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We want everyone who would benefit from palliative and end of life care to have access to it, including those who are homeless. As the Marie Curie report makes clear, good end of life care requires collaborative, multi-disciplinary support which is based on the specific needs of the individual and their loved ones. However, we know that people experiencing homelessness are less likely to engage with healthcare services regularly and are more likely to have multiple mental or physical health problems - often with uncertain trajectories. This can make it challenging for care and support services to recognise a palliative care need in a timely manner.

To support better identification of the healthcare needs of homeless people, Public Health Scotland published a learning resource primarily aimed at primary care staff earlier this year. The course aims to raise awareness of the health challenges and barriers that homeless people face and support staff in better identifying the health and care needs of people who are homeless. Although the course has been developed with primary care staff in mind as they act as first healthcare points of contact, it is a foundation level course which is accessible and relevant to all staff working with people who are homeless, particularly those working in frontline homelessness services. This course can be accessed here: https://learning.publichealthscotland.scot/course/view.php?id=553

Over the coming months we will continue to work with key stakeholders to explore what further steps we can take to help ensure that people who are experiencing homelessness can access the palliative care and support that is right for them.

We want everyone who would benefit from palliative and end of life care to have access to it, including those who are experiencing homelessness.

We are committed to working with key stakeholders to strengthen partnerships between health, homelessness and frontline services to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness with multiple and complex needs. Over the coming months we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore areas where improvements to palliative and end of life care could be made as well as reflecting on lessons learned during the pandemic.

I would also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01041 on
22 July 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

While the Scottish Government has access to management information (MI) on the number of independent contractors participating in the Covid-19 vaccination programme. This MI has not been subject to the same level of validation and checking as National Statistics or Official Statistics. Therefore, the data are not publicly available; however, as individual Health Boards have responsibility for local deployment decisions, they are best placed to advise on the composition of their respective workforces.

The Scottish Government’s office of the Chief Medical Officer is working closely with the UK Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to prioritise potential treatments for COVID-19. Further results of well-designed randomised controlled clinical trials exploring treatment efficacy of ivermectin to treat COVID-19 are awaited.

The MHRA, together with an independent advisory group, continues to review the emerging body of evidence regarding potential medicines for treatment or prevention of COVID-19, including Ivermectin.

The MHRA advises that, at this time, no application has been received for a licence for ivermectin in the treatment of COVID-19, in the UK. However, should an application for a licence be made, then the MHRA has processes in place to expedite such an application, as required.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age and that COVID-19 risk increases exponentially with age.

JCVI priority group 4 of the vaccines programme incorporates those considered Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) on the GP system and therefore at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19.

First doses and second doses of vaccine are offered in accordance with the same clinical prioritisation guidelines outlined under the JCVI priority groups.

There is no exemption anywhere in the UK for oil and gas workers arriving from red list countries. Passengers arriving from red list countries are required to enter managed isolation in a quarantine hotel.  

There is an exemption for oil and gas workers arriving from amber list countries to undertake work on critical infrastructure in Scotland. They are still required to take a pre-departure test before travel, complete a passenger locator form before travelling to Scotland, book and take a testing package for days 2 and 8, self-isolate at home for 10 days when not at or travelling to and from a place where they are required to undertake the activities this exemption applies to and show a letter to Border Force from their employer outlining the work they will be doing.

We continue to liaise regularly with OGUK, trades unions and other stakeholders on measures to protect the safety of those working in the industry, including through the forum of the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group.

Since the publication of the rehabilitation framework in August 2020, we have established a National Advisory Board to oversee its implementation and we have appointed a professional advisor to lead on this programme of work.  

The rehabilitation programme is currently undertaking a significant scoping exercise through a self-assessment process to understand the current status of rehabilitation services in Scotland, from the perspective of the staff working in them.  

The self-assessment tool has been circulated to all NHS Boards, Health & Social Care Partnerships, third sector organisations, and Leisure Trusts as part of Local Authorities.  

The outputs from the self-assessment tool along with demand and capacity data will help us shape priorities, understand challenges and opportunities and inform funding decisions.  

Batteries are increasingly important for decarbonising a whole range of vehicles and potentially a major socio-economic opportunity for Scotland. The UK's Faraday Institution estimates there will be enough electric vehicle demand by 2040 for seven gigafactories across the UK.Scotland’s Inward Investment Plan indicates how Scotland’s clear policy on net zero, combined with high value manufacturing capability, battery chemical research and zero emission vehicle test centres, delivers opportunities for inward investment.

Zero Waste Scotland, together with Transport Scotland and Scottish Enterprise, commissioned a series of reports into the economic opportunities across the value chain from battery production to recycling and end of life. This research will inform the ongoing development of Scotland’s policies on batteries for electric vehicles and the domestic battery supply chain.

Work is proceeding on a number of vessel replacement projects. Vessels 801 (MV Glen Sannox) and 802 are under construction and Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) have started the procurement process for a new Islay vessel. In addition, projects are underway to deliver the vessel replacements noted in the Scottish Government's Infrastructure Investment Plan: Gourock-Dunoon/Kilcreggan, the Small Vessel Replacement Programme, Craignure-Oban, Mallaig-Armadale/Lochboisdale and the Northern Isles freighters.

A National Mission with Local Impact: Infrastructure Investment Plan for Scotland 2021-22 to 2025-26 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Government budgets achieve multiple overlapping objectives and so it is not possible to distinguish environmental spending that does and does not alleviate climate change. A wide range of Scottish Government budgets directly address environmental problems. In 2021-22 spending on Environmental Services is £196 million. A number of other budget lines also have a direct impact on environmental outcomes including, but not limited to, Rural Economy Agri Environment Measures (£34.2 million) and Green Schemes (£142 million), Forestry (£70.6 million), and Active Travel (£115 million) in 2021-22.

Taking a more expansive view of spending on environmental measures. The Scottish Government publication Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland provides estimates of overall spending by the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and Public Corporations on different categories of spend. It reports that these bodies spent £1,078 million on ‘environmental protection’ in 2019-20.