We recognise that locked defibrillator cabinets, such as those that require an access code sent to a phone, can sometimes present logistical problems for access. We would therefore reiterate the advice in the answer to S6W-06463 that defibrillator guardians follow the advice of the Resuscitation Council of the UK (RCUK) and consider placing their defibrillators in an unlocked cabinet in order to make them as accessible as possible at all times.

The RCUK highlights that despite widespread use of unlocked cabinets, instances of theft and vandalism are relatively uncommon. Further information is available at: https://www.resus.org.uk/about-us/news-and-events/consensus-statement-aed-cabinets

It is important to note that resilience of the Communications Sector, which includes telecommunications and internet, is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government.

Major outages are extremely rare, but most telecoms equipment is dependent on a power supply in order to function which can be disrupted by extreme weather. The ‘Ready Scotland’ website, at ready.scot , provides advice to the public on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies; including utilities loss and severe weather.

We will continue to press the UK Government and the regulator (Ofcom) for assurance that increasing resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to the number of sites open and closed, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland who have delegated responsibility for managing the properties in care. I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to write to the member with the information requested.

Anyone who reports a positive LFD test through the UK Government website is directed to complete a contact tracing form at a website hosted by Test and Protect. To complete this form, the individual must input their surname, date of birth, and input a unique code given to them when contacted by Test and Protect after testing positive. Without these three unique identifying factors, an individual cannot access the contact tracing form, ensuring the form is correctly matched to the specific individual.

If any information on their Covid-19 Status is wrong, individuals should phone the Covid-19 Status Helpline on 0808 196 8565.

A 2017 review of the use of sodium valproate in pregnancy by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that babies exposed to sodium valproate are at higher risk of malformations or developmental problems. Following this review, the EMA agreed new measures to avoid the use of sodium valproate in women and girls of child bearing potential. This included the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

On 7 January 2022, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published the results of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) review of the safety of anti-epileptics in pregnancy. The CHM recommended that the MHRA should review whether the available data raises any new safety concerns or changes current understanding about the safety of other epilepsy medicines during pregnancy. The Scottish Government is continuing to work closely with the MHRA on issues around medicines safety, including those relating to sodium valproate.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government is funding the roll-out of a pilot Scottish Epilepsy Register in three NHS Health Boards (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Tayside and NHS Lanarkshire). This will help identify patients taking sodium valproate, as well as any other anti-epileptic medicines, some of which may also have the potential to cause harm. Alongside the data we already collect on prescribing, this has the potential to form the basis of a Scotland-wide epilepsy registry and, with further adaptation, could collect outcome data. This can help support better shared decision making to reduce the risk of harm and improve delivery of and access to care and support.

In March 2018, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued new measures to limit exposure to sodium valproate in utero, including the adoption of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme.

Following this, new and strengthened information materials for healthcare professionals and patients have been issued, including an updated Summary of Product Characteristics and Patient Information Leaflet, new education materials for professionals, as well as updated packaging stamped with a new pictogram. Furthermore, updated guidance on the use of sodium valproate has been issued by both the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN).

Prescribers in Scotland are expected to follow current drug safety information and the new measures in relation to sodium valproate to ensure women being prescribed this medicine are fully apprised of the risks and are able to make informed decisions.

Recovery certificates contained within the NHS Scotland Covid Status App adhere to the standard set by the European Commission, through the EU Digital Covid Certificate scheme which Scotland is a member of. This recognised standard does not allow for unsupervised self-reported LFD tests to be used to create a recovery certificate.

We are aware that there will be situations where those looking to travel will have tested positive for COVID-19 using an LFD test since 11 January 2022, when confirmatory PCR testing was no longer required. Further information is available from NHS Inform .

Travellers can use the text message and/or email from private PCR test results more than 10 days before travel as proof of recovery if an NHS PCR was not taken.

There are also some countries where a private supervised LFD test is acceptable and can be used instead of a PCR.

Different nations have different requirements for entry. That is why we encourage everyone to continue to check the entry requirements of the countries they intend to visit.

The amount self-funders pay for their care home costs is a contractual matter between the individual and their care home provider. This agreement is protected by consumer protection laws.

Guidance on Social Care is on the Scottish Government website: Social care support - Social care - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Further guidance on free personal and nursing care can be found here - Care Support and Rights.dot (scot.nhs.uk)

Under the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968 Scottish Water has the public drainage duty and is responsible for the drainage of foul flows and rainwater run-off (surface water) from roofs and any paved ground surface within the property boundary for normal rainfall events. It should be noted that the majority of the public sewer network across Scotland is a “combined sewer” network which takes both foul flows and surface water into a single pipe. The current drainage systems serve our towns and cities well for the majority of rainfall events. However, below-ground piped systems have a fixed capacity, which means that during severe rainfall events, flooding can occur because the capacity of some or several parts of the drainage system is exceeded. Climate change and increasing areas of impermeable surfaces (also known as urban creep) means that more rainwater is currently entering the sewerage network than it was designed for in a number of places.

The complex nature of flooding across Scotland, with many agencies responsible for different aspects of the flooding, sewerage and drainage systems in communities, means that a partnership approach is vital for reducing the risk of flooding. As a ‘responsible authority’ under the Flood Risk Management Scotland Act 2009, Scottish Water will continue to work with local authorities who have a responsibility for roads drainage as well as being the designated Flood Authority, managing the risk of flooding from surface water. The main platform to achieve surface water management will be through the development of Surface Water Management Plans (SWMP) which are required to be developed for areas which have been identified as having a high risk of surface water flooding through the SEPA Flood Risk Management Plans.

These plans will then inform future investment strategies and decisions for the relevant organisations to ensure a co-ordinated approach is taken forward across each Local Authority area.

Of course, over 36,000 sewer blockages a year are caused by customers flushing inappropriate items such as wet wipes; these blockages will also result in flooding. Scottish Water has launched its Nature Calls campaign to raise awareness of the issues and call for a ban on wipes containing plastic. Further information is available at https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/About-Us/News-and-Views/2022/02/230222-Nature-Calls-Launch-NEW .

The Energy Sector which includes resilience of the electricity network is reserved and the responsibility of the UK Government.

The Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government, electricity network operators and owners to ensure Scotland’s energy networks are resilient to a variety of risks, including flooding and other climate change related factors.

In 2020, we published the ‘Keeping Scotland Running’ Guidance Suite, which seeks to support the delivery of Scotland’s Critical Infrastructure Resilience (CIR) Strategy. This Guidance Suite comprises seven separate guidance documents designed to equip and enable CIR stakeholders to work together to build resilience across the critical infrastructure sectors in Scotland. Two of these guides specifically look at Building Resilience to Natural Hazards and Building Resilience to Climate Change (Adaption).

The National Planning Framework 3 (NPF3) and Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) also contain planning policies on managing flood risk and drainage. This includes specific policies which deal with the development management and development planning aspects of managing flood risk.

Our approach to building resilience to the impacts of climate change more widely is set out in the statutory Scottish Climate Change Adaptation Programme 2019-2024. One of the high level outcomes the Programme is structured around is that “Our society’s supporting systems are resilient to climate change”.