IN the past few weeks there have been dozens of individuals and families looking for information on both the delays with their family members’ flu jabs and their inability to get one where they always got them before.

I took these directly to the office of health secretary Jeane Freeman - and as more came in, all the constituency MSPs for Glasgow, along with colleagues like Gil Paterson and Rona MacKay, did likewise.

It soon became apparent that the system being used by the National Health Service for Greater Glasgow and Clyde was not completely fit for purpose, in that the vaccination model that was copied was for immunising children.

The obvious flaw was that it started with the youngest as the most vulnerable, whereas for the flu vaccine program it is the exact opposite that is the case.

On top of this, some of the journeys and appointment times being given to older people were just plain daft.

We can all understand introducing vaccinations at community hubs, as the number of people being offered a vaccine this year quadrupled to 2.4 million. But the confusion that then resulted about who went where, and the lack of flexibility on changing appointments, was verging on ridiculous.

Thankfully the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board held their hands up and offered everyone a written apology as well as factoring in more personnel to deal with the phones and expanding the appointment range to allow some appointment changes.

The health board has now assured the Scottish Government that the system being used when the much needed Covid-19 vaccine will be free of these anomalies and that the categories will cover the most vulnerable groups first, and so it should.

In parliament, the cross party group on nuclear disarmament, of which I am proud to be the chair, welcomed the Nuclear Ban Treaty reaching the crucial number of 50 countries having signed it.

This means that the UN will now enter the treaty into international law, which in turn will allow countries that persist in the manufacture, use and storage of these weapons of mass destruction to be pursued for any crimes committed.

Finally, I was delighted to see the “Winter Heating Assistance” payment expand with a £200 payment for families with a child with certain degrees of disabilities going live this week, not forgetting the new law to abolish period poverty which is so long overdue.

On a wee personal note I was also pleased to attend Anniesland railway station and to be on the platform with British Transport Police Inspector Ryan Tierney and Sergeant Mark Harrington, as they and two other officers demonstrated their initiative around face covering compliance.

They use the “Four Es” approach - Engage, Explain, Encourage and Enforce.

It showed that there was no need to get to the fourth E, as everyone was happy to engage.

Ta-Ta for now!