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CLARITY is being sought over the schedule of coronavirus vaccinations on Mull.

MSP Rhoda Grant said patients in their 80s remain anxious for information on when they will be called.

Several contacted the MSP last month saying fears of a slow vaccine roll out was causing alarm across the island.

They said they had been told the vaccine would not arrive on the island until the beginning of February, by which time, over-80s elsewhere should have had their jabs in line with the Scottish Government’s February 5 target.

Mrs Grant said: “I raised their concerns in Parliament with the First Minister a fortnight ago and she said she was going to look into it but she hasn’t yet given me a reply.

“I further raised it at a meeting on Friday (29th Jan) with NHS Highland who said they are on it and will meet their timeframe to have all over 80’s vaccinated by the 5th (this Friday).

“But people living on Mull are feeling the roll out there is being handled in a very furtive manner when it should be fully transparent. They just want to know what is happening and where.”

Mrs Grant sent a follow-up email to NHS Highland’s chief executive Pam Dudek this morning (Monday 1st Feb) asking if she can provide those specifics.

Mrs Grant’s email said: “Constituents are getting in touch complaining the roll out on Mull is furtive when it should be transparent. They just want to know what is happening and when. They need some reassurance.

“I would therefore be grateful if you could confirm that vaccinating of the over 80s is underway in the Ross area and Iona, and that the over 80s in Tobermory and North Mull will be vaccinated next week, followed by Salen and Craignure. I would appreciate an early reply.”

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant says communities will have to wait to see what concrete plans the Scottish Government has to tackle their concerns about a predicted second wave of tourists descending on the region this summer and autumn.

In a reply to a Parliamentary Question Mrs Grant lodged, Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary, Fergus Ewing, was keeping any proposals close to his chest, despite telling Mrs Grant “an announcement will be made ahead of the 2021 season outlining steps taken.”

“You would think these plans are state secrets!” commented Mrs Grant.

“I can see that many people and families will be looking at staying in the UK this year, much like last year, especially if everyone has managed to be vaccinated by July and August.

“It’s predicted that accommodation will be in short supply, especially in areas such as those around the NC500. What I would hate to see is dirty camping, litter left by the roadside and irresponsible parking and I am sure that Government ministers do not want that as much as anyone else.

“But what proposals are in the offing with Easter not far off and people looking hopefully to the summer? Whatever restrictions are in place by then, the country needs to be prepared and we can’t let it drift on as it did last year.

“However, Mr Ewing’s response that its Visitor Management Strategy ‘will not resolve all the issues’ has set alarm bells ringing that local communities, councils and parks authorities will have the burden of responsibility for enforcement after suffering the stresses, strains and funding gaps left by the pandemic.”

Mrs Grant stresses that she welcomes tourism because it represents up to 43% of employment in areas such as the Cairngorms National Park compared with 8% in Scotland overall. While tourism also boosts communities in remote, rural areas, expanding the economy and allowing smaller businesses to thrive.

However, the MSP would like to see what is in the Scottish Government’s plans to develop tourism infrastructure and to promote education to cope with problems on the ground.

Mrs Grant is concerned if campsites remain closed, and hopes campsite owners can be better advised on safety measures to keep customers safe while also keeping campervans and campers off unregulated sites and unacceptable camping spots.

She received an answer to a Parliamentary Question in October last year where Mr Ewing, said that a multi-agency group was due to meet in November to look at solutions and make recommendations to Ministers but then nothing more was heard.

Question S5W-34700: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour, Date Lodged: 21/01/2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32106 by Fergus Ewing on 26 October 2020, whether the public agencies group reported back in November 2020 and, if so, what actions are being taken by the cabinet secretary regarding (a) camping, (b) pressure on rural communities and (c) the environment, particularly in the Highlands and Islands.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (29/01/2021):

The group has made positive progress. A Visitor Management Strategy for the 2021 season has been agreed and focuses on 3 areas: Education and Marketing, Investment and Infrastructure, and Prevention, Regulation & Reassurance.

An announcement will be made ahead of the 2021 season outlining steps taken.

It should be noted though that although some progress has been made by the Scottish Government and its partners, this will not resolve all the issues. This will require an ongoing partnership approach from relevant authorities and communities. Littering, roadside dumping and antisocial behaviour should continue to be tackled through enforcement. The ultimate responsibility for adequate service provision also remains the responsibility of local and national park authorities.

Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29/01/2021

 

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, is “exasperated” by a reply from the Scottish Government’s Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, on problems with people accessing the pick-up of Covid home testing kits.

Mrs Grant wrote to Ms Freeman after Skye resident and self-employed carpenter Daniel Barratt, from Ord, found no courier service came to pick up his home test, and he then had difficulty accessing grants to self-isolate.

Mr Barratt contacted Mrs Grant over the festive break detailing his conversations with the Covid home testing helpline and with those running Track and Trace and operating crisis funding. Since then another Skye constituent has contacted the MSP with a similar experience on a home testing kit not be picked up.

Ms Freeman says that NHS Highland is supporting courier collections for home test kits.

However, the Health Secretary added: “It appears that there may have been some initial problems with staff on the helpline not being aware of the correct procedure. This has been raised with DHSC as a training issue.”

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the run by the UK Government and the majority of the tests administered in Scotland are through the UK Government’s testing network through its UK portal.

“What is exasperating about the Health Secretary’s reply is that, yes she has raised it with the UK Government department which is good news, but then we are left hanging,” said Mrs Grant.

“Surely, she must know if that training issue has been picked up and remedied? If not, then we really need to have some joined up thinking here.”

Mrs Grant is still waiting on a response from NHS Highland about the operation of its courier service which is supposed to fill the gaps left by the lack of Royal Mail priority boxes* in remote and rural areas of the Highlands.

“Maybe that will shed more light,” added Mrs Grant.

Just before Christmas Ms Freeman issued a letter to all MSPs heralding the fact that Scottish Government and UK Government officials were working closely together and had improved the home test kit provision for rural areas.

“The experience of constituents means I remain unconvinced that the Scottish and UK Governments are sorting out the home testing system to benefit those in more remote areas, many of whom would not be able to go to a testing centre many miles away.

“With the rapid spread of a new variant, testing and track and trace are vital to protect local communities.”

*Priority mail boxes – the Royal Mail pick up home testing tests for laboratory testing from these boxes in more urban areas. People can check the availability by using their postcode.

https://www.royalmail.com/priority-postboxes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, asked the Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, if the Scottish Government will remove ringfencing from all Covid support funding and allow local authorities to deal with the differing needs of their own areas.

The MSP put her question to Mr Swinney after today’s (26/01/2021) virtual Ministerial Statement on Covid-19.

Mrs Grant said “After Covid business support funds are announced there is a delay while the Scottish Government issue the criteria for each fund to Councils. This builds in delays and, because these monies are ringfenced, also makes it difficult for Councils to meet the specific need in their own area. While there is discretionary funding available this is small in comparison. Will he consider removing the ringfence from all Covid business support funding and allow Councils to deal with the differing needs of their own communities?”

In response, the Deputy First Minister said he understands the difficulty here but “… the government is often encouraged to put in place specific funds for specific sectors to provide assurance to individual sectors that there is financial support available to them. He continued “There is a need to reflect both the general levels of business support and the specific funds that are available for individual sectors to try to make sure we are meeting the needs of everybody in these circumstances.

The Minister continued “We move at pace with local authorities to agree the eligibility criteria to ensure we can distribute money as quickly as possible and that is very much the thinking that goes into the approach behind the various schemes that we have in place for local authority distribution.”

Rhoda Grant said afterwards “Local authorities know their areas and needs better than central government. I am receiving calls and e-mails from business owners who are fighting for their survival complaining that they aren’t eligible for funding for a variety of different reasons.

“Having put these concerns to Highland Council, it then transpired that the hands of local authorities are tied as they are waiting for information from the Scottish Government on the eligibility criteria for many of the funding streams and this is having a knock-on delay in getting funding out to the businesses who so desperately need it.

Mrs Grant continued “It makes sense to me to have the ringfencing removed and I was happy to back Highland Council’s call on this. I am disappointed by the Scottish Government’s inflexibility here and would dispute the Minister’s statement that they move at pace to agree the criteria with local authorities. The constituents who have been contacting me would dispute this too, they are the people at the coalface who are telling me of the precarious situation their businesses are in.

She concluded “It is a dire situation and a little bit more leeway from the government could have allowed a lot of business owners to sleep a bit sounder in their beds, instead, their fear for their staff and their businesses rumbles on.”

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has contacted the Association of British Insurers after being made aware of what she describes as ‘a deeply unsavoury situation’ whereby a commercial landlord has been contacted by his insurance broker regarding his premises being unoccupied due to the Covid-19 restrictions in place.

Typically, most insurance policies only provide unoccupied property cover for a limited period, usually 30 to 60 days. During the first national lockdown last year most insurers granted extensions to these periods, however the MSP has been advised that many insurers are not providing such extensions this time around and are asking to be notified of premises becoming unoccupied.

The directive from government from the start of the outbreak last March has been, and continues to be, that people should work from home where possible to limit the spread of the virus.

Mrs Grant said “The broker in question advised my constituent that, now that we are in a further lockdown, it may once again be necessary for the landlord or the tenants to vacate the commercial premises or change how they are occupied.

“My constituent has been told this could have implications for his insurance as most policies only provide unoccupied property cover for a limited period, typically 30 to 60 days and he has been told to make sure he understands his insurance policy and the requirements therein with regards to changes that are made due to Covid restrictions. He has been told that if there are substantive changes to the pattern of occupancy, he should let the broker know.

She continued “It is deeply unsavoury, in my opinion, that insurance companies or brokers would seek to make capital out of this public health crisis and I have contacted the Association of British Insurers to see if they are aware of this situation and if so, if they are taking steps to stop this distasteful practice from taking place.

“Business owners are facing unprecedented challenging times as it is without having this added burden placed upon them and I would hope this would be nipped in the bud before owners are penalised in this way through no fault of their own.”

NORTH MSP Rhoda Grant has called on the Scottish Government to approve plans for a freeport which could return the Cromarty Firth to its “glory days”.

At the close of a Ministerial Statement which announced the Scottish Government was giving the green light to freeports, the Highlands & Islands Labour MSP asked ministers to approve a forthcoming bid from the Port of Cromarty Firth.

She said: “The Cabinet Secretary may be aware of a bid from ports in the Cromarty and Moray Firths, which include 12 stakeholders. They promise high wage, high quality jobs creating a renewable energy hub that would benefit the whole of Scotland.

“Will the Scottish Government favour such bids that would deliver high value jobs and growth to Scotland as well as tackle climate change, over locations which primarily import goods and are typically dependant on low wage economies?”

Ivan McKee, Minister for Trade, Innovation and Public Finance, responded, saying that was “very much the criteria” the government would be favouring as part of selection process.

He said: “The model, as a green port model, will attract investment and business and grow exactly those green jobs and those good jobs and will make use of Scotland’s tremendous assets and technology and in the skills that we have in renewable energy”.

Afterwards, Rhoda said: “The Port of Cromarty Firth’s proposal offers the chance to take the Firth back to its glory days. It will be a massive boost to the area. I am aware specific concerns have been raised about numerous aspect including marine protection and statutory employment rights and protections. Scottish Labour has sought reassurances that there will be no reductions in current protections and the Government has given a series of commitments on which they will be firmly held.”

The First Minister was challenged in the Scottish Parliament’s chamber today on her government’s Covid vaccine roll-out on the Isle of Mull.

Highlands & Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said residents needed reassured they would not be last in line.

At First Minister’s Questions, Rhoda said: “I have been contacted by a Mull resident who told me the slow vaccine roll out was causing fear and alarm across the island. He said he was told the vaccine would not arrive on the island until the beginning of February, by which time, as the First Minister clearly stated today, all over-80s elsewhere will have had their jabs. Furthermore, the Cabinet Secretary for Health reassured the Parliament that there would be no postcode lottery with the vaccine – especially in rural areas where there has been inadequate testing. Can the First Minister therefore reassure people over 80 in Mull that they too will have their vaccine by the first week in February.”

The First Minister was unable to do so.

She confirmed that the first week in February was the target date set for all over 80s to be vaccinated with the first dose. And she gave a commitment to look into the situation on Mull and said she would come back to Rhoda as soon as possible.

Speaking afterwards, Rhoda said: “I am really concerned about the issue on Mull. The BMA this morning was still reporting the patchy distribution of vaccines. The stocks are available for this age group, we are being told there are 400,000 doses available in Scotland, and that the GPs are in place to do it. The First Minister needs to be all over this and get in there and remove whatever is stemming the flow. As has always been the case during this pandemic, the lives of our most vulnerable are in the Scottish Government’s hands. They mustn’t let people down now.”

Earlier today, NHS Highland’s Chief Executive Pam Dudek told a virtual meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee that her health board had asked the Scottish Government for some “flexibility in how we would deal with our islands and very remote areas”.

She went on: “We asked if we could take a bundle approach and that was so that we could be more efficient and effective in the delivery of this vaccination programme as well as ensuring that small communities are protected because obviously on the islands it is very tricky in terms of the evacuation of patients.

Mrs Dudek said that “flexibility” had been granted but the board still needed to “set out for each scenario what it is that we will be doing”.

She said both Argyll and Bute and Highland Councils would be supplying cleaning, stewarding and other staff to help with the vaccine roll out.

She added; “Looking at the numbers of people that we have to vaccinate and where we need to be by the 6^th of February, we feel fairly confident in our delivery of that. We have had modelling done locally, we know what our numbers are, and when you break that up across GP practices it is a more manageable figure.”

Director of Health and Public Policy Tim Allison told the virtual meeting that so far, an estimated 18,000 people had been vaccinated across the NHS Highland area.

Mr Allison said: “The progress has been variable across the whole area but overall I believe that we are making good progress.”

He estimated that about a third of all over-80s had been vaccinated, and that in two out of three of NHS Highland’s localities – Argyll & Bute and North and West Highland, all care home staff and residents have also been vaccinated.

He added: “We are still working on the South and Mid Highland area and will have completed this by the end of the week.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has asked Transport Scotland for an update on the safety study being undertaken on the A9 between North Kessock and Tore.

The MSP has been raising safety concerns with the Scottish Government since she was contacted by worried constituents who travel the area regularly and last year pressed for the electronic warning signage at the notorious Munlochy junction to be repaired. The signage was repaired in the summer of last year but Mrs Grant has been advised that the signage is now lying idle again.

Rhoda Grant said “Transport Scotland were reviewing the feedback and evidence from the consultation undertaken in the area between North Kessock and Tore and a Case for Change report was due to be submitted to the agency by 30 November.

“Previous feedback provided by local constituents resulted in the electronic warning signage at the Munlochy junction being brought back into operation last summer and I have contacted Transport Scotland again today to ask why the signage is no longer in use.

“With traffic levels rising again, and the stretch between Tore and North Kessock being the main route into Inverness from the west and the north highlands, it is imperative that we make this stretch of road as safe as it can possibly be and I have therefore asked for an update on the electronic signage at the Munlochy junction and an update on the safety study on the route in general.” concluded Mrs Grant.

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has now heard from constituents that the 50mph speed limit is up and running on the A9 Tain bypass.

Before Christmas, Transport Scotland confirmed it would be in force by January 15.

“I do hope that this and other measures under review by the transport agency will make the area safer,” said Mrs Grant.

“It has certainly been highlighted by the community as a hot spot for accidents and injuries.”

Mrs Grant was initially contacted two years ago by constituents who told her that ‘nearly every week’ an incident happens around the Asda and Lidl junctions. At the time it was highlighted that 11 accidents had taken place around the Tain junctions, labelling it the worst A9 hotspot.

Transport Scotland is looking into other safety measures including the community’s call to have roundabouts at the junctions.

MSP Rhoda Grant has called for the Scottish Government to extend its business support schemes to industries including the dry cleaning sector which are struggling during the pandemic and do not qualify for government support. 

The Highlands & Islands Labour MSP spoke in Holyrood today asking Ministers to step in with a support package.

Speaking afterwards, Mrs Grant said “Dry cleaners are hardly alone in struggling during this time. But they are deemed essential by this government and told they can remain open and therefore ineligible for any grants or help, except furlough, all their main customers – hotels, offices, pubs and restaurants, b&bs, barbers and hairdressers – have been told they have to close. So demand has fallen for their services right now as there is no need for formal dress wear, or laundry.

“One dry cleaning firm, Copperfields Cleaners on Greig Street, Inverness, has told me they are struggling massively due to the impact of Covid 19, and feel the industry is being let down by government.

“Director David Macmillan said the few customers he still has work from, such as funeral directors and fuel delivery drivers, are nowhere near enough to cover the costs of staying open.

“This industry really needs support right now. It must be infuriating for dry cleaning firms to see businesses close and gain eligibility for grants and schemes while they are ignored. Most are holding on by their fingernails for help. The government must step in.”