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Taxi drivers are eligible for financial support through either the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme or the Job Retention Scheme depending on their employment status. Both of these financial support schemes are available to those who do not have a business bank account and do not operate their businesses from premises that pay Non-Domestic Rates. Notwithstanding the unnecessary uncertainty caused by delays in announcing this support, we welcome the UK Government’s decision to extend both the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Job Retention Scheme which now gives taxi drivers, amongst others, greater certainty that they will receive financial support that recognises the ongoing challenges they face.

The Scottish Government has included guidance and resources to help meet the particular needs of residents with dementia as part of the national clinical care homes guidance. In addition, the national dementia in care homes group has met and the minutes of those meetings have been submitted to The Clinical and Professional Advisory Group (CPAG) to help inform their on-going consideration of national guidance. To build on this, we have established an expert dementia working group to provide further advice to CPAG.

CPAG is made up of a multidisciplinary team of stakeholders, healthcare, social work and dementia specialists to develop ongoing guidance that takes into account the specific needs of people living with dementia in care settings. CPAG also has a workstream on developing visiting guidance that is family facing. Family carers, including those of people living with dementia, are being consulted through the development of this guidance The guidance will support people to stay connected to their family and reinforce our commitment to family carers being recognised as equal partners in care.

The Clinical and Professional Advisory Group (CPAG) which oversees the clinical care homes guidance has a workstream on engaging families including developing guidance that is family facing, to help family carers and visitors with family members with dementia in care homes. Family carers of people living with dementia have been consulted through the development of this guidance which has been amended as a result of their valued insights and contributions. The guidance will support people to stay connected to their family and reinforce our commitment to family carers being recognised as equal partners in care.

The Scottish Government has also established an expert dementia working group to help advise CPAG on its regular review of the national clinical guidance.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd lease the vessels to CalMac Ferries Ltd who are responsible for the maintenance of the vessels.

The value of the contract CalMac Ferries Ltd has entered into with Cammell Laird is up to £25 million for overhaul and maintenance of 5 major vessels within the CalMac fleet covering a four year period.

The procurement exercise of the second contract is still underway.

CalMac notified Cammell Laird on 25 September 2020 that they were the preferred bidder following completion of their initial procurement exercise. The contract will commence from January 2021.

CalMac has a subsequent procurement exercise which is still underway.

The number of jobs is not known. This is an operational decision that will be taken by the respective yards dependant on the size and complexity of the vessel in dry dock for maintenance and upgrade.

There is an ongoing collective dialogue and engagement with RMT and Nautilus International, under the Terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in place with both Trade Unions, for those employed by Serco Limited or its subsidiary companies working across the NorthLink Ferries operation. During the Covid-19 pandemic this engagement has been maintained on a regular basis through the effective use of remote digital communication tools.

All vessels are subject to surveys in accordance with requirements of the Classification Society and the Flag State (Maritime Coastguard Agency) in order to confirm that the hull, machinery, equipment and systems remain in satisfactory condition and remain in compliance with approval or accepted standards.

Some surveys are carried out annually, and others intermediate in 3, 5 year and 15 year periods.

The outcome of CalMac’s procurement exercise will determine where vessels will dry dock. The location of work carried out on each vessel will be available once this exercise has been completed.

We anticipate laying legislation to underpin the scheme in Parliament in early 2021 with the scheme coming into effect later in 2021.