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As part of the general funding available to NHS General Dental Services, dental practices are required to ensure practice information leaflets, including information on appointments, is available in large print form. This is checked as part of the Practice Inspection Process.

Dental practices are also able to access interpretation services through their local NHS Board.

Scottish Government officials hold regular discussions with Department for Work and Pensions officials on a range of matters including eligibility criteria for Adult Disability Payment. During these discussions, our overriding commitment is to ensure processes are in place for the safe and secure transfer of clients to Adult Disability Payment. It is essential clients continue to receive the payments they rely on. Moreover, we have made changes to how clients will experience accessing disability assistance in Scotland, such as replacing assessments with person centred consultations. Also the reliability criteria, used to determine eligibility, will be enshrined more fully in legislation for Adult Disability Payment.

Our overriding commitment is to the safe and secure transfer of disability assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to Social Security Scotland, and this has been our priority throughout the development of our new social security system. It is essential that clients continue to receive the payments they rely on both in terms of disability benefit and the passported access this provides. To this end, the Adult Disability Payment criteria will remain largely the same as the existing Personal Independence Payment Framework during the case transfer process, but will be reviewed in due course. We also need to continue to safeguard against creating a system in which individuals paid by Social Security Scotland are subject to significantly different eligibility requirements from clients whose cases have not yet transferred to the Scottish system.

Changes we are making to the delivery of Adult Disability Payment, such as replacing assessments with person centred consultations, will improve the delivery and process of Adult Disability Payment and address many of the concerns raised by stakeholders, including on the 20 metre rule. In particular, the reliability criteria, which is applied to determine eligibility, will be enshrined more fully in legislation for Adult Disability Payment than it previously has been for Personal Independence Payment. This criteria requires a client to be able to carry out activities safely, repeatedly, in an acceptable manner and in a reasonable time, and these factors will be used to ensure that decisions will take full account of how the client experiences each activity – including moving around.

We have also committed to undertaking an independent review of Adult Disability Payment in 2023, one year after delivery has begun. The review will enable all of the eligibility criteria to be considered and will ensure that people in receipt of Adult Disability Payment will be able to provide their valuable feedback and experiences of the process so far. The DWP are aware of our commitment to review Adult Disability Payment.

A well-functioning care sector will be vital in delivering a prosperous wellbeing economy for Scotland – one that is strong, fair and green.

The Scottish Government’s Economic Recovery Implementation Plan published in August 2020, acknowledged the care sector as key economic infrastructure and recognised that investment in care yields significant economic returns.

The Scottish Government has committed to delivering a 10 year National Strategy for Economic Transformation in Autumn 2021. This strategy will set out the steps we will take to deliver a stronger, fairer and greener economy.

Asylum is a matter reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum accommodation to people who require it while awaiting the outcome of their asylum application. The Scottish Government has no control of asylum accommodation and support.

The Home Office procures asylum accommodation through private sector contracts. Mears Group are the current contract holder in Scotland.

While recognising that hotels have enabled people to be accommodated during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been clear that hotel accommodation for people seeking asylum is not acceptable as general practice or as long term accommodation. People seeking asylum should be provided with accommodation that is suitable for their needs and is based in communities to enable integration from day one of arrival. The Scottish Government will continue to engage with the Home Office, Mears Group, Glasgow City Council, COSLA and third sector support organisations in Glasgow on matters relating to asylum accommodation, support and integration.

In March 2021, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill (the “Bill”), which aims to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law to the maximum extent possible within the powers of the Scottish Parliament. The UK Government challenged the legislative competence of certain provisions of the Bill in a reference to the UK Supreme Court. A hearing was held on 28 and 29 June 2021 and judgment is awaited.

The Scottish Government remains committed to the incorporation of the UNCRC to the maximum extent of the Parliament’s powers and to commencement of the Bill as soon as possible. Whilst the reference means that the Bill cannot receive Royal Assent at this stage, the majority of work in relation to implementation can and is continuing, consistent with the fact that the case is before the UK Supreme Court.

• We are investing in a £4 million programme over three years to help to ensure public services are consistently upholding children’s rights
• The UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board has been meeting monthly since 1 July 2021 to provide strategic vision and oversight of a comprehensive and joined-up implementation programme
• A UNCRC Implementation Guidance Reference Group has been established comprising of key partners, and has been meeting fortnightly since 17 May 2021 to assist Scottish Government in developing non-statutory guidance to assist public authorities and those undertaking functions of a public nature to fulfil the UNCRC
• To support the meaningful and inclusive participation of children and young people in the UNCRC Strategic Implementation Board and wider implementation programme, we are working to establish a consortium of organisations that have strong, trusting relationships with children and young people across Scotland

Ensuring high quality palliative and end of life care for people towards the end of life is an important priority for the Scottish Government.

Since 2016, it has been the responsibility of Integration Authorities to commission and plan palliative and end of life care services and supports to meet the needs of their local population. The assessment of palliative and end of life care services is also their responsibility.

For this reason, the Scottish Government does not collect this data centrally.

However, Integration Authorities report on their progress using a range of indicators within their Annual Performance Reports, which provides some data on palliative and end of life care services. Information on the Core Suite of Integration Indicators can be found at https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/8411/2021-07-13-coresuiteindicators-background-and-glossary.pdf. It is, however, important to note that due to the pandemic, full data is not currently available for all indicators at present.

Public Health Scotland also publish official statistics on the percentage of time spent at home or in a community setting in the last six months of life. ( Percentage of end of life spent at home or in a community setting - Financial years ending 31 March 2011 to 2020 - Percentage of end of life spent at home or in a community setting - Publications - Public Health Scotland ).

Scottish Government officials are currently working to identify the most appropriate and effective way to appoint a National Clinical Lead for Palliative and End of Life Care. This work is ongoing and further information regarding this appointment will be made available in due course.

The information about the number of individuals requesting hospital-based palliative care is not collected centrally.

The following table shows the number of people recorded as receiving inpatient palliative care in 2019-20. However, this information may not reflect the totality of hospital-based palliative care as it only contains the patients recorded under the care of a palliative medicine consultant, in a Palliative care unit or diagnosed with a Palliative care condition.