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Whilst the UK Government (UKG) are the principle contract owners and managers of the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) and its suppliers; the Scottish Government acts as officiate of these contracts with the service providers.

The Scottish Government has close working relationships with the services providers, including the hotel teams directly in Scotland. This enables issues to be raised locally, solutions agreed quickly and, where practical, special measures for guests being put in place at short notice.

Travellers who feel their needs are not being adequately met by the hotel; or where they wish to offer feedback on their experience; such as the things mentioned, food quality and noise disturbance; are encouraged to get in touch with the Scottish Government. We do all that we can in liaising with the hotel to ensure that the traveller’s needs are met and that their stay is as comfortable as possible. This can include liaising with Corporate Travel Management directly on behalf of the traveller and signposting the traveller to the range of health care support resources and services that are available through NHS Scotland, including out of hours services.

The information requested relating to (a) Aspergillus, (b) Pneumocystis jirovecii, (c) Staphylococcus epidermidis and (d) COVID-19 cases by hospital site is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. This information is held locally for local learning and quality improvement and can be sourced by contacting PublicAffairs@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.

The UK Government (UKG) are the principle contract owners and managers of the Managed Quarantine Service (MQS) and its suppliers. The UKG are therefore best placed to provide information in relation to the costing model of allocation of managed isolation facilities to travellers.

The testing and safety regimes that oil and gas workers have faced before arriving into Scotland do not negate the public health measures they are required to complete in Scotland.

There is no exemption anywhere in the UK for oil and gas workers arriving from red list countries. There is an exemption for oil and gas workers arriving from amber list countries to undertake work on critical infrastructure in Scotland. They are still required to take a pre-departure test before travel, complete a passenger locator form before travelling to Scotland, book and take a testing package for days 2 and 8, self-isolate at home for 10 days when not at or travelling to and from a place where they are required to undertake the activities this exemption applies to and show a letter to Border Force from their employer outlining the work they will be doing.

Since the outset of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has taken an evidence-based approach to our measures on overseas travel, informed by the latest data and evidence provided on a UK-wide basis by the Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC), as well as Scotland-specific data from Scotland’s Test and Protect system, and clinical advice from Scotland's Chief Medical Officer.

We do not hold the data centrally to accurately report the proportion of plastics collected for recycling that are recycled.

Data on the materials processed at Materials Recovery Facilities, from sampling undertaken by SEPA, is available here: Recyclate quality | Scotland's environment web

We are continuing to work with local authorities to support high quality recycling, and taking steps to improve the quality of waste data. We are working with the UK Government, other devolved governments, and agencies such as SEPA, to develop and implement an electronic waste tracking system.

As set out in our Programme for Government in 2020, we are working with local authorities, the deposit return scheme administrator and potential investors to explore options that will unlock reprocessing investments and to ensure that we manage more of our own waste within Scotland. This has included an assessment of volumes of materials, including plastics, collected for recycling.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00813 on 14 July 2021. 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

There were no death certificates stating any involvement with food poisoning in each of the last five years.

Covid 19 has exacerbated, and brought into full focus, the existing inequalities that exist within Scotland. Ensuring equitable access to health services and improving the health outcomes for specific groups within our society, including the homeless population, is a crucial aspect of our post-Covid recovery work.

It is essential to ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness are able to access the right care at the right time. We are taking a multi-disciplinary approach across health, homelessness and frontline services in order to strengthen partnerships and to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, particularly for those with more complex needs.

The joint Scottish Government /COSLA ‘Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan’, includes plans for a ‘no wrong door’ approach to accessing support and services for those experiencing homelessness, as well as plans for a new duty for public bodies, including health services, to help prevent homelessness. We are also taking steps to break down the silos between homelessness and health services, including through funding and supporting the development of the Housing First model for those with more complex needs, and through funding a Healthcare Improvement Scotland project to identify the learning from the joint working across homelessness and addictions services that has been adopted during the pandemic.

We have provided additional funding to NHS Boards where required to support prioritised care for individuals affected by the incident within the cervical screening programme.

Four Boards have requested funding to provide additional clinics as follows:

• Lanarkshire - £28,000
• Lothian - £8,098
• GGC - £5,000
• Fife: £2,700

No other Boards have requested funding, but we will keep the situation under review and will provide further funding if needed. Additionally, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, who are helping support the response with their Helpline, have also received funding from the Scottish Government.