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The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been running the monthly COVID-19 Infection Survey (CIS) for almost three years. Since 2021 this survey has included long COVID questions and has provided high-level estimates for Scotland of the number of people with long COVID by duration.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is now reviewing its approach to COVID-19 surveillance, and survey data collection has been paused since mid-March. The then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf MSP, wrote to the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on 8 March to express his concern about the delay in deciding the future of the survey, which will result in a gap in the provision of data on long COVID in the first quarter of the 2023-24 financial year. We are in touch with UKHSA to clarify the details of the updated scope, design and implementation plans for CIS, which will inform our planning for local surveillance.

Our Chief Scientist Office has funded the Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 (EAVE II) long COVID study. EAVE II forms part of our Scottish Respiratory Surveillance Programme. This is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Public Health Scotland to identify adults at greatest risk of developing long COVID. The study was able to identify cases of long COVID in Scotland using routinely collected clinical data from almost the entire adult Scottish population. The clinical data derived from electronic health records, comprising GP records (coded, free text and sick note data), hospital data, GP Out-of-Hours data, outpatient data, NHS 24 data, medication data and mortality data. The University has drawn on this work to publish an initial report on the estimated prevalence of long COVID among adults in Scotland, titled ‘ Identifying Long Covid Using Electronic Health Records: A National Observational Cohort Study in Scotland ’ . Please note that these findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed.

The study team acknowledge that their estimated prevalence findings are lower than estimates derived from surveys such as the COVID-19 Infection Survey and Scottish Health Survey, in which participants self-report having long COVID, rather than long COVID being diagnosed by a medical professional. They also acknowledge that their findings are likely to underestimate total cases because not everyone with long COVID will attend their GP, and not all cases or symptoms will be recorded. However, the report still makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of long COVID prevalence and distribution in Scotland.

We are working closely with Public Health Scotland to develop an approach and methodology for the longer-term surveillance of long COVID, which will in turn inform the planning of health service provision for people with long COVID.

The Scottish Government Super Sponsor Scheme has been overwhelmingly popular, with local authorities, the third sector and local communities responding in partnership.

As of 11 April, there have been a total of 24,216 arrivals in the UK with a Scottish Sponsor, of which 19,565 are sponsored by the Scottish Government. Total arrivals in the UK with a Scottish Sponsor (which includes those sponsored by the Scottish Government (Super Sponsor Scheme) and by Individual Sponsors) represent 20.1% of all arrivals in the UK, and it is the most per head of any UK nation.

Our priority over the coming months is on supporting displaced people from Ukraine already in the UK with a Scottish sponsor and who choose to remain here longer-term. With a shortage of affordable housing across Scotland, a cost of living crisis and significant pressures on both local and national Government finances, the scale of the challenge is significant.

Following the pause of the scheme in July 2022, this was reviewed by the Ukraine Programme Board in late October and again in February. Parliament was informed of our decision for the scheme to remain closed to new applications as the criteria required to re-open the scheme could not be met at that time. We will review the reopening of the Scheme again in June 2023.

There have been no discussions with the UK Government regarding restrictions on gaming, including mechanisms to reduce time spent playing games online.

The Scottish Government is continuing to take steps towards achieving the World Health Organisation’s targets to eliminate cervical cancer. As part of this, we have recently provided funding to Strathclyde University to conduct research into modelling that will estimate when we might expect to reach the point of elimination.

83.9% of S4 pupils in 2021/22 completed the two dose schedule for the HPV vaccine in Scotland. From January this year, a one dose schedule will be introduced for all those eligible in the programme up to their 25th birthday. It is expected this simplified schedule will increase uptake further. One-dose HPV vaccine coverage is currently 91.5% for girls in S4. The Scottish Government will continue to work with Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Health Boards to maintain high vaccination uptake.

Data regarding cervical screening uptake in Scotland is due to be published by Public Health Scotland later this year, and efforts are on-going to improve uptake. We have awarded £456,000 to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to support campaign work on screening benefits. Additionally, in preparation for a potential UK National Screening Committee recommendation, the screening programme continues to consider the steps necessary for introducing cervical self-sampling, which has the potential to remove some of the barriers which deter people from attending screening appointments.

We are developing a new 10 year cancer strategy which will launch in spring this year and take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost, due to the significant number of meetings which take place between Energy Saving Trust and the Scottish Government. Energy officials alone meet with EST a number of times a week, both ad hoc and scheduled, to discuss the programme of work they deliver on the government's behalf. A significant number of meetings have also taken place within the specified timeframe between transport and water policy officials and EST.

The information requested is published by the Scottish Social Services Council and is already available in the public domain. The details can be viewed via the following link:

Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2021 Workforce Data (sssc.uk.com)

The Minister and I had a constructive meeting last year in Paris during which we discussed culture, heritage and sports diplomacy.

The subject of Scottish independence was not an agenda item in discussions. However, Scottish ministers will always be polite enough during international meetings to answer any questions put to them about the Scottish Government's stated policies, including a legal, constitutionally sound referendum, as set out in our Programme for Government.

The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities and believes everyone should have access to these services.

We are fully aware of the issues facing many sports facilities, particularly swimming pools, and the specific issue of energy costs has been raised with us.

Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport has met with Community Leisure UK on a number of occasions to discuss the challenges and will also raise the issues facing public leisure facilities when she meets with COSLA shortly.

sport scotland, our nation agency for sport, continues to hold regular and ongoing discussions with its partners, including local authorities, COSLA, and Scottish Swimming (the sport’s governing body), to discuss the challenges facing the sporting sector.

sport scotland are supporting Scottish Swimming to deliver a Scottish Swimming Facilities Project. Scottish Swimming recently appointed a contractor to undertake the detailed piece of work to understand accurately the current pool provision, life cycle and predict the landscape in the short, medium, and long term. Conclusions are expected by July 2023.

In addition COSLA are member of the Active Scotland Delivery Group which considers how Scotland can become a more active nation and how we can collaboratively address the challenges we face.

The Scottish Government has not provided any guidance specific to the Care Inspectorate for the financial year 2023-24. As a non-departmental public body (NDPB), the Care Inspectorate follows the Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Government Financial Reporting Manual. The 2023-24 Public Sector Pay Strategy was also published in March 2023, and applies to the Care Inspectorate as a NDPB.

In Scotland gaming addiction in children and young people is treated as a compulsive disorder and not as a standalone condition. The Scottish Government understands that compulsive disorders such as gaming addiction can be both debilitating and distressing. We expect children and young people in Scotland with any compulsive disorders to receive the appropriate help and support that they need when they need it.

Since 2020 we have invested over £300,000 to provide a range of resources for children, young people and parents on healthy use of screen time, social media, online gaming and their known impacts on sleep and emotional and mental wellbeing. This includes the ‘Mind yer time’ web resource, created in partnership with the Scottish Youth Parliament and Children’s Parliament, and advice hosted on ParentClub.Scot .‎

In common with other issues classed as addiction or compulsive behaviours we would direct children, young people and their families who have concerns around gaming addiction to seek support from their GP in the first instance.

Treatment for compulsive disorders or addiction is delivered by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and ongoing support for those children and young people facing these issues is provided through local NHS boards.