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Work on the refresh of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework is underway. It is anticipated that it will be published in Autumn 2022.

Guidance on accessing COVID-19 treatment is provided on NHS Inform . Notably, there are different treatment options available for different groups of individuals who are thought to be at higher risk from COVID-19. The online guidance states that individuals with health conditions which mean they may be eligible for COVID-19 treatments should contact the health board where they live in the first instance. This is because an individual’s home health board will have access to more information about the individual to be able to support any requirements to confirm their eligibility. Where the individual is temporarily resident in another part of Scotland, or another part of the UK, they should contact their home health board who will support them in accessing their closest treatment service.

Within Scottish Government Core Directorates no civil servants have a contractual notice period that is excess of 3 months following their resignation from employment and therefore no liability exists in that regard. The Civil Service Management Code, published by the UK Government, sets out the notice arrangements that we must give our employees in relation to the termination of their employment.

The resignation notice periods for civil servants in Scottish Government Core Directorates is as follows:

• Senior Civil Servants - 3 months, as set by the Civil Service Management Code
• Special Advisers - 5 weeks, as set by contract and stipulated by Cabinet Office
• Scottish Government delegated grades:
• Band C - 3 months
• All other staff - 1 month

The notice periods for delegated grades have been in place for many years, and pre-date the delegation of terms and conditions of employment to civil service employers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08283 on
‎ 17 May 2022. 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

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-08411 on 17 May 2022. 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 .

We are committed to supporting children, young people and students who use British Sign Language (BSL) at all stages of their learning.

Education authorities have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils, including BSL users. The Scottish Government provides funding of £150,000 to the Scottish Sensory Centre to support training for staff working with children and young people with sensory impairments, including BSL users.

All colleges and universities in Scotland have published BSL plans (accessible in BSL and English) setting out how students who use BSL are supported. Students attending college or university are also eligible to apply for additional financial support to help with any additional costs which arise as a result of a disability or additional learning need. This can include support towards the cost of BSL interpreters to assist their learning.

BSL is currently taught as a second additional language in schools as part of the 1+2 languages policy. This means it can be taught from P5 at the latest up to the end of S3. Learning does not need to be continuous during this time. The uptake of schools teaching BSL has increased steadily, and SQA awards are designed for both hearing and deaf learners to develop their language skills.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) is working with the University of Edinburgh on the development of an undergraduate degree in Primary Education and BSL. This would lead to graduates qualifying as primary teachers with enhanced BSL skills. GTCS is also considering further action to remove barriers that make it difficult for BSL users to become registered teachers, including reviewing registration rules.

The ’BSL Interpreting in Scotland: Landscape review’, commissioned by the Scottish Government in relation to Actions 7, 8, and 9 of the British Sign Language National Plan 2017 - 2023, was published in February 2020 with 13 recommendations. The recommendations include reference to improvements and development of vocational and academic pathways for interpreter training and BSL qualifications, and development of this work is currently being considered.

We have also committed to providing additional funding to enable local authorities to offer free British Sign Language tuition for deaf children from the age of five, and work to implement that commitment is underway, in consultation with stakeholders.

There are currently 837 Community First Responders. The Scottish Ambulance Service maintain a rolling database of CFRs so do not hold historic figures.

Within NHS GG&C, acute stroke thrombolysis is already available on a 24/7 basis. This is currently based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), with patients transferred for thrombolysis where appropriate. Work is ongoing to establish a telemedicine thrombolysis model to provide 24/7 thrombolysis at other sites.

The Scottish Government recognises that thrombectomy procedures can significantly improve outcomes and quality of life for some people who have suffered an ischaemic stroke by avoiding or reducing the level of disability. We are committed to introducing a high quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service in Scotland and are making important progress against this commitment. In NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, the thrombectomy service is currently in the test of change phase, and has provided thrombectomies to 13 patients since October 2021.