Chamber and committees

All nurseries and out of school care settings can currently remain open but should only accept children of keyworker families or vulnerable children.

All 3 and 4 year olds and eligible 2 year olds can access at least 600 hours of funded early learning and childcare each year. We are investing £2 billion over five years to almost double that funded entitlement to 1140 hours, and many local authorities are already delivering that offer.

Essential informal childcare is allowed under the restrictions currently in place in Scotland. On 5th January, the Chief Medical Officer wrote to all individuals on the shielding list, and parents and carers of children who are advised to shield.

We have made £15 million of funding available to local authorities at protection level 4 to strengthen their local response and support the needs of people in their communities who don’t have support networks and are struggling with the restrictions or guidance at protection level 4, particularly those most at risk through health or social inequalities. This could include people at higher clinical risk such as those shielding, older people or people with disabilities who encounter barriers that emerge at level 4, for example in accessing food.

Anyone requiring support as a result of these restrictions, who cannot get the help they need from family or friends, should contact the free-phone national helpline on 0800 111 4000 which continues to provide a free-phone connection to local authorities. Local officers will assess need and can provide a range of support.

We are not asking people to return to full shielding as we did during the first lockdown. We are not advising people on the shielding list to stop going outside, which we know is beneficial; or, to stop going for essential shopping or medicines. The extra advice for those on the shielding list has not changed since level 4 areas went into lockdown on 5 January except in relation to going to work.

The Chief Medical Officer has advised those who cannot work from home, not to go to work for as long as the area where they live or work is in lockdown. Employers can, at their discretion, furlough people through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has been extended until April 2021. Furlough is always a decision for employers but we strongly encourage them to do everything they can to support their employees, including through furlough where appropriate.

Some employers may offer additional financial support for employees who are off work for coronavirus-related reasons which may be set out in their terms and conditions of employment. Otherwise, people who don’t attend work for this reason may be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay, Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, or other benefits.

Anyone who is worried about affording essentials or needs additional support or help, can call the free National Assistance Helpline on 0800 111 4000. This helpline continues to provide a free-phone connection to local authorities which can provide additional support including access to food, fuel, and third sector services or volunteers.

Public health measures have been implemented at borders to minimise the risk of importation of the virus from foreign travel. This includes the requirement for travellers to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival in Scotland. This applies to all arrivals with a few limited sectoral exemptions provided for. Travellers are permitted to leave their self-isolation accommodation in limited circumstance, including on compassionate grounds such as making an end of life visit to a relative.

Staff working for a registered adult social care service or in a role supporting those registered services in a head office, for example finance and administrative staff, 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. This includes those employed in the statutory, third and private sector.

People working in registered adult day care services 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.

Adult social care staff, including social workers, who have been active for a minimum of one month between 17 March and 30 November 2020 will be eligible for the payment, including those who have since left or retired.

The Local Authority Install Programme (LAIP) is the main delivery vehicle to provide grant funding Scotland’s local authorities to install publicly available electric vehicle (EV) charge points. This scheme has been running since 2011 with over £32 million pounds invested to provide over 1,500 publicly available charge points. It is up to each individual local authority to develop their EV charging infrastructure plans to meet the specific needs of their area and to improve and enhance the network. Since 2011, Transport Scotland has provided over £1.2 million of grant funding to the City of Edinburgh Council to roll-out publicly available EV charge points in their area.

In addition, our Switched on Towns and Cities Programme (SOTC) provides targeted funding to help Local Authorities develop and implement complementary investments in EV infrastructure. The City of Edinburgh Council was awarded £2.39 million in June 2019 to support investment in EV Infrastructure to strengthen and expand the existing network.

The rapid scoping exercise to develop an ePrescribing system across primary care is progressing even with the added ongoing pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic response. In addition to initial work undertaken to clearly outline an initial solution required to develop a nationally implementable digital solution for ePrescribing and dispensing, work has also taken place by NHS NSS to outline the current digital infrastructure supporting medicines, prescribing and dispensing which will be used as a baseline for development. The initial tranche of the work is planned to start in February 2021.

Good hand hygiene remains one of the most effective methods for reducing the spread of COVID-19, as reflected in our FACTS campaign. To this end we have worked with Public Health Scotland and clinicians to develop guidance supporting the operation of supermarkets, and other retail, during the pandemic. This includes the use of hand sanitisers and appropriate signage to support customers in using such products.

This supports the legal requirement on a person who is responsible for carrying on a business to take measures which are reasonably practicable to minimise the risk of the incidence and spread of coronavirus on their premises.

Our position remains that we support public understanding of the importance of hand hygiene to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus, however we will keep this under constant review. Should evidence suggest non-adherence to this or the need to strength our approach, we will update our guidance and Regulations accordingly.

The Scottish Government has prioritised the needs of vulnerable pupils, including those with additional support needs, as part of our response to COVID-19. While schools remain closed for the majority of pupils, our guidance for the phased start of the spring term, asked that schools remain open to provide for vulnerable pupils and children of key workers.

Our guidance sets out which children and young people may be considered to be vulnerable in the current circumstances. Decisions on which children and young people attend at this time are best made by those who work directly with children and young people with complex additional support needs. It is vital that these decisions reflect the need to continue to manage the transmission of the virus in these very difficult and exceptional times.

In addition to specific provision for vulnerable children, Education Scotland has put in place a wide range of support, including specific resources to support families of children with complex additional support needs. Further Information has also been published on the Parent Club website.