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The information requested on how many staff there are in each NHS Board who are on long-term sick leave is not centrally available.

Sickness absence rates by NHS Board can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:

NHSScotland workforce | Turas Data Intelligence

The information that you request relates to the funding decisions taken by the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen which existed from 2007 to 30 June 2010 and Creative Scotland which was established from 1 July 2010 which brought together the two predecessor organisations.

These national arts and screen development organisations disbursed Scottish Government and National Lottery funds and operated at arm’s length from Scottish Ministers in the disbursement of those funds.

For the period predating the establishment of Creative Scotland, 2007 to 30 June 2010, the published National Lottery Distribution Fund Annual Reports and Accounts of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen provide the information that the member is seeking.

The Scottish Arts Council’s National Lottery Distribution Fund Annual Reports and Accounts for the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2010 are available at the following link:

Transparency and freedom of information releases - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Scottish Screen’s National Lottery Distribution Fund Annual Reports and Accounts for the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2010 are available at the following link:

Transparency and freedom of information releases - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

I have also asked the Chief Executive of Creative Scotland to write to the member with the information they hold on this subject since 1 July 2010.

The Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group (SICSAG) report on COVID-19 published on 2 February 2022 includes data on the numbers of COVID positive pregnant women admitted to critical care facilities (excluding obstetric High Dependency Units) to 9 January 2020. The data is presented by COVID infection wave, but not by month. SICSAG report annually on numbers of pregnant women admitted to Intensive Care Units. 2021 data is expected to be reported in summer 2022.

Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group report on COVID-19 - as at 11 January 2022 - Scottish Intensive Care Society Audit Group report on COVID-19 - Publications - Public Health Scotland.

The Scottish Government has been clear since early in the pandemic that there should be where feasible a whole system response. This includes deployment of mutual aid between and across Health Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships and Local Authorities and the deployment of staff (including nurses) to care homes to meet shortages but also strengthen senior and experienced nursing in these settings.

We continue to take other measures to support the sector including workforce at this time. We recognise the pressures currently being experienced across the social care system. On 5 October, we announced a £300 million investment in health and social care as a direct response to winter planning and systems pressures. This includes £20m to enhance Multi-Disciplinary Teams, so that more social work assessments can be carried out, and to support joint working between health and social care.

We have made funding available to recruit up to 1,000 additional healthcare support staff by March 2022 to support patients in hospitals and in community health teams, including care homes. Funding of up to £15m is being provided to take forward recruitment to these posts.

Up to £48 million of funding has been made available to enable employers to update the hourly rate of Adult Social Care Staff offering direct care. This funding is critical to support retaining and recruiting staff in the sector and to alleviate the immediate pressures in Social Care and NHS/Community based health services. We have extended and will continue to raise awareness of the Disclosure Scotland Priority COVID Staff process to support the prompt recruitment and appointment of additional resource.

The COVID-19 statistical report which is published weekly includes a section for COVID-19 vaccinations by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority group, including first, second, and third/booster doses for frontline social care workers. This cohort is made up of registered Scottish Social Services Council staff and does not include those without professional registration.

This data can be found at. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20580.

The COVID-19 statistical report which is published weekly includes a section for COVID-19 vaccinations by Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority group, including first, second, and third/booster doses for frontline social care workers. This cohort is made up of registered Scottish Social Services Council staff and does not include those without professional registration.

This data can be found at. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20580.

Doorstep cold calling can create anxiety for householders, especially vulnerable householders. It is important that advice is available for those who may be concerned about doorstep cold calling.

The regulation of doorstep cold calling falls within general consumer protection policy with specific policy responsibility being part of the operation of trading standards which rests with the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Trading Standards Scotland (TSS), the national organisation for trading standards in Scotland, is funded by BEIS and managed by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. The TSS website provides a range of helpful guidance on how best householders can address concerns about doorstep cold calling. http://www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers/

Within this context, decisions about further regulation of doorstep cold calling would fall to the UK Government to consider.

The Scottish Government does not have a blanket policy of applying unlimited liabilities in its ICT contracts and contractual liability may be unlimited, capped or excluded.

The Scottish Government Model Terms and Conditions for ICT Services Contracts (Model Terms) contain provisions relating to liability that are intended to be reasonable and proportionate and to strike the right balance in allocating risk and liability for all parties.

Liability is unlimited where it cannot be restricted as a matter of law, including for death or personal injury, or fraud. Liability is also unlimited for specific types of loss such as intellectual property, tax and TUPE where Scottish Government has potential exposure to third party claims.

All other liability may be capped or limited on the basis of a fixed sum or a percentage of the overall contract value. The Model Terms do not include mandated levels of financial liability. It is for contracting authorities to determine, based on the risk profile of the project and taking into account the nature and extent of the risks involved in the services, the value of the contract and the amount of insurance cover available to each party, the appropriate levels of financial liability which should apply.

The Scottish Government does not have a blanket policy of applying unlimited liabilities in its ICT contracts and contractual liability may be unlimited, capped or excluded.

The Scottish Government Model Terms and Conditions for ICT Services Contracts (Model Terms) contain provisions relating to liability that are intended to be reasonable and proportionate and to strike the right balance in allocating risk and liability for all parties.

Liability is unlimited where it cannot be restricted as a matter of law, including for death or personal injury, or fraud. Liability is also unlimited for specific types of loss such as intellectual property, tax and TUPE where Scottish Government has potential exposure to third party claims.

All other liability may be capped or limited on the basis of a fixed sum or a percentage of the overall contract value. The Model Terms do not include mandated levels of financial liability. It is for contracting authorities to determine, based on the risk profile of the project and taking into account the nature and extent of the risks involved in the services, the value of the contract and the amount of insurance cover available to each party, the appropriate levels of financial liability which should apply.