I refer the member to the recent press release dated 22 May 2021 which is available on the Scottish Government website and can be found at www.gov.scot/news/scotlands-response-to-the-covid-19-crisis-in-india/ .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00023 on 24 May 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 .

Population estimates of JCVI priority groups were published in the COVID-19 Vaccine deployment plan on 14 January drawing on the latest available data at that point. The variance in the population demographic across Health Board areas for the age groups is not accounted for. The uptake data published by Public Health Scotland against these denominators means it may appear that Lothian are behind, however this is not the case.

NHS Lothian have vaccinated in line with JCVI priority groups according to their available supply. As published data shows, as at 3rd May, 416,325 people (55.1% of the population) in Lothian have received their first dose of vaccine with over 174,822 (23.1% of the population) of those having received their second dose – this is good progress.

Lothian are currently vaccinating priority groups 6 (underlying health conditions and unpaid carers) and 7 (60-64 years). Due to the sizes of these cohorts, vaccination of these groups is ongoing. Lothian are also currently inviting group 10 for vaccination appointments (people aged 40 years or over).

I refer the member to the response to question S5W-35928.

Currently indoor sport and leisure facilities are closed. The indicative date of Monday 26 April for the reopening of indoor sport and leisure facilities have been given the indicative date to reopen. The indicative dates are dependent on continued progress in suppressing the virus and rolling out of vaccines.

We are currently working towards the reopening of Saunas and steam rooms and examining those conditions to do so with the sport and leisure sector, UK Spa Association, Health Protection Scotland and clinicians to ensure that these can be opened in a safe way to protect public health across the various levels framework.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Police Scotland have been exploring how data on possible deaths by suicide, as recorded by the police, could be provided more timeously, and act as a valid proxy for confirmed deaths by suicide. This data is intended to inform local and national responses and is not intended to be published. It is now anticipated that this exploratory analysis will be completed by Summer 2021. As part of the exploratory phase, the viability and timing of the implementation of this work will be confirmed.

National Records for Scotland (NRS) validate and publish data annually on confirmed deaths by suicide, usually in June for the previous calendar year. PHS use this data to publish additional analyses to inform suicide prevention, which includes trends by deprivation and comparison with other countries. These analyses are published via the Scottish Public Health Observatory and form part of the Scottish Suicide Information Database. The publication schedule is set each year once it is known when the data will be published by NRS. It can take time for NRS to accurately classify the cause of death as a death by suicide, particularly if post-mortem toxicology tests are needed.

The Scottish Government is aware of the challenges and pressures faced by NHS colleagues in responding to and supporting members of the public who contact them about their Covid-19 vaccination appointment. The rollout of the vaccination programme is one of the biggest in NHS history and we do not underestimate the impact that this is having on support services. Despite this, you will see from the information provided on waiting times, that the average wait time for the vaccination booking and reservation service has been consistently low as every effort is being made to accommodate bookings and prioritise appointments for those patients who need them.

As indicated in the responses to S5W-36124 and S5W-36125 on 24 March 2021, Public Health Scotland is currently considering how more timely data on possible deaths by suicide might be produced. This involves work with Police Scotland to explore the potential use of anonymised data from the STORM database. Exploratory work to determine the viability and implementation of such an approach is currently underway, and due to be completed in Summer 2021.

The National Statistics on probable suicides (deaths which are a result of intentional self-harm or events of undetermined intent) will continue to sit with the National Records of Scotland. The next release, covering data for 2020 will be published in June 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

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35928 on 24 March 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

Data since w/c 01-03-21

Complaint - 23

Concern - 16

Compliment - 1

Feedback – 3

The Scottish Government is providing as much support as possible to ensure that the public have access to the required support and appointments services throughout the vaccination programme. We are aware of the unprecedented volumes of correspondence and communications that both the Scottish Government and the NHS are receiving at this time and we are focussing our efforts on responding to as much of it as possible within a reasonable timeframe.