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This fund opened for applications on 16 February. Driving Instructors are also eligible to apply for grants through this fund. The fund will remain open until 16 March 2021.

We recognise that due to Covid-19, there will be increased financial pressures on many households. Since the beginning of the pandemic the Scottish Government has made available support for households struggling with their energy bills through a variety of channels. We increased the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund to meet additional demand arising as a consequence of Covid-19, as well as providing £15 million further funding for Local Authorities to be used flexibly to provide support to those facing financial insecurity, including support for fuel costs.

Most recently we have distributed £7 million via the Help with Fuel element of the Winter Support Programme. This includes £4 million for a Home Heating Support Fund administered by Advice Direct Scotland, £2 million to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations for grants to Registered Social Landlords for practical initiatives to help tenants struggling to meet their fuel costs this winter and £445,000 for the Fuel Bank Foundation to help households on prepayment meters, or who rely on unregulated fuels like heating oil, who are at risk of self-disconnection.

Furthermore, Home Energy Scotland (HES) is funded by the Scottish Government to provide a range of energy related advice services and support to householders in Scotland. HES can make referrals for benefit checks, manage energy supplier switching, help with accessing the Warm Home Discount and other financial assistance, as well as providing advice on how to use energy in the home more efficiently. They can also assess eligibility for the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency schemes, which could help make long lasting improvements to home heating systems and insulation.

Individuals that require adjustments in order to receive vaccinations should contact their Health board and GP, so that specialists who are aware of their specific needs may make adjustments best suited to the patient. Appointments may be moved to a clinic if this would be a more comfortable setting, and the individual may be accompanied by their carer. Information on how to facilitate these conversations are available on at NHS inform, in accessible formats.

As of Boxing Day all non-essential travel abroad has been prohibited by law to and from all areas of Scotland, including those that are currently under the Level 4 Stay At Home order.

The reason this decision was taken was to guard against further avoidable import of new strains of the corona virus (covid-19) in light of published evidence of the significant role that international travel played in re-seeding the infection in Scotland in the second half of 2020.

The Lighthouse Laboratories are the responsibility of the UK Government with regards to operations.

The Scottish Government has been working closely with Health Boards to monitor the performance of turnaround times across all channels including NHS Laboratories and Regional Hubs. Performance is good, with a high percentage of results being returned within 24 hours. The opening of our three regional hub laboratories are an enormous step in our response to the pandemic and will reduce our reliance on the UK Government Lighthouse Lab Network.

Turnaround Times are management information and is not in the position to be published.

Since the start of the pandemic the Scottish Government has allocated over £3 billion to help businesses through a comprehensive package of support measures. This includes among others, the Business Support Grant Scheme, the Strategic Framework Business Fund, and the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund. In total, around 383,000 business support awards totalling‎ £2.3 billion were made between March and the beginning of October 2020. More than 90% of the funds allocated to business support since October are now live with the bulk of funding to support businesses affected by legal restrictions under the Strategic levels.

The Business Grant Funding Scheme was introduced to support businesses occupying non-domestic properties. This included the Small Business Grant which provided £10,000 for the first eligible property, and 75% grants (£7,500) to each additional property, in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), or eligible for the SBBS but in receipt of other reliefs such as charitable rates relief. Phase 3 of this scheme extended eligibility to businesses typically occupying shared spaces , business incubators or shared industrial units, but who are not the ratepayer, provided they could evidence that they were required to contribute towards the charges associated with the non-domestic rates liability. This Scheme closed on 10 July.

From 2 November the Strategic Framework Business Fund offers financial support for businesses required to close by law, or specifically required to modify their operations by law. Eligibility depends on where the premises are located and what level of restrictions are in place at any point in time. These grants are available for eligible business with premises registered for Non-Domestic rates. Businesses that pay non-domestic rates through their landlords may also apply if they can provide evidence of this.

Further, the Local Authority Discretionary Fund empowers local authorities to support businesses and self-employed people in their area who require additional financial support, including supply chain businesses impacted by restrictions. This fund is specifically designed to target businesses who have not received direct financial support through other Scottish Government schemes, and recognises the insight that councils have on the business community in their area and where funding would be most effectively deployed in supporting local economies. It is for Local authorities to use this fund at their discretion, and they will undertake their own assessment of need.

We continue to seek the funding and powers we require to support Scottish businesses through this pandemic and to engage with specific sectors who may face unique impacts and consider how best to provide help and support.

Non-domestic rates relief awards reduce the rates liability associated with a non-domestic premises. A property may still be eligible for a particular relief regardless of the agreed terms of a tenancy agreement. The Scottish Government delivers the most generous non-domestic rates regime in the UK, which includes a package of reliefs that in 2021-22 is worth an estimated £914 million. As part of this we provide the Small Business Bonus Scheme which, based on official statistics as at 1 July 2020, lifts 117,000 properties out of rates altogether.

Tenants who feel that their tenancy agreement should better reflect the costs of operating from a particular premises may wish to discuss this matter with their landlord. The Scottish Government strongly endorses the Code of practice for the commercial property sector Code of practice for the commercial property sector - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and expect landlords and tenants to come together to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement. Landlords should also provide support to businesses if they too are able to do so .

The Scottish Government welcomed the Chancellor’s long overdue announcement that the Job Retention Scheme will be extended across the UK until the end of April 2021. Throughout the pandemic we have worked with the business community to ensure we understand all the impacts and how best to support affected businesses, however there is no existing plans to introduce a specific fund of this type due to shortages in funding. We will invest £1.1 billion in employability and skills support. This includes an initial additional investment of £125 million for the Young Person’s Guarantee, the National Transition Training Fund and broader skills and employability support.

The Scottish Government websites contains clear guidance for deliveries and door to door services. This guidance states:

Delivery drivers, postal workers, couriers and other similar workers or volunteers should adhere to physical distancing and hygiene requirements when picking up and delivering orders, post or other goods or services to and from residential properties. As an additional measure we recommend that, unless exempt, face coverings are worn in communal, indoor residential areas such as blocks of flats and other multiple occupancy spaces where physical distancing can be difficult to maintain (for example, in stairwells), on entering and until exiting the building.

For members of the public who are using door-to-door services they should keep a safe distance from those providing such services and maintain good hygiene measures. Deliveries should be contactless – where possible, delivery workers should knock on the door, leave the package on the doorstep and step back to a distance of two metres. This advice should be read in conjunction with the physical distancing, face covering and self-isolation guidance.

It is important that all workers follow relevant sectoral and general safer workplaces guidance to help stop the spread of the virus.

The Scottish Government does not hold specific data on the number of people tested for COVID-19 on a monthly basis broken down by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile, however, the following information is publicly available on the Public Health Scotland Covid-19 in Scotland dashboard:

Trends and Demographics

• 7 day moving average – positive cases in Scotland by deprivation quintile
• Total – positive cases in Scotland by deprivation quintile

(Both based on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 quintiles)

Cases by Neighbourhood

• Positive cases broken down by Local Authority and neighbourhood (based on Intermediate Zones)

Data table

• Total number of daily tests performed since 28 February 2020

(Available at: COVID-19 Daily Dashboard - PHS COVID-19 | Tableau Public )