I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04198 on 25 November 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

Ensuring electric charge points are accessible and user friendly for all is a core part of the Scottish Government’s approach to building out Scotland’s charging infrastructure. All chargers supported by Scottish Government funding must meet the requirements and recommendations set out in Transport Scotland’s good practice guide. This makes clear that installations by local authorities and other chargepoint owners should take account of duties set out in the Equalities Act 2010, noting specific accessibility considerations including in areas such as hatched markings and dropped kerbs.

Transport Scotland is also working in partnership with Scottish Enterprise through the Can Do Innovation Challenge framework to improve the design of electric vehicle charge points to make them even more accessible. This project is being advanced with input from the disabled community and organisations including Motability, the Mobility and Access Committee, The Roads for all forum, Perth and Kinross Inclusive Living Centre and Disabled Equality Scotland.

To ensure outcomes of our current innovation challenges and user engagement is captured, Transport Scotland is working with The Department for Transport, the charity Motability, and the British Standards Institution on the development of Accessible Electric Vehicle Chargepoint standards. The set of advisory standards are due to be developed by Summer 2022, once developed, they will provide specifications for the installers and operators of public charging infrastructure to ensure a more accessible and inclusive charging system across Scotland, and the UK as a whole.

Transport Scotland is working closely with Scottish Futures Trust to consider the most appropriate structures and approach to growing and developing Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging infrastructure and recently published a report on future development of Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging infrastructure:

New report on the future of public EV charging infrastructure (transport.gov.scot)

This report notes Climate Change Committee data that implies a potential need for 30,000 public electric vehicle charge points by 2030 in Scotland, but also highlights the challenge of accurately predicting with certainty the actual number of charge points required. This will be influenced by a range of factors, including developments and innovation in battery and charging technologies that will determine when and how often vehicles need charged.

Advancement in technologies including smart charging and the approach to the planning and delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure will not only have a bearing on the amount of charge points needed, but also on future electricity demand and its intelligent management. Similarly, decisions on where private and public charge points are located will also be influenced by range of factors including local need. It will also become increasingly important for local authorities, private sector and the electricity Distribution Network Operators to work together to strategically plan and optimise investments. The Scottish Government is continuing to fund the roll-out of electric vehicle charging at this point, and going forward will continue to work with the public sector – government, local authorities and regulators - as well as the private sector – car manufacturers, charging providers and electricity network owners and suppliers to harness efficiencies and opportunities, to build a comprehensive charging network accessible to all where no part of Scotland is left behind and which adds value to the economy.

My statement to Parliament on 23 September 2021 welcomed the findings from independent research that the Scottish Government has commissioned, to help inform its ambitious agenda to decarbonise Scotland’s transport sector, which includes a shift to greater use of public and shared transport and active travel, and also the outcome of there being a 20% reduction in kilometres driven by cars by 2030:

New report on decarbonising transport

This research sets out the scale of the challenge this Parliament is tasked with and provides an illustration of where action in the transport sector will need to be considered as Scotland transitions to net-zero. It also provides insights into the possible future composition of Scotland’s car fleet between now and 2045 under different pathways and their influence on the numbers of electric, petrol and diesel vehicles on Scotland's roads.

This cohort was appointed locally and Health Boards used this data to make arrangements. Anyone who was identified as part of this cohort in tranche 1 should automatically be included for the second.

The majority of Health Boards sent personal NVSS invitations through Royal Mail in the traditional blue envelopes to eligible 12-17 year olds, which contained a scheduled appointment and information leaflet. Boards will also undertake mop up sessions in communities and schools to ensure that young people who wish to be vaccinated are able to have this.

Online material was promoted to young people, parents/carers from 17 September. Drop-in clinics across Scotland accepted young people from 20 September onwards, ideally attending with their parent/carer. A smaller number of more rural Boards have opted to undertake school based delivery models and they sent the national invite letter, leaflet and consent form home in September.

NHS Inform has been updated with information, and information leaflets have been provided by Public Health Scotland. News releases by Scottish Government have been issued and communication material has been issued to Health Boards. There will be a mixture of local Board and Nationally coordinated social media and marketing – this is aimed at providing the key information to support people being aware of what is being offered and how NHS Scotland is delivering this.

We are not aware of any issues of this cohort not being notified of appointments for second doses. If the member is aware of any instances, please contact me for officials to investigate.

Children and young people aged 12 to 15 can attend open access services to receive their vaccine: Open access services | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) , or an appointment can be arranged a few weeks in advance by contacting the vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013.

The Scottish Government recognises that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a debilitating condition which can have a huge impact on people’s lives. We are committed to ensuring those affected by it are supported through the NHS and our social security system.

Social security support may be provided through devolved disability benefits, which comprise our newly launched Child Disability Payment, Child Winter Heating Assistance and also through Adult Disability Payment, which is planned to launch nationally in the summer of 2022, and Pension Age Disability Payment which will follow.

For all of Scotland’s new forms of disability assistance, we are making improvements to the application and decision making process. For Adult Disability Payments this will include replacing current assessments with person centred consultations. This and other changes will ensure that we take full account of fluctuating conditions like ME and markedly improve how all decisions are made.

In advance of the launch of our new benefits, adults continue to be eligible for existing disability benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on any community pharmacy that has failed to notify the NHS Board of a closure in the last 12 months. The provision of community pharmacy pharmaceutical care services are the responsibility of territorial Health Boards as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, including pharmacy closures.

Any challenges faced by community pharmacies in ensuring the safe and effective dispensing of treatments, should be discussed with the local Health Board to minimise impact and risk to patients.

Scotland’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has been extremely successful, with over 8 million doses administered within 10 months. With the ongoing pandemic, we are following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice by prioritising based on age and health status with highest health needs first as we know both increase the risk of serious illness from Covid-19.

Given the scale and the challenges that the programme faces, delivering all boosters will take place over a period of several months, however the vaccination programme is continuing at considerable pace – including administering over 436,000 COVID-19 and flu doses in the first week of November.

Health boards are working at pace and appointing those in most vulnerable groups for when they become eligible for a booster. Since the booster programme began in mid-September, the number of booster and third doses administered stands at 1,342,841 as of 19 November.

You can view more information on the number of 1st , 2nd , 3rd and booster doses delivered at: COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public .

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of pharmacies that have closed over the past 12 months nor reasons for closures. The provision of community pharmacy pharmaceutical care services are the responsibility of territorial Health Boards as set out in the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009, including pharmacy closures. Each Health Board holds separate data on those community pharmacies that have been unable to deliver pharmaceutical care services due to closures.

Any challenges faced by community pharmacies in ensuring the safe and effective dispensing of treatments should be discussed with the local Health Board to minimise impact and risk to patients.

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to Friday 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.

Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters, which stated that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course, however there is some flexibility to offer a booster vaccination to the most vulnerable groups after five months.

1,342,841 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 19 November, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.

Data on boosters by JCVI priority group is not yet published. We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.