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Public Health Scotland do not hold information to the level of detail required in order to confirm numbers of hernia and rectopexy procedures that involve the use of surgical mesh.

The Scottish Government has liaised with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board, and the analytical data captured by the management information tool records that staff are a health or social care worker, not their work location or clinical status. The Member will be aware that employees of the health board can access a dedicated email address, if they have not received a second dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine.

At a national level, 373,715 health and social care workers have received their first dose and 357,486 are fully vaccinated. This includes the 94% of specified frontline health workers, who have had their first dose and 89% that have received their second too. The COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public provides the latest figures.

The easiest way to mitigate microplastic presence in waste water from laundries is to ensure appropriate lint filters are fitted to washers before the water is discharged into the drain. Most NHS Laundries are using appropriate lint filters already, the remaining are due to be replaced.

In addition, NHS Highland is currently testing water coming into and out of their on-site laundry and will assess the levels of microplastic. Results from the project are expected in late summer 2021 and will be used to identify any necessary remedial work required.

Housing Options Scotland receives funding from the Scottish Government to provide housing advice and advocacy services to older and disabled people in Scotland. This includes support for the Military Matters project aimed specifically to help veterans and which also attracts funding from other sources.

Scottish Government funding is set in a framework of annual budgets. The Scottish budget is an annual Act of the Scottish Parliament. Annual budgets are set under the terms of the Fiscal Framework agreed between the UK and Scottish Governments to implement the Scotland Act 2016 powers. The size of the Scottish Budget is determined by a number of elements, including the block grant allocation from the UK Budget, which is also set in single year budgets.

Due to this framework being set in single year budgets, SG funding is allocated to Housing Options Scotland on a yearly basis. SG has provided funding to Housing Options Scotland over many years and we are fully supportive of ensuring this unique and important service continues.

Ministers will consider the Scottish Veteran’s Commissioner report, Housing: Making a Home in Civilian Society as a whole and formally respond in due course.

Scottish Enterprise green jobs funding is being delivered through rounds that open and close periodically for fixed amounts of time and from which the best projects will be chosen for support. Details , including eligibility criteria, are published on Scottish Enterprise’s website, at https://www.scottish-enterprise.com/support-for-businesses/funding-and-grants/business-grants/green-jobs .

Legislation was laid on 27 May 2021 to extend the temporary exceptions of the Unsuitable Accommodation Order for a further three months until 30 September 2021. Local authorities have been advised that they should prepare for the temporary exceptions to expire on that date.

Our priority is to keep people safe so we extended these measures while the path of the pandemic remains uncertain, and we will keep the situation under review.

We are doing all we can to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are not housed in unsuitable accommodation for any longer than is necessary. However, it is crucial that we help local authorities to keep people safe during the pandemic.

Our ambition is for all households to have a decent temporary home and to move into settled accommodation as quickly as possible. We will continue to work with councils to help them overcome any barriers as we shift to a new way of dealing with homelessness.

The Scottish Social Housing Tender Price Index measures the movement in the prices paid by clients to contractors for the construction of affordable housing in Scotland. The index is based on analysing the costs in accepted tenders or agreed prices for housing projects. Price increases will be reflected in the tendered costs of developments and will therefore be accounted for in the Index.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme housing subsidy is flexible and is able to respond to the challenges reported recently by the Federation of Master Builders. In this respect, the amount of grant funding that individual projects require continues to be a decision for Registered Social Landlords and local authorities which – as part of the application process – are required to self-certify that the grant that they are requesting is the minimum necessary to allow a project to proceed once homes are designed and tender prices have been received. The amount of grant requested is then compared with the applicable Affordable Housing Investment Benchmark to determine how the funding application will be assessed. Projects that can be delivered with grant funding at or below the relevant benchmark follow a streamlined application and approval process, with projects which are seeking grant funding in excess of the relevant benchmark following a more detailed value for money assessment.

Data from National Records of Scotland show that over the ten year period 2010 to 2019 inclusive there were three instances of death certificate records (one each in 2016, 2018 and 2019) that mention either exposure to natural heat or the effects of heat and light.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to build resilience to the impacts of global climate change, as part of a just transition to being a net-zero nation. This includes managing the risks to human health, wellbeing and productivity from exposure to heat in homes and other buildings, the increasing urgency of which has been identified by the Climate Change Committee in its Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk published in June 2021.

Our draft Heat in Buildings Strategy, published in February 2021, recognises the impact that climate change may have on the need for cooling in Scotland’s buildings. The draft Strategy sets out our proposals to introduce regulations requiring existing buildings to achieve a good level of energy efficiency and to install zero emissions heating and cooling systems. We will be consulting in 2021-22 on the assessment of the energy performance of existing buildings as a basis for future standards, and such assessments will continue to take into account issues of ventilation, heating and cooling of buildings. In addition, we will now take forward further research to better understand the future cooling needs of Scotland’s building stock in order to strengthen our policy response. We will also consult later this year on a new Housing Standard for Scotland, which will support measures being developed in the Heat in Buildings Strategy and include consideration of additional safety standards.

For new residential buildings, including care homes, we are considering an assessment of overheating risk to be carried out through Scottish building regulations. Such an assessment could help identify instances where passive cooling measures may need to be introduced.

We know that people experiencing homelessness are more likely to have chronic health problems, which can increase the risk of heat-related illness. We are working in partnership with local authorities and frontline homelessness services, who provide year-round health and wellbeing support to people who are rough sleeping. During hot weather this includes the provision of water, sun-cream and well-being checks. Anyone who is suspected to be suffering from a heat-related illness will be supported to access the appropriate medical support.

Transport Scotland has published guidance to enable people to travel as safely as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic. The guidance includes car sharing and is applicable to all protection levels. On 22 June 2021, the First Minister confirmed the intention that, provided the data supports it, all of Scotland would move to protection level 0 from 19 July and that all legal requirements for outdoor physical distancing would be lifted from this date. The First Minister also confirmed the intention that, data permitting, Scotland would move Beyond Level 0 from 9 August, on which date all legal requirements for physical distancing in indoor settings will be lifted. Transport Scotland is reviewing its guidance to consider what changes may be required in line with the updated Strategic Framework and move Beyond Level 0. The guidance is available at: Advice on how to travel safely (transport.gov.scot)