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Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains a commitment to increase access to diabetes technologies such as closed loop systems for everyone who would benefit from these life changing therapies. The closed loop system is a new technology and the additional £14.6 million of funding that we have made available to NHS Boards in 2022 will help with its introduction, as well as increase access to existing technologies such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors.

In line with the principle of producer responsibility, the operational costs to industry of discharging its obligations under the Regulations are not funded by the Scottish Government.

Our Diabetes Improvement Plan contains specific commitments to support increased access to diabetes technologies, with significant focus on equity of access to care and services. We expect clinicians and NHS Boards to follow all relevant clinical guidelines and provide anyone with type 1 diabetes with a closed loop system, if they are clinically suitable.

Whenever someone is issued with any diabetes technology device, including closed loop systems, specific training and education on how to use it will be provided by a diabetes specialist nurse. Training is given to the individual and/or their carer, who will also need to confirm that they are competent in its use.

Patients are also encouraged to contact their diabetes clinical team if they have any concerns around the device’s function and its use.

Patient education is also a key priority of our Diabetes Improvement Plan Refresh, published in February 2021.

The treatment of biogenic carbon is detailed in Section 2.1 of the technical note to the report, which was carried out in line with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology. Both the report and technical note are available on the Zero Waste Scotland website: The climate change impact of burning municipal waste in Scotland | Zero Waste Scotland .

The Nightclub Closure Fund was available to nightclubs for support with meeting staffing costs for the period during which they were required to close between the 27 December and 24 January 2022. In order to qualify for this funding, businesses were required to meet eligibility as set out in guidance. This included the requirement to be trading as a nightclub as of the 20 December. In order to prove this, businesses were asked to confirm that they met five conditions including that their licence confirmed that the music exceeded 85DB after 1am. Where this was not the case businesses have been asked to provide further evidence of this.

Following notification of a decision on their applications, businesses were able to ask for this decision to be reviewed, including where this has been due to out of date information contained on licensing details.

There have been 25 reviews requested; 14 decisions overturned, 6 of these where the reason for rejection was noise levels and upon receipt of further information have been overturned. In addition 11 decision have been reviewed and upheld.

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Ministers accept the summary judgement in the English court proceedings brought by CMAL against insurer HCCI.

Scotland’s next census will be held on Sunday 20 March 2022, with letters arriving in households across Scotland from today (28 February), providing instructions on how to take part.

Scotland’s census is the official count of every person and household in the country and the only questionnaire of its kind to ask everyone the same questions at the same time.

It is the responsibility of National Records of Scotland (NRS) to put in place a census that enables everyone across Scotland to participate so that information collected can be used to produce high quality outputs and deliver the benefits required by the people of Scotland. For the first time, Scotland’s Census 2022 will ask a question about previous service in the UK Armed Forces and voluntary questions on trans status or history and sexual orientation, for those over 16.

Scotland’s Census provides people, businesses and organisations with high quality data and analysis which is used to inform key decisions in relation to policy making, investment decisions and the planning and delivery of key services. The census also helps paint a rich picture of the of the population, helping us to better understand the similarities and differences in the population’s characteristics locally and nationally, now and over time. The census also becomes part of our history. In the future our descendants will be able to find out about us and how we lived.

This will be the first census to take place since the Scottish Government pledged to make public services “digital first”, recognising that this is now a favoured channel for many. This approach will also deliver a number of benefits in terms of ease of completion and accessibility for respondents. It is important however that all households are able to complete their census return, with paper questionnaires available upon request. Help and support will also be available for those who need it via a dedicated contact centre and the Scotland’s Census website.

I urge members to help ensure a successful census by encouraging maximum participation amongst all communities across Scotland.

People with certain neuromuscular conditions, such as motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis, are eligible for antiviral medication The eligibility criteria for direct access to new COVID-19 treatments were developed by an independent expert working group commissioned by the UK Department of Health and Social Care and is based on detailed clinical evidence. The criteria are set out in a UK-wide clinical commissioning policy . The policy targets those higher risk individuals who have the potential to both be least likely to generate a material immune response to vaccines and be at highest risk of disease progression, hospitalisation and death.

Further information is available on NHS Inform .

In addition to the direct access arrangements described above for the most vulnerable, coronavirus oral antiviral treatments are being evaluated through a UK-wide study called PANORAMIC, run by the University of Oxford. Full details about the eligibility criteria for the study can be found at: https://www.panoramictrial.org/

The outcomes from the study will enable the NHS to fully understand how best to make use of these treatments in the future.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, patients are asked to contact their local Health Board single point of contact telephone number if they believe they are eligible for treatment. The phone lines are open seven days a week, including public holidays. Further information is available on NHS Inform .

Some COVID-19 positive individuals who meet the eligibility criteria will decide not to receive antiviral treatments, or may be unable to, for example due to other medications they are taking.