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Restrictions on care home visiting have been challenging during the pandemic for residents, their families and staff.

On 20 February, the then Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport announced the publication of new guidance setting out an expectation that providers put in place arrangements to enable regular visits to resume from early March, having undertaken necessary planning and risk assessment. This guidance, ‘Open with Care: resuming meaningful contact with care home residents’ was published on 24 February: Open with Care - supporting meaningful contact in care homes: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

In addition to its focus on the reintroduction of indoor meaningful contact, the guidance also recommends that outdoor visits, including garden and window visits, are supported by care homes. Outdoor visits should not be viewed as replacements to or substitutes for indoor visiting.

Outdoor visits (including window visits) can take place either within or outside the care home grounds. Care homes can increase the frequency and duration of visits away from the care home as they assess it is safe to do so, taking advice from local oversight arrangements as necessary. Those meeting up with residents outdoors do not need to be the same two designated visitors as for indoor visits. As outlined in Section 5.1 of the Open with Care guidance, limits on group sizes should be in line with national Covid-19 restrictions for the general public.

On 17 May 2021, the Scottish Government published additional guidance on outings: ‘ Open with Care: activities and outings away from the care home ’ .

The general principle of the guidance is that, when a resident wishes to go on outings away from the care home, the presumption should be that these should take place in line with general population COVID-19 restrictions/ permissions relevant to the local area, unless there is clear evidence justifying a more restrictive approach.

Outings away from the care home will, for many, be a significant positive change. However, we must not become complacent. Outings must be carefully planned, taking account of individual needs, preferences and local conditions. Local oversight teams play a key role in supporting care homes to facilitate safe outings.

Support for essential visits is unaffected, which should always be compassionately and generously enabled by care homes when needed.

The Open With Care National Oversight Group is monitoring implementation of the guidance, identifying any additional support that might be required, and will report on progress in early June.

Physical distancing has been an important element in controlling the spread of COVID which is key to keeping our economy open and moving forward to recovery from the impacts of the virus.

Much work has been undertaken by operators in order to safely maximise capacity on ferries. The exemption from 10 July 2020 to allow 1 metre distancing on ferries, with appropriate risk mitigations, significantly increased passenger capacity, and continues to ensure that ferry services can fully support the reopening of the tourism sector that is so essential for the sustainability of island and rural economies, as well as enabling islanders to travel to the mainland.

The Scottish Government is reviewing physical distancing including its impact on Transport, and an announcement of the outcome of this review is due ahead of the planned move to Level 1 on 7 June. Sectoral guidance will be further updated at that time to reflect the outcome of the review. Physical distancing has been an important tool for controlling the virus but, as with all restrictions, we will only have this in place as long as is necessary.

As of 17 May 2021, there have been 145 tenants that have received a loan from the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund and there are a further 27 successful applications that are in the process of being paid. This is part of a range of measures to support tenants.

The discretionary power to align with European Union legislation provided through the UK Withdrawal from the EU (Continuity) (Scotland) Act 2021 entered into force on 29 March 2021. Ministers have not yet used this provision, but will do so where appropriate to maintain and advance the high standards Scotland has enjoyed as part of the EU, including but not limited to the areas of environmental protection, animal health and welfare, plant health, equality, non-discrimination and human rights, and social protection.

As a result of the easing of the COVID restrictions the ScotRail timetable changed on 17 May adding over 400 extra trains across the Scottish network including two additional Glasgow to Dumfries services in each direction.

The Scottish Government is supporting Scotland’s Towns Partnership to set up a national platform for a Scotland Loves Local loyalty card scheme. The scheme is a quick and efficient way to encourage local spend, support local business and build wealth in the local economy, helping communities be more resilient, sustainable and economically secure.

It is clear that this is an extremely difficult time for businesses of all kinds across Scotland, and the Scottish Government is fully aware of the economic impact that restrictions have had, not least on the food and drink wholesale sector. Whilst we know there will continue to be challenges that lie ahead, we are encouraged that there is a routemap for reopening the economy and that this will have a positive effect, in time, on businesses throughout Scotland.

We have already provided significant direct support to the food and drink wholesale sector over the last year, specifically through the £5.5m Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund -a provision of financial support that has not been available elsewhere in the UK. Food and drink wholesale businesses have also been able to access a range of other public sector support schemes to support business and protect jobs, including the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, Bounce Back Loans, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, hardship and discretionary grants, and the Job Retention Scheme.

We will continue to review the impacts on all businesses throughout Scotland. Businesses should continue to monitor the guidance, advice and tools for all sectors across Scotland which is available at: https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot/

We are continuing to work with businesses and representative organisations, including the Scottish Wholesale Association, to better understand the challenges they face, and we will closely monitor the situation as the economy reopens.

The fact that Scotland’s own supply is secure, and its abundant generation of electricity via wind means that Scotland has long been a net exporter of electricity with Net Exports to England and Wales being 10,036 GWh in 2006 and 19,050 GWh in 2020. This is thanks to the record renewable generation so far in 2020, as recorded by the Scottish Energy Statistics Hub . The forecasts from National Grid’s Electricity Ten Year Statement and recently published Network Options Assessment indicate that Scotland's export capacity will increase over the next decade.

The Scottish Government remains committed to reducing fares on Northern Isles ferry routes.

Following engagement with European Commission officials in 2019, Transport Scotland officials were developing proposals to introduce RET. This work was rightly paused in early 2020, while resources were pivoted to deal with the Covid outbreak, however work has recently resumed.

Engagement between Transport Scotland officials and ferry operators has taken place and will continue as the work progresses. I will keep the member updated on progress.

As the member is aware, fare reductions for passengers, cars and cabins have been introduced on Aberdeen-Kirkwall-Lerwick routes, in addition to the existing 30% discount for islanders.

We are committed to carrying out an Islands Communities Impact Assessment for the new free bus travel scheme for young people prior to it coming into operation.

Following a consultation on free bus travel for young people late last year, officials are now consulting further with island communities. We expect to publish the Islands Communities Impact Assessment later this summer.

Ferry fares policy options are being considered through the ongoing review of concessionary travel arrangements across all modes for under 26 year olds and through the Islands Connectivity Plan.