There has been a significant cut of 66.5% to the total Scottish Government Financial Transactions budget in 2021-22 arising from the UK Government’s Spending Review in late November. This amounts to a reduction of £412 million. The Scottish Government has mitigated this as far as possible by agreeing with the UK Government that £41.5 million Financial Transactions, that came as late consequentials in 2020-21, could be spent in 2021-22, and drawing down £200 million from the Scottish Reserve. However, the funding cut from UK Government led to difficult choices about use of the allocation in 2021-22, and resulted in a reduction in the First Home Fund budget and the need to close the main Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme.

The Open Market Shared Equity scheme will continue in 2021-22. Open Market Shared Equity is targeted at buyers on low to moderate incomes and social tenants are a priority group for access.

The First Home Fund will reopen on 1 April 2020 with a budget of £60 million. If more Financial Transactions become available as a result of the UK Budget, the Scottish Government will consider how to best deploy these, given all of the pressures and priorities across Government.

There has been a significant cut of 66.5% to the total Scottish Government Financial Transactions budget in 2021-22 arising from the UK Government’s Spending Review in late November. This amounts to a reduction of £412 million. The Scottish Government has mitigated this as far as possible by agreeing with the UK Government that £41.5 million Financial Transactions, that came as late consequentials in 2020-21, could be spent in 2021-22, and drawing down £200 million from the Scottish Reserve. However, the funding cut from UK Government led to difficult choices about use of the allocation in 2021-22, and resulted in a reduction in the First Home Fund budget.

We estimate that the First Home Fund will help over 2,500 households into home ownership in 2021-22, based on a budget of £60m. We expect it to support over 8,000 households into homeownership in 2020-21.

New and comprehensive quarantine rules are essential to prevent new variants from entering the country and undermining the roll out of the vaccination programme. Restricting national and international travel allow us to lower the risk of new variants undermining our vaccination programme.

Any decision on ending the policy of managed isolation will be contingent on the epidemiological data and wider evidence about the rollout and success of our vaccination programme. Such a decision will be considered, in due course, in the context of a refreshed strategic approach to suppressing the virus.

We will keep these rules under regular review alongside the other international travel restrictions. Ministers must review the need for restrictions imposed under the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (International Travel) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 at least once every 28 days. The results of these reviews are reported to Parliament.

The UK Government has awarded a contract enabling the call-off of security services in respect of the managed isolation programme, including in Scotland. The company appointed through that contract to provide security services in Scotland is G4S. The costs of the security services provided are met by the UK Government, with no payment passing directly from guests in the managed isolation programme to G4S.

We are actively working with the UK Government to ensure financial support can be provided to eligible travellers. The UK system that enables travellers to book managed isolation facilities and pay associated fees has been set up at pace and changes need to be made to that UK system in order to waive fees in certain cases. We have asked for those changes to be made urgently and are waiting for this to be actioned. This support will be available as soon possible.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34055 on‎ 26 February 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government has published its COVID-19 vaccination policy in its Deployment Plan which gives background to the decisions made, and different models. It also sets out how we will work as fast as supplies allow to vaccinate everyone over the age of 18 and those aged 16 and 17 who are frontline health and social care workers, young carers or have underlying health conditions in Scotland – estimated to be around 4.5 million people.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34055 on‎ 26 February 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx