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Storm Arwen was one of the most significant weather events we have experienced in decades and, unfortunately, the impact of Storm Arwen on Scottish Water’s infrastructure was very significant and widespread due to the loss of normal power supply to a substantial number of their sites as well as challenging conditions which caused delays and difficulty accessing some areas. Scottish Water worked round the clock to prepare for the storm, to restore water supplies and to support customers impacted by the storm.

Scottish Water has confirmed that they have issued apology letters, which include an offer of compensation, to those customers who had their water supply interrupted for greater than 24 hours. The payments being offered vary depending on how long a property was without water. They have also asked for feedback from these customers on the service provided during storm Arwen with a view to learning from this event and supporting future emergency responses.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) has operational responsibility for our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme. Official MA statistics are published quarterly by SDS, including the number of starts, however a breakdown by month is not available.

The total number of MAs recruited by each occupational grouping is published at the end of each year, as recruitment of apprentices is carried out throughout the year. The MA 202-/22 Q4 (Year End) statistics are expected to be published in May 2022.

There are a large number of Small and Medium Enterprise businesses who take on smaller numbers of cohorts each year. The table below shows the top three employers who have recruited the largest number of MAs each year since 2019 and the volume of MA starts each year:

The COVID(O) committee met on 14 December (attended by myself, and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer) and all 4 nations agreed to remove all 11 nations (including Angola) from the red list. This came into effect from 0400 on Wednesday, 15 December. Thus there is no requirement for an exemption being arranged

Detailed data on the use of exemptions at a UK level is held by the Home Office and we are therefore unable to publically share this for other parts of the UK. However, we are able to confirm that in Scotland in the period between 26 November - 13 December there were a total of 217 people entering managed isolation after arriving from a red list country. In that same period, 123 seafarers have come to Scotland from red list countries using the seafarer exemption. This is a disproportionate number of travellers compared to the total entering managed isolation, which they are exempt from thanks to the sectoral exemption.

We continue to review our international travel restrictions and associated exemptions and health measures and will consider appropriate changes where clinical and scientific advice allow it. With the recent removal of the countries from the red list, we expect the vast majority of seafarers to be covered under the inbound vaccinated traveller scheme for the purposes of travel to Scotland for non-work related purposes.

Information on the number of offences recorded by Police Scotland under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 is provided in the following table.

Table 1. Offences of Protection of livestock from dogs, by local authority, 2012-13 to November 2021.

The relevant data is provided in the following table.

Summary of inspections completed in Care Homes for Adults since 2014-15 up to Q2 2021-22 (April 21- Sep21)

The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to strengthening residents’ rights in adult care homes through the introduction of ‘Anne’s Law’. This will give people who live in adult care homes the right to see and spend time with those who are important to them. Our public consultations on Anne’s Law and the strengthening of health and social care standards closed in early November 2021. We have received a considerable number of responses which will be used to inform work to implement Anne’s Law. It is important that we carefully consider the views from the public and stakeholders that took the time to submit a response to our consultations. We intend, where permission has been given, to publish the consultation responses and a report summarising the consultation responses to Anne’s Law and the strengthening of health and social care standards will be published in early 2022.

Those aged over 70, and those at highest clinical risk from COVID-19 have been receiving invitations for flu and Covid-19 booster appointment from 6 October.

Appointments for COVID-19 boosters have now been offered to all those aged 60 and over. Clinics for those aged 60 to 69 are continuing, with strong uptake among this cohort.

The online self-booking portal for adults aged 50 to 59, those aged over 16 who are unpaid carers and household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals launched on 15 Nov.

Over one third of those aged 50 to 59 have now had their booster and people in this group are urged to book their own appointment on the online portal at NHS Inform or phoning the National Helpline. Those in the 50-59 cohort who have not yet received their booster have been contacted by text/email and will receive a ‘blue letter’ reminder from Friday 10 December to make a booking as soon as possible.

A guide is available at Coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccination | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) for advising individuals how they will be invited for vaccination.

Those who are eligible can book or reschedule appointments via the COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that all children and young people aged 12 to 17 years will be offered a second dose of the vaccine from 8 to 12 weeks after their first dose.

As of 30 November, those aged 16 and 17 are able to schedule second appointments using the booking portal on NHS Inform, phoning the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013, or attending a drop-in clinic.

More information about second doses for young people aged 12 to 15 years will be available soon, and the JCVI has advised that a second dose for young people aged 12 to 15 years is advised no sooner than 12 weeks after the first dose.

However children and young people aged 12 to 17 who are at increased risk from coronavirus will be offered 2 doses of the vaccine, given 8 weeks apart. This includes those who are at increased risk from coronavirus due to underlying health conditions, live with someone with a severely weakened immune system, or are aged 16 or 17 years who are an unpaid carer or a frontline health or social care worker.

Some children and young people in these groups are eligible for a third primary dose and/or a booster dose.

Further information about second doses for children and young adults can be viewed at NHS Scotland at: Vaccinating children and young people aged 12 to 17 years | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) .

Antibody tests measure the number of antibodies in the blood when the test is taken, however immunity is more complex than antibodies alone and we still do not know what level of antibodies offer protection from COVID-19 infection or reinfection. Research is underway to understand more about COVID-19 antibodies and reinfection and therefore antibody tests are currently only available as part of research and surveillance studies and in some specific circumstances for the clinical management of patients. There are currently no plans to introduce on-demand antibody testing in Scotland.

Current self-isolation policy does not permit a positive antibody test as an exemption to self-isolation, and there are no plans to introduce this at the present time. Adults aged over 18 years and 4 months can end self-isolation as a close contact if they remain without symptoms, are fully vaccinated and receive a negative PCR test result. If they are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons, or are involved in a clinical trial which means they cannot take a vaccine as part of the trial, they are also allowed to leave self-isolation if they remain without symptoms and receive a negative PCR test result. If they test positive they will need to self-isolate for 10 days. If someone is identified as a close contact related to the Omicron variant, Test and Protect will phone them to give them specific advice.

The current advice for people at highest risk (who may formerly have been asked to shield) is for them to follow the same advice as the rest of the population.