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Most influenza infections typically occur in the winter months with a peak between December and March. Public Health Scotland produce a weekly report monitoring the surveillance of influenza infection which currently sits at baseline activity (week 42). The latest weekly report can be found here: Weekly national seasonal respiratory report - Week 42 2021 - Weekly national seasonal respiratory report - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

Growing our nursing workforce is crucial and we have steadily increased places on undergraduate nursing courses over 9 consecutive years. Each year we undertake a robust nursing student intakes planning process to determine the target number of nursing students to which Scottish universities should recruit to meet future nursing workforce demands. The process involves significant input from key stakeholders from across the health and education sectors, and uses detailed modelling of current and projected staff and student numbers, including workforce supply and demand for 3-5 years hence, as well as anticipated key service drivers, in coming to a decision.

To address more immediate staffing pressures, the NHS Recovery Plan, which was published on 25 August 2021, commits more than £1 billion of targeted investment for the recovery and renewal of our health service. A key requirement to delivering the Recovery Plan is having the right workforce in place at the right time and it is therefore key that we now develop a new supporting workforce strategy to enable us to do this. We will therefore publish a National Workforce Strategy by the end of this year, which supports remobilisation, recovery and renewal of Health and Social Care Services.

Health Boards lead on the local delivery of the vaccination programme. Local Health Boards are following Public Health Scotland (PHS) Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance.

We continue to provide advice and support to those who are at highest risk from COVID-19 to allow them to make informed choices about their risks and daily activities.

An updated highest risk list is regularly provided to GPs and NHS Board shielding coordinators. We know how important it is for people that are added to the highest risk list to have support, which is why we provide them with comprehensive information on the additional advice and support available to them. Currently those on the highest risk list are advised to follow the same guidance as the general population.

Anyone who has concerns regarding how they will receive their vaccine, or wish to rearrange their appointment should visit The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) or contact the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013.

The health and social care system is currently experiencing significant pressures. We recognise that some people’s care services have been affected by this, and the impact this may have on them and their unpaid carers.

That is why an investment of more than £300 million for health and social care was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 5 October 2021, including £62 million to address care at home pressures.

This funding will help to enhance capacity in care at home provision. It will help to increase social worker assessment capacity, fulfil unmet need, and deal with the current surge in demand and complexity of individual needs.

The additional funding of £62 million to expand care at home capacity has been approved for distribution to local authorities by the Settlement and Distribution Group meeting on 18th October and will be passed in full to IJBs . The distribution methodology for the funding is GAE for All Adult Social Work for 2021-22 and thereafter.

The distributions for 2021-22 will be made as redeterminations of the General Revenue Grant in March 2022. A letter with the full breakdown of allocation by Local Authority will be issued shortly.

Scottish Government is working on delivering a solution at pace for individuals whom have received 2 doses of differing approved vaccines. Clinicians are fully sighted and conversant with recommendations.

From 4 October, fully vaccinated travellers who have received mixed doses of authorised vaccines under the International Travel Regime across the four nations and are returning from non-Red list countries will not be required to self-isolate for 10 days. This is consistent with the approach taken across the UK.

There are many nuanced circumstances regarding how and where vaccinations can be delivered, particularly with international travel and military deployment. We will be updating guidance via NHS Inform and a FAQ to advise that UK vaccines administered abroad to MOD personnel and other UK national stationed abroad will be treated in the same way as those administered elsewhere the UK.

I last met with the Royal College of Nursing on 1 October 2021, where we discussed a range of issues.

The Scottish Government’s position on nursing and midwifery vacancies is set out in my responses to the Member's associated questions: S6W-02826 and S6W-02827 on 21 September 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

Scottish Government is committed to decarbonising all of Scotland's building stock, including transitioning Scotland’s many valuable heritage assets to low and zero emissions heating in a way that respects and protects the special characteristics of these buildings and places. Our Heat in Buildings Strategy recognises that for traditional and heritage buildings, bespoke approaches, including skilled design and construction, may be required. We are working with stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland, to develop more solutions to transition Scotland’s historic buildings to zero emissions heating while respecting and preserving the special characteristics of our buildings and places, and where needed continue to build our evidence base and the guidance available for the heat transition in these buildings and areas, including in our approach to regulation.

To ensure property owners have access to suitably qualified installers, we have developed, with industry, installer skill requirements for our Heat in Buildings Strategy which includes skill requirements for any work carried out on pre-1919 buildings where installers will be required to have a 'SQA Level 3 award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings'.

A range of guidance is available from Historic Environment Scotland to help with potential options for the installation of micro-renewables technologies, energy efficiency measures and climate change adaptations in listed buildings, traditional homes and buildings in conservation areas. This support can be accessed through the Historic Environment Scotland website at: www.historicenvironment.scot . Of particular interest may be:

Owning a Traditional Property: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support/your-property/owning-a-traditional-property/

Making changes to your Property: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support/your-property/making-changes-to-your-property/

Saving Energy in Traditional Buildings: https://www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support/your-property/saving-energy-in-traditional-buildings/

Domestic loans and grants are available through the Home Energy Scotland service which acts as the gateway to all Scottish Government-funded domestic energy efficiency schemes. Home Energy Scotland advisors can offer free and impartial energy efficiency advice, and advice on how to keep homes warmer and more affordable to heat, and are contactable Freephone on 0808 808 2282. Their website containing details of all Scottish Government energy efficiency schemes available for home owners can be found at: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/home-energy-Scotland .

Additionally, property owners may be eligible for support through heritage-related grant schemes or relevant funds which can be found : https://www.heritagefundingdirectoryuk.org/ .

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Throughcare Support Service was introduced in 2015 and until its suspension on 13 September 2019, comprised of 3 Regional Managers and 42.1 (FTE) TSS Officers.

Between 2015-2019 a small number of staff rotated in and out of these roles and undertook training as part of the recruitment process. However, no new staff have been trained or employed to provide SPS Throughcare Support Services since the suspension of these services in 2019.

As set out in the announcement, £62 million for 2021-22 has been allocated for building capacity in care at home community-based services. This is recurring funding intended help to fulfil unmet need, and deal with the current surge in demand and complexity of individual needs, also helping to ease pressures on unpaid carers.