Nicola Sturgeon FMQs RECAP: Scotland's First Minister challenged on drug deaths | Douglas Ross calls for action | Anas Sarwar demands answers on 'PPE shortages'

Vaccines could play a role in opening up international travel for British holidaymakers, under plans being considered by the Government.

Officials are looking at proposals that could allow Britons who have had both coronavirus vaccine doses to avoid having to quarantine when returning from countries on the amber list, according to reports in the Daily Telegraph.

A Government spokeswoman confirmed that work has begun to “consider the role of vaccinations” for inbound travel following the continued success of the jab’s rollout.

This could mean the return of holidays to popular summer hotspots such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy, which are all currently on the UK’s amber list.

People arriving from the limited number of holiday destinations on the green list are not required to self-isolate, while amber arrivals must quarantine at home for 10 days.

A Government spokeswoman said: “As set out in the Global Travel Taskforce, we are working with industry for a safe return to international travel, guided by one overwhelming priority, public health.

“Decisions on our traffic light system are kept under constant review, and based on a range of health factors.

“Recognising the strong strategic rationale and success of the vaccine programme, we have commenced work to consider the role of vaccinations in shaping a different set of health and testing measures for inbound travel.”

Covid-19 cases are “rising exponentially” across England driven by younger and mostly unvaccinated age groups, according to scientists tracking the epidemic.

A study commissioned by the Government found that infections have increased 50% between May 3 and June 7, coinciding with the rise of the Delta coronavirus variant which was first detected in India and is now dominant in the UK.

Data from nearly 110,000 swab tests carried out across England between May 20 and June 7 suggests Covid-19 cases are doubling every 11 days, with the highest prevalence in the North West and 1 in 670 people infected.

The data comes as MPs approved the extension of coronavirus restrictions in England until July 19, although Boris Johnson suffered a major rebellion from members of his own party over the delay.

The Prime Minister was spared a defeat as Labour backed plans for a four-week delay to the end of lockdown measures, aimed at buying more time for the vaccine programme.

MPs voted 461 to 60, a majority of 401, to approve regulations delaying the easing of the measures.

Scotland’s central stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) ran “very low” in the early stages of the pandemic, a report has found, while the surge in prices cost the NHS £37.4 million more than normal for the safety kit.

Audit Scotland has released its long-awaited report into how the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) managed PPE arrangements.

A similar study carried out at a UK level by the National Audit Office found the UK spent £10 billion extra in inflated prices for PPE due to an “inadequate” stockpile and the surge in global demand early in the pandemic.

The Audit Scotland report, released on Thursday, reiterated its earlier finding that the Scottish Government did not fully implement recommendations from pandemic preparedness exercises.

It also said the Government could have done more to ensure access to PPE and training in its use.

As global demand surged and overseas factories closed, PPE prices doubled in early 2020.

The amount of alcohol sold per person in Scotland fell to the lowest level for 26 years last year – but was still higher than it was in England and Wales.

New figures show 9.4 litres of pure alcohol were sold per adult in 2020 – the equivalent to each adult in the country drinking 18 units a week.

The report said this is the “lowest level seen in Scotland over the available time series (1994 onwards)”, with the drop from 9.9 litres per person in 2019 the largest on record.

While the amount of pure alcohol sold per person north of the border was 6% higher than in England and Wales, this was the smallest difference recorded since 1994.

The report, the latest from Public Health Scotland monitoring the impact of alcohol policy, found almost a quarter (24%) of all adults reported exceeding the safe weekly drinking guideline of 14 units a week in 2019.

This, however, was down from just over a third (34%) in 2003.

There were 1,020 people whose deaths were described as being “wholly attributable to alcohol” in 2019 – an average of 20 people per week.

Over the course of 2019-20, 23,685 people were admitted to hospital with an alcohol-related diagnosis. Some of this group required such treatment more than once over the year, meaning there were 35,781 in-patient stays.