Seòmar agus comataidhean

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to the number of sites open and closed, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland who have delegated responsibility for managing the properties in care. I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to write to the member with the information requested.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-07513 on 12 April 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 .

In March 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued new measures to limit exposure to sodium valproate in utero, including the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

Following this, new and strengthened information materials for healthcare professionals and patients have been issued, including an updated Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet, new education materials for professionals, as well as updated packaging stamped with a new pictogram. Furthermore, updated guidance on the use of sodium valproate has been issued by both the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

Prescribers in Scotland are expected to follow current drug safety information and the new measures in relation to sodium valproate to ensure women being prescribed this medicine are fully apprised of the risks and are able to make informed decisions.

Anyone who reports a positive LFD test through the UK Government website is directed to complete a contact tracing form at a website hosted by Test and Protect. To complete this form, the individual must input their surname, date of birth, and input a unique code given to them when contacted by Test and Protect after testing positive. Without these three unique identifying factors, an individual cannot access the contact tracing form, ensuring the form is correctly matched to the specific individual.

If any information on their Covid-19 Status is wrong, individuals should phone the Covid-19 Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.

A 2017 review of the use of sodium valproate in pregnancy by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that babies exposed to sodium valproate are at higher risk of malformations or developmental problems. Following this review, the EMA agreed new measures to avoid the use of sodium valproate in women and girls of child bearing potential. This included the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

On 7 January 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the results of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) review of the safety of anti-epileptics in pregnancy. The CHM recommended that the MHRA should review whether the available data raises any new safety concerns or changes current understanding about the safety of other epilepsy medicines during pregnancy. The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with the MHRA on issues around medicines safety, including those relating to sodium valproate.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government is funding the roll-out of a pilot Scottish Epilepsy Register in three NHS Health Boards (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire). This will help identify patients taking sodium valproate, as well as any other anti-epileptic medicines, some of which may also have the potential to cause harm. Alongside the data we already collect on prescribing, this has the potential to form the basis of a Scotland-wide epilepsy registry and, with further adaptation, could collect outcome data. This can help support better shared decision making to reduce the risk of harm and improve delivery of and access to care and support.

The amount self-funders pay for their care home costs is a contractual matter between the individual and their care home provider. This agreement is protected by consumer protection laws.

Guidance on Social Care is on the Scottish Government website: Social care support - Social care - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Further guidance on free personal and nursing care can be found here - Care Support and Rights.dot (scot.nhs.uk)

We are aware that there will be situations where those looking to travel will have tested positive for COVID-19 using an LFD test since 11 January 2022, when confirmatory PCR testing was no longer required. Further information is available from NHS Inform .

Travellers can use the text message and/or email from private PCR test results more than 10 days before travel as proof of recovery if an NHS PCR was not taken.

There are also some countries where a private supervised LFD test is acceptable and can be used instead of a PCR.

Different nations have different requirements for entry. That is why we encourage everyone to continue to check the entry requirements of the countries they intend to visit.

Recovery certificates contained within the NHS Scotland Covid Status App adhere to the standard set by the European Commission, through the EU Digital Covid Certificate scheme which Scotland is a member of. This recognised standard does not allow for unsupervised self-reported LFD tests to be used to create a recovery certificate.

As the Roads Authority, local authorities are responsible for the drainage of local roads and public highways under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 - including maintenance of road gullies. The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many local authorities prioritise high risk areas in their drain clearance schedules. Local Authorities are responsible for and best placed to respond to, need in their area.

The 2022-23 Local Government Finance Settlement of almost £12.7 billion represents a cash increase of almost £1.1 billion or 9.2 per cent which is the equivalent of a real terms increase of 6.3 per cent.

However, the Scottish Government’s policy towards local authorities’ spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of funding is provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities. It is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision making processes.

The Scottish Government does not take into account the length of roads for which a local authority is responsible when allocating funding to local authorities for flood risk management.

The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 provides the framework for effective management of flood risk.