Urgent scheduled care will continue to be carried out within private hospitals where agreed under the COVID-19 Strategic Framework, unless it is deemed unsafe to do so. The only circumstance where this will be the case is if infection prevention and control measures cannot be adhered to and the risk of COVID-19 is greater than the risk to surgery. The following link to the Framework provides further detail on the new guidance: https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-scotlands-strategic-framework/pages/10/

The Scottish Government allocated a private sector housing grant to local authorities up to 2009-10. Details of the amounts allocated to each local authority between 2007-08 and 2009-10 are provided in the written response to Parliamentary Question reference S3W-24571, answered on 11 June 2009.

From 2010-11 funding for housing activities is included in the general capital and revenue grants provided to local authorities, and the allocation to housing is at the discretion of the local authority.

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

Owners of tenements are responsible for the cost of work to repair their own homes. Where owners own a flat in a tenement they share responsibility for work required to common parts of the building.

Local authorities have broad discretionary powers to provide assistance to home owners who have difficulty in paying for repairs. funding for housing activities is included in the general capital and revenue grants provided to local authorities, and the allocation to housing is at the discretion of the local authority, subject to local resources and priorities.

Where an owner is unable or unwilling to pay for their share of common works the local authority has discretionary power to pay the missing share, make a charge against the property, and recover it in instalments. A registered social landlord can pay, and recover, a missing share, if they own property in a tenement. The Scottish Government is also currently piloting an equity loan scheme in eight local authority areas, which can be used to help home owners fund repairs.

Officials are currently working towards relaunching the consultation on the implementation of the proposed guidance on the provision of wheelchairs on short term loan this month. It is expected that the consultation will last for approximately three weeks, and following collation and analysis of the responses the final guidance will be issued for immediate effect.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32527 on 11 November 2020. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32527 on 11 November 2020. 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 holds no information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32527 on 11 November 2020. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32527 on 11 November 2020. 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 .

Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed.

This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate. We have used scientific evidence on transmission coupled with the social and economic benefits which Ministers have used to make decisions. There are a number of relevant factors that would have been considered:

• Duration of contact.
• Ability to maintain distancing.
• Challenge of cleaning surfaces, spaces between and around users.
• Aerosol transmission risk since such activities could give rise to heavier breathing, panting, shouting etc which would all increase the chance of transmission particularly as masks cannot be worn.

The Scottish Government is currently preparing to publish this information in due course.