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A decision on a future round of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme will be taken following the current round which is due to close in June of this year. In line with the Scottish Government’s “Stability and Simplicity” approach set out in its June 2018 consultation, simplifications and improvements will be made, and potential new schemes for longer term policy piloted, between 2021-2024.

Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments will remain with NatureScot for the time being, but may be included in other approaches to future agri-environment support currently being piloted by NatureScot in partnership with the Scottish Government.

Our review of maternity and neonatal services, The Best Start: A Five-Year Forward Plan for Maternity and Neonatal Care in Scotland, recommended that all women receive continuity of maternity and obstetric care. The roll out of continuity of carer has started in all Boards, but further roll out was paused in many areas in light of COVID. The Best Start Programme Board has recently reconvened and is looking at remobilising continuity of carer and how that might be prioritised.

There is no specific eligibility criterion for asylum seekers in either the current Concessionary Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons or the new National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Young Persons. We do not plan to extend either scheme in this way.

However, asylum seekers resident in Scotland, like all others who are aged over 60 or meet the disability criteria, are able to apply for free bus travel under the Older and Disabled Person’s Scheme. Young asylum seekers meeting the eligibility criteria for the Young Persons Scheme will also be able to apply for free bus travel when the scheme is launched later in this financial year.

We welcome this report and will review its findings in detail. We are absolutely committed to working with local government to support the realisation of the right to adequate housing.

In March 2021, the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership published its for a new human rights framework in Scotland that brings internationally recognised human rights into domestic law. The report contains 30 progressive and ambitious recommendations for a new human rights framework that will ensure the human rights of every member of Scottish society are protected.

The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations and a Human Rights Bill will be introduced to parliament during this parliamentary session. The involvement of the public and further consultation with stakeholders will be crucial in developing this framework. An executive board will be established comprising of senior decision makers from public authorities to ensure there is capacity across the public sector to implement the Bill.

We are also committed to introducing a new housing standard for all homes in Scotland which will include improved energy efficiency requirements. It will go beyond traditional models of fitness for human habitation to a new model that meets expectations for housing as a human right and delivers homes that underpin health and wellbeing. We will consult on the new standard this year, publish a draft standard in 2023 and introduce legislation in 2024/25, for phased introduction from 2025 to 2030.

The Scottish Government understands how difficult ongoing restrictions at funeral services are for those who are bereaved and wish to pay their final respects to a loved one.

We continue to review all of the funeral restrictions on a regular basis taking into account the stage of the pandemic, the public health risks and the impact on bereaved families.

Our funeral services guidance sets out that funeral directors can, on a case by case basis, undertake a risk assessment to assess whether the family can have a role in taking a cord at the graveside, given physical distancing requirements. The options should be discussed with the relatives beforehand and decisions should be made with compassion, as well as understanding of the risks.

The conclusion of the physical distancing review is expected shortly, which will consider the implications of 2 metre physical distancing at funeral services.

Not all vaccines prevent transmission and inoculation is not a guarantee against contracting COVID-19, nor is it guaranteed to prevent you from passing it on. However, we do know that the COVID-19 vaccines significantly reduce both mortality and morbidity. Further research is being conducted on the effect of the vaccination programme on transmission overall in relation to current and new variants of concern. Until we know more, it is essential that everyone continues to follow public health guidance and the COVID-19 protection level rules which apply in their Local Authority area.

A significant difference with the underpinning data model makes interoperability between the Check in Scotland app and the NHS Covid19 app. challenging. However, we are exploring what enhancements can improve the overall user experience for citizens and visitors travelling between Scotland and the rest of the UK, and for contact tracing teams dealing with the visiting public.

The NHS England and Wales Covid app. cannot be used in Scotland, in any venues nor can the Test & Protect Check in Scotland app be used in England and Wales. This is due to a difference in legislation relating to the collection of contact details and the technical platform and data model of both products being used.

The data capture process that underpins both services, is completely different. The NHS Covid19 app, holds data locally on an individual’s device, contact tracing can push notifications to the device used to scan in/out and request contact information, no visitor contact details are collected at point of check-in. In Scotland, in line with regulations the Check In Scotland service (app and web service) collect contact details of visitors on check-in and hold for 21 days making contact tracing more effective in terms of timely access to contact data in the event of an outbreak.

All venues and settings in England and Wales must by law display Official NHS Covid19 posters and visitors must use the NHS Covid19 app to scan these posters. This is integrated into contact tracing systems in NHS England and Wales. This is not mandated in Scotland.

The Check In Scotland service can only be used in Scottish based venues (Scottish postcode and within a Scottish Health Board area) that have registered to participate. In Scotland, Check In Scotland is completely voluntarily voluntary for Scottish businesses to adopt, participating venues must display Official NHS Scotland posters and visitors must use the Check In Scotland app, camera function app or QR scanning app on mobile device to provide contact details. This is integrated directly into NHS Test & Protect contact tracing systems in Scotland.

Any UK or International visitors to Scotland that do not wish to download the Test & Protect Check In Scotland app. can use the camera function or QR scanning app on their mobile phone and use the Check In Scotland web service to provide contact details or provide these manually using a paper form that must be offered as an alternative by venues.

The Check In Scotland delivery team has recently been in communication with the UK Dept. of Health and Social Care, NHS Covid-19 app product team to explore what options are available and to enhance the user experience with a follow-up discussion planned week commencing the 21 June 2021.

In our Ending Homelessness Together action plan we committed to developing a new legislative duty on local authorities and wider public bodies for the prevention of homelessness. We commissioned an expert group – the Prevention Review Group - in October 2019 to make recommendations.

On 18 February 2021, the Prevention Review Group published its recommendations, which were developed in consultation with relevant organisations from across the public sector and third sector, frontline workers and people with lived experience of homelessness.

The recommendations highlight the importance of a whole-system, person-centred approach to preventing homelessness, for example through the work of health, education and justice services. We are now working with COSLA and our partners across the public and third sectors to discuss how we can put these recommendations into action and create the significant legislative change required. A key early stage will be a comprehensive programme of engagement across the public sector, including a public consultation, to inform the way forward.

No one in Scotland should have to sleep rough and this is a commitment we reiterated in our updated Ending Homelessness Together action plan, published with COSLA in October 2020.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, our priority has been to keep people safe and housing people without a settled home in emergency accommodation has been a public health imperative. In partnership with local authorities and the third sector, our quick and effective response dramatically reduced the number of people sleeping rough. We will continue to build on that success as restrictions lift.

In our Ending Homeless Together action plan we committed to modifying night shelter provision with a view to ending the use of night shelter and dormitory style provision in future. In winter 2020-21, we contributed to the cost of rapid rehousing welcome centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The centres offered hotel room accommodation and provided under-one-roof and multi-agency assessment for people at the sharpest end of homelessness. We will work with local authority and third sector partners to ensure there is no return to dormitory style night shelters in the future.

Local authorities are working hard to ensure people move as rapidly as possible through temporary accommodation and into settled accommodation, with the appropriate support. We are investing £37.5 million to support councils to prioritise settled accommodation through the implementation of rapid rehousing transition plans and the upscaling of Housing First for those facing the most challenges.

The recommendations we received from the Prevention Review Group are comprehensive and are likely to require significant updates to existing legislation as well as the development of new duties for the public sector. We are currently considering the most appropriate vehicles for implementing these changes which we will confirm in due course.

No decision on timings has yet been taken in relation to a new housing bill within this Parliament.

We commissioned this work in response to the recommendations the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group made for ending homelessness. We very much welcome the Prevention Review Group recommendations and we are grateful for the commitment Crisis and other partners have shown in delivering their report, in particular the vital role people with lived experience of homelessness had in shaping the recommendations.

We accepted the recommendations in principle earlier this year and will now consult with our partners across public services, people with experience of homelessness and the wider public as we fully consider the detail of the suite of recommendations, to ensure that their introduction leads to stronger housing rights for people in Scotland. Shifting the balance of services and response towards prevention is more important than ever as we work to recover from the public health crisis.