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The costs and associated contractual matters related to the SFRS Command and Control Mobilising System are operational matters for the Service, who would be the appropriate source for this information. SFRS has provided assurances that it has had appropriate governance arrangements in place throughout the project. Throughout implementation, SFRS has worked within budgets with key targets built in and milestone payments only paid if satisfactorily reached. All public sector bodies in Scotland are expected to adhere to the public sector finance manual to ensure that value for money is applied to each spending decision. Public safety is paramount and SFRS has existing software and back-up systems in place at all times to ensure an effective service.

We have allocated £48.6 million of supplementary funding to Boards this year via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all. This is in addition to £36.7 million allocated to Health Boards via the Outcomes Framework in 2022-23, and the total package of core funding that Health Boards receive.

We recognise that not all children and young people need specialist services like CAMHS and that many can access more suitable support in their local community. This is why we are providing local authorities with £15m per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children, young people and their families.

We have also invested £36m in our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults over two years, with approximately 3,300 grants being made to local organisations across Scotland. A further £15m committed in 23-24.

The new National Specification for the delivery of Psychological Therapies and Interventions is due to be published at the end of this month. It sets out what patients can expect following a referral and details the whole system approach including early intervention options that services should offer. This includes offers of evidence based digital therapies, which are accessed by around 5,000 people in Scotland annually.

In response to the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant BA.2.86, we have taken the precautionary measure of bringing forward the vaccination of those at highest risk – notably residents in care homes for older adults, those aged 75 and over and those aged 12 and over with a weakened immune system.

Although there is currently insufficient data to assess the potential severity, transmissibility or immune escape of BA.2.86, it is felt that this ‘no regrets’ approach is wisest until we understand more about this variant.

Officials and Public Health Scotland are working closely with Health Boards to operationalise this change to the programme, which happened after some Boards had already scheduled their lower risk groups from 18 September, in line with the original plan. We have instructed them to honour these appointments.

This means that although many of those at highest risk will be called forward sooner than the original plan, this will not apply to everyone. We are however endeavouring to bring forward as many of these appointments as we can, while honouring appointments that had already been scheduled before the change.

To this end, some Boards began vaccinating in care homes the week of 4 September, six weeks earlier than originally planned.

A letter to all MSPs on the re-phasing will be issued shortly.

PHS publishes information on COVID-19 hospitalisations on their interactive dashboard ( COVID-19 & Respiratory Surveillance (shinyapps.io) ) which is updated weekly on a Thursday at 9.30am. Data can be downloaded from here and filtered to the desired timeframe. Since 1 January 2023 to 10 September 2023, there were a total of 8,076 acute COVID-19 hospital admissions in Scotland (as reported on the dashboard on Thursday 14 September). Note that data for the most recent week is provisional and may be subject to change.

Inspiring Scotland through the ‘Support in the Right Direction’ (SiRDS) programme, provides access to independent advice and advocacy in 31 local authorities, with a forthcoming scoping project tasked with identifying a SiRD partner to offer services in the Moray area from FY 2023-2024. SiRDS is supporting over 9,000 people and families.

The Scottish Government has no plans to establish a database with regards to the monitoring of individuals with Lynch Syndrome.

We are currently in discussion with clinicians including members of the Scottish Strategic Network for Genomic Medicine and the Clinical Genetics Forum to bring together all stakeholder specialities to advise on testing, screening and management for individuals at increased risk of cancer.

The Scottish Government is working closely with Public Health Scotland (PHS), territorial Health Boards and other key partners to promote uptake of immunisation against vaccine-preventable disease in young people, including our student population.

PHS has targeted new students through a range of communications, highlighting the importance of ensuring that their vaccinations, particularly MMR and MenACWY, are up to date prior to arrival at college or university. These complement specific resources for new entrants arriving in Scotland, including new international students. Information about vaccines for new students can be found at Vaccines for students | NHS inform

( https://www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/vaccines-for-students/ ).

Uptake of vaccinations among young people in Scotland remains high and is delivering lifesaving benefits.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the totality of the Health and Social Care system to deal with emerging pressures including any rise in COVID-19. We have made available record levels of funding in this financial year to support the NHS and Social Care and are committed to working with local systems to ensure that they are well prepared for pressures that can be expected. The Scottish Government and COSLA are developing the Winter Plan for 2023-24, working collaboratively with local systems and partners to ensure that the necessary steps are being taken now to support system resilience. We will publish the plan in October. The Scottish Government and COSLA will also continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to enact the National Response Framework if needed.

The Scottish Government does not routinely gather or centrally hold information on staff attrition rates across all public sector, or publicly funded, bodies.

National Statistics on employment across the public sector in Scotland, including headcount by devolved and reserved sectors, are published on a quarterly basis and can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/public-sector-employment-statistics/.

In the case of some specific workforces, further information relevant to attrition rates is also available:

• Official Statistics on the NHSScotland workforce, including staff turnover, are published and can be found at: https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/data-and-reports/official-workforce-statistics/ .
• National Statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including staff turnover by department and devolved administration, are published annually and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Scottish Government grant making is allocated across portfolios to various parts of the third sector to improve a wide range of outcomes. Some Scottish Government funding will also be issued through independent grant makers or intermediary organisations. Each grant funding programme will have its own specific application criteria related to desired policy outcomes. This information is not centrally collated.