Chamber and committees

The current stay at home regulations mean that people should only leave their homes for an essential purpose. Further covid-19 regulations came into effect on Saturday 16 January which state that outdoor motor vehicle lots may open only for the collection of a vehicle that has been purchased.

The Scottish Government understands that some people, including those with sight loss, may find physical distancing rules more difficult to follow than others and our Stay at home guidance includes information on Support for people, which highlights these additional challenges. The section on Support for people – supporting others – reminds us to be considerate of others by giving way and offering help when we are out and about.

In addition , we have produced guidance for those providing guide support and produced a checklist for retailers that asks retailers to bear in mind that some people may find the physical distancing measures in shops more difficult to adhere to than others. There is also customer guidance that explains how the customer experience in shops has changed and what needs to be done to ensure a safer shopping experience for everyone.

We have also worked with NHS Inform colleagues to share various guidance including guidance on physical distancing and worked with a wide range of third sector partners to produce cross sectorial guidance for everyone on supporting people with a sensory impairment and for health and social care workers on communicating effectively with people with a sensory loss

The purpose of the current exceptional arrangements is to ensure that workers performing an essential role as set out in the updated schools guidance published on 6 January 2021 and the childcare guidance published on 7 January 2021, can request access to key worker childcare when alternative options, such as home working or access to informal childcare in line with current guidance, are unavailable.

Single-parent families who meet the criteria set out in the guidance are eligible to apply to their school, local authority or childcare provider for key worker childcare. In considering requests to schools, local authorities are expected to take account of the diverse needs of their local communities, families and young people when applying that guidance. This would include consideration of circumstances giving rise to vulnerability.

Dog groomers can remain open to provide essential welfare services under the Guidance for Animal Owners, updated on 11 January 2021. This guidance is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-animal-owners/ .

The Scottish Government recognises that the lack of access to professional pet grooming services has the potential to impact on the welfare of certain breeds of animal, particularly those requiring regular grooming to maintain their wellbeing.

Routine grooming is deemed a non-essential business activity. Where an animal is not at risk of pain or injury, professional groomers should not be providing routine grooming services in mainland Scotland.

Where essential professional grooming on welfare grounds is undertaken it must be conducted in line with the rules on physical distancing. Such tasks essential for the welfare of an animal include the clipping of heavy coats and claws.

Professional dog walkers may continue to carry out their business under the current Covid-19 restrictions.

The Scottish Government issued Guidance for Animal Owners on 11 January 2021 which permits this to take place within the requirements of the guidance on physical distancing and good hygiene. This guidance is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-animal-owners/ .

The new computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (cCBT) platform to increase treatment choice was successfully introduced in October 2020. To support this expansion, the Scottish Government provided £1.2 million in 2020-21 to NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) to rapidly increase the deployment of cCBT services and to increase access to therapist led internet-enabled Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (ieCBT) services across all territorial Health Boards. The expansion of self-managed cCBT and ieCBT has the potential to support around 30,000 people each year.

The purpose of the current, exceptional key worker arrangements is to ensure that those who are critical to essential and lifeline services in Scotland can request places for their children in schools or with childcare providers, where that is necessary to the delivery of those functions. Where a key worker parent working from home cannot fulfil critical functions because of childcare needs, and no alternative childcare or working options are available, we would expect local authorities and providers to take this into account when making decisions on the availability and prioritisation of key worker childcare places in their area/s.

In order to achieve the primary objective of reducing interactions and helping to drive down community transmission of Covid-19, the number of key worker children presenting to schools during the current strict lockdown must however be kept to an absolute minimum. Employers are therefore asked to strictly prioritise and only request key worker places for staff who are critical to the provision of essential services and have no alternative childcare or working options. Employees should therefore discuss their intention to request a place with their employer, before contacting their council.

All of Scotland is currently at level 3 or level 4.

At level 3, marriage ceremonies can take place with up to 20 people attending. At level 4, marriage ceremonies can take place, but under The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk) no more than 5 people may attend (the couple, their celebrant or registrar and the two witnesses), or no more than 6 if an interpreter is required.

We have published guidance on marriage ceremonies and civil partnership registrations

At level 3, wedding receptions can take place with up to 20 people attending, whereas wedding receptions cannot take place at level 4.

There are restrictions on travel. At level 3, one of the examples of a reasonable excuse for entering or leaving a level 3 area is to attend a gathering which relates to a marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration: The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk) This is designed to cover both the marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration and any associated reception.

One of the examples of a reasonable excuse for entering a level 4 area from another part of Scotland is to attend a solemnisation of a marriage or registration of a civil partnership: The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 (legislation.gov.uk) This just covers the marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration and does not cover receptions.

One of the examples of a reasonable excuse for leaving home when you live in a Level 4 area is to attend a marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration. This applies only where the person travelling is in relation to that marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration a party, a witness, the religious or belief celebrant solemnising the marriage or registering the civil partnership, or a required interpreter.

In relation to travel to and into Scotland from certain other parts of the common travel area, an example of a reasonable excuse is to attend a marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration. Again, this is only where the person travelling is, in relation to that marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration, a party, a witness, the religious or belief celebrant solemnising the marriage or registering the civil partnership, or a required interpreter. Clearly, receptions are not taking place in level 4 in Scotland. Any person planning to travel to Scotland to attend a wedding should check restrictions on travel in place in the area where they live.

If the member has any specific concerns, he is welcome to write to me so I can consider any detailed points.

The restrictions on gatherings are a consequence of the current pandemic and are designed to reduce the transmission of the virus. Marriage ceremonies are an exception to the general rules on social gatherings and the number of people who can attend a marriage is higher than the number of people who are generally allowed to meet in one place. This reflects the importance of marriage to society.

All of Scotland is currently at either level 3 or 4 of the Strategic Framework.

At level 4, under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, only 5 people may attend a marriage ceremony (the couple, the celebrant or registrar, and two witnesses) or, where an interpreter is required, 6 people may attend.

At level 3, no more than 20 people should attend a marriage ceremony. However, children are at present included in the limit of 20 people. If we were to exclude children from this limit, children from several different households could attend, significantly increasing the number of people attending. This could increase the risk of transmission of the virus at a time when it is more important than ever before to limit transmission as much as possible.