Chamber and committees

While the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) hold information about defibrillators across Scotland – available at: Registering your Automated External Defibrillator . The key aspect of the information held relates to the location in order to support SAS call handlers to direct OHCA bystanders to the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator, rather than maintaining a record of the type of building where the defibrillator is placed.

In searching this publicly accessible information, there are over 150 defibrillators at school locations across Scotland currently registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

It is, however, it is important to note that registration of defibrillators is voluntary, and the responsibility of the defibrillator guardian, therefore this may not be an accurate picture of the number of defibrillators placed in schools across Scotland. I refer the member to my answer given to PQ S6W-01501, in which I recommend that you may wish to contact Scottish Local Authorities individually for information they may hold.

The Scottish Government encourages any defibrillator guardian, including those placed in primary or secondary schools, to register their device with the Scottish Ambulance Service to enable an accurate and up to date central record of defibrillators across Scotland.

Through encouraging registration of defibrillators across Scotland, we can better understand their placement, usage and maintain a more accurate and up-to date record.

In Scotland, the height and weight of children entering Primary 1 is collated annually and children are assigned to healthy and unhealthy weight categories based on their body mass index (BMI), in line with an outcome of the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan. These measurements were paused in school year 2020/21 due to disruption caused by the pandemic. In April this year we wrote to NHS Boards asking them to resume planning for this measurement to begin again in the new school term for academic year 2021-22.

Whilst a specific date cannot be given for the publication of the NHS Recovery Plan at this time the Scottish Government have committed to publishing this plan within the first hundred days of the new parliament.

The NHS Recovery Plan will set out our plans to increase inpatient, day case, and outpatient activity by 10% supported by the implementation of sustainable improvements and new models of care.

As part of this, the Finance Secretary announced an additional £60 million earlier this year to help NHS boards address the pandemic induced backlog and remobilise services.

While further details are still being developed, the Plan will:

• Ensure patients who have been impacted by the pause in services receive access to the care they require.
• Improve patient pathways from primary through to secondary care – engagement with stakeholders and patients will be key to delivering this.
• Put in place additional staff to meet anticipated increase in hospital activity and new ways of working.
• Further invest in a network of National Treatment Centres which will provide additional capacity for elective care.

We have agreed with Health Boards and Higher and Further Education Institutions to appoint Single Points of Contacts in universities and colleges who will support the delivery of the vaccination to students across Scotland, including through the use of on-campus vaccination clinics.

University and College students will be vaccinated in line with the timetable for rest of the population.

Individuals can book their vaccination appointment by calling the Covid-19 Helpline on 0800 030 8013 or by visiting their nearest vaccination drop in clinic.

We are working with the with local Health Boards and Higher and Further Education Institutes to ensure that vaccines are accessible for all students.

Couples can attend together for all NHS IVF appointments, subject to local risk assessments and physical distancing requirements, which provide the best protection for patients and staff and ensure that services continue to be provided as the Covid-19 pandemic continues.

Transport Scotland has published guidance to enable people to travel as safely as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic. The guidance includes car sharing and is applicable to all protection levels. On 22 June 2021, the First Minister confirmed the intention that, provided the data supports it, all of Scotland would move to protection level 0 from 19 July and that all legal requirements for outdoor physical distancing would be lifted from this date. The First Minister also confirmed the intention that, data permitting, Scotland would move Beyond Level 0 from 9 August, on which date all legal requirements for physical distancing in indoor settings will be lifted. Transport Scotland is reviewing its guidance to consider what changes may be required in line with the updated Strategic Framework and move Beyond Level 0. The guidance is available at: Advice on how to travel safely (transport.gov.scot)

We worked closely with the Scottish FA, Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and other partners on preparations for UEFA EURO 2020, including the four matches at Hampden Park and the Glasgow Green Fan Zone.

The Scottish Government understand the concerns that some expressed in relation to the lack of catering available at Hampden, especially in light of the extended period of time spectators are required to be in the stadium.

Unfortunately, concessions stands were not in operation for the EURO 2020 matches at Hampden as a result of the venue overlay required in response to Covid 19 operational planning considerations. This is to ensure that physical distancing was possible in concourses when people are moving to and from their seats on entry and exit and when going to the toilet.

However, free drinking water was provided and spectators were allowed to bring a small amount of food (e.g sandwiches, snack bars, chocolate bars, crisps, fruit) into the stadium.

UEFA asked that the food was packaged in clear bags that were provided to spectators at the start of the entry procedures to the stadium. Each spectator was allowed to take one bag into the stadium and spectators were not able to bring bottles, cans or any form of drinks containers into the stadium. The merchandising stalls were all positioned out with the stadium, within the secure perimeter and had no impact on the mitigations in place within the stadium.

The application of necessary mitigations, and the actual experience at the event was monitored on an ongoing basis.

This information is not held centrally. However, you may wish to contact Scottish Local Authorities individually for information they may hold. The Scottish local government page of the Confederation of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) has contact information for these: https://www.cosla.gov.uk/councils.

Since 2015, the Save a Life for Scotland Partnership has equipped more than 640,000 people in Scotland with CPR skills. Over the same time period the rate of people surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest has increased from one in 20 to one in 10.

In March this year, the partnership published an updated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest strategy, which sets out a number of actions across the chain of survival, including actions to improve bystander CPR and defibrillation rates. There is a clear commitment to working closely with Local Authorities to ensure that all school aged children have the opportunity to learn CPR. The strategy can be found at:

Out of hospital cardiac arrest: strategy 2021 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

We currently have no plans to review or expand the High Hedges (Scotland) Act 2013. Application of the legislation is the responsibility of local authorities and my officials will continue to engage with them to ensure that the legislation is being applied in the manner intended by Parliament when the law was passed.