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Fair Work First milestones are agreed as part of the grant application and will be monitored as part of standard grant monitoring processes.

In Scottish Government contracts Fair Work First is applied and monitored, on a case-by-case basis taking into account what is relevant and proportionate to the contract. This would be a regular agenda item at contract and supplier management meetings. Published annual procurement reports also report on fair work elements in Scottish Government contracts.

Public bodies are responsible for making their own decisions in line with procurement regulations, based on local governance arrangements.

Fair Work First aims to reward and encourage employers to adopt fair work practices, rather than attach blunt conditions and subsequently penalise employers who cannot meet them. We have published guidance to support the adoption of Fair Work First by employers and those administering public sector funding.

South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) promotes Fair Work to the businesses that it works with. Applicants for SOSE funds are required to evidence how they are addressing the Fair Work Agenda. In assessing this evidence, SOSE identifies where improvements can be made, or where examples of good practice are in place.

The Scottish Government supported the development of a rapid clinical guideline on the long-term effects of COVID-19, often described as ‘long COVID’. The guideline was produced jointly by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and makes recommendations about care in all healthcare settings for adults, children and young people who have new or ongoing symptoms 4 weeks or more after the start of acute COVID-19.

An equalities impact assessment for the guideline, containing information on pregnancy and maternity, race, sex and other definable characteristics is available to view at

The guideline has been published as a ‘living’ document, which means that targeted areas will be continuously reviewed and updated in response to emerging evidence.

Public Health Scotland host a Case Management System which holds the contact details of every person who has tested positively for COVID-19. The information collected will include contact details for the person who has tested positive, information on workplaces and venues they have visited and contact information on those they have met while infectious. Data that is collected for contact tracing includes the following protected characteristics: age, sex and ethnicity. Public Health Scotland will use anonymised data to help them identify trends and hot spots.

In line with the Scottish Government’s duty to advance equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act (2010), an Equalities Impact Assessment will be undertaken specifically for Employment Injury Assistance (EIA). The Scottish Government plans to carry out a public consultation on the Equalities Impact Assessment alongside the draft regulations. Responses to the consultation will inform detailed policy proposals regarding the rules, administration and promotion of EIA.

The Scottish Government has undertaken engagement with stakeholders, including experts in occupational health, to begin to understand the reasons behind low take-up rates of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit by women. Further engagement will be carried out as part of the public consultation on Employment Injury Assistance.

S5W-34507 was answered on 25 February 2021. We are experiencing a very high volume of correspondence on the vaccination programme.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31293 on 4 September 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .

Scottish Ministers have accepted Public Health Scotland’s clinical advice that practices should make every effort to triage all patients by telephone to avoid patients presenting at the practice unnecessarily. The published guidance is consistent with Scottish Government policy that practices should remain open whilst reducing opportunities for infection where possible.

Scottish Ministers will be advised by Public Health Scotland on when it is safe to relax these measures.

Those who are entitled to a vaccine will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment. We are adhering to the priority list devised by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who have advised an age-based programme will capture those with clinical risk factors as the risk of death is very strongly linked with age, more so than any other factor. A number of retail workers may fall into the priority risk groups set out by the JCVI; these individuals will receive an invitation to their vaccine appointment.