding and support for the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) (extended to June 2021 and under ongoing review) as well as care home testing.

The Scottish Government is also funding a new Action on Rights team within Alzheimer Scotland to support implementation of the Open with Care guidance and offer emotional and practical support to families and friends of people living in care homes. This support is not solely for families and friends of people living with dementia – it is for anyone who is needing support. The team will also liaise with homes to help facilitate visits where appropriate. Families can call Alzheimer Scotland’s free national helpline on 0808 808 3000.

Dedicated advice for care home residents, their friends and relatives is also now available on https://www.nhsinform.scot/openwithcare which summarises the new guidance and the safeguards to having meaningful contact as safely as possible.

Everyone, including visitors, has a responsibility to ensure that visits take place as safely as possible by continuing to follow safety advice. Essential visits, where there is distress, urgency, assistance with communication or to respond to or prevent decline should continue to be supported by all care homes compassionately and generously under this guidance.

The updated guidance can be found here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-adult-care-homes-visiting-guidance/ .

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a shift to online trading, with major growth of eMarketplace platforms. Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International (SDI) have responded by developing and implementing dedicated programmes of support for online delivery.

Scottish Enterprise is supporting companies to develop the skills required to utilise expanding eMarkets, including development of Digital Marketing and Sales Strategies and Cyber Resilience protocols. Scottish Enterprise has also undertaken work to re-develop the eCommerce area of its website, to draw attention to the support available to companies.

SDI has moved its existing international eCommerce programme online and significantly increased the number of workshops and masterclasses delivered, as well as extending the range of content covered. In addition to offering expert 1-2-1 support from specialists on eCommerce implementation, SDI has also developed and published educational guides on accessing 70 online marketplaces throughout the world.