Chamber and committees

There is already a range of resources and help for communities across Scotland. I point, for example, to the climate challenge fund, which provides funding to a range of local projects. We are also building a new model to support community climate action via a network of regional climate action hubs and climate action towns. Those will be important vehicles for local communities and local people to contribute fully to that effort.

I agree with Kaukab Stewart about the contribution of local communities across Glasgow to making COP a success. It was not an easy two weeks, and the period leading into it was not easy for the city, but I was inundated—that is not an exaggeration—with people coming up to me to tell me what a wonderful city Glasgow is and how fantastic the people of Glasgow are. Right across the globe, I think, people will know about Glasgow who might not have known about it before. The same is true of Scotland. There will be massive opportunities for us in the medium to long term if we play our cards right—which we intend to do.

I agree that the 1.5°C goal is still within our grasp as a result of the Glasgow climate pact. However, that will remain the case only if actions are quickly taken to realise that the world is still on a devastating path of global temperature rises that are way above 1.5°C and, in fact, 2°C. I will be pretty frank about our targets: Scotland is a world leader, but the bar of world leadership is too low.

Ninety-seven per cent of our net electricity consumption is from renewable sources; we now need to replicate that in heat, transport and agriculture. We have legally binding annual targets, which most other countries do not have. They are designed to ensure that, in years when we fall short of targets, we are legally obliged to catch up so that we remain on track for the 2030 75 per cent emissions reduction target and the 2045 net zero target. We have marginally missed the past three years’ annual targets, which is why we have published a catch-up plan.

Let us put that into context. Scotland has decarbonised faster than any G20 country—that is an independent assessment—and we are already halfway to net zero. If we had met our emissions reduction targets, we would have cut them by 55 per cent. We have cut them by 51.5 per cent, which is still way ahead of most other countries in the world.

However, we need to raise our ambitions even further. I say to Douglas Ross that I am under no illusions about that; I know that it will take tough decisions. We have probably done the relatively easy things already. I reflect on the fact that every time we come forward with a tough decision, whether on workplace parking to reduce the number of cars on our roads, or on facing up to the need to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the one thing that is absolutely consistent is opposition from the Scottish Conservatives. If we are to meet our targets, lead the world and play our full part in saving the planet, perhaps it will be necessary to have a bit less opportunism and opposition from the Scottish Conservatives.

We have a really positive vision for agriculture. However, there is no doubt that agriculture is one of the sectors in which considerable adaptation is needed to reduce emissions. One of the investments that I was able to welcome over the course of COP was from a company that has decided to locate in Ayrshire its facility for manufacturing additive for cattle and sheep feed, which will have a big global impact in reducing emissions from agriculture. We need to work with agriculture to support the innovation that is already in the sector in order to ensure that it and the rural communities that it supports fully play their part—just as with oil and gas, in a fair and just way.

I agree very strongly that leadership starts at home, and, for us, that is here, in Scotland, in this Parliament and in this Government. I accept unreservedly the obligation that that puts on my shoulders and the shoulders of my Government. However, I would like the UK Government—which did many very good things in the run-up to and during COP26 and will, I hope, take them forward—to change its position and do more on certain things. I have mentioned carbon capture and storage as an example of that. We have a situation in which the powers span devolved and reserved responsibilities. We need to see action, and that is a point that the Climate Change Committee has recognised in the past.

We also need to recognise—we have worked hard to do this—and maximise the influence of state Governments, regional Governments, city Governments and devolved Governments such as ours. As I said earlier, the Under2 Coalition accounts for almost half the global economy, representing almost 2 billion people across the world. It is often with those Governments, such as ours, that the levers lie, so we must all play our part in this. We must all lead properly and encourage others along the way to go faster as well.

It is possible to book a flu vaccine. I will ask the health secretary to write down and put into the Scottish Parliament information centre the detail of exactly how to do so, because we want to ensure that people fully understand the process.

For those in priority groups for the booster campaign, we are advising that, where possible, they get their flu vaccine and booster at the same time, which is better for them and allows us to get through the programme even more quickly.

For those whose booster will not fall due until later this year, which is the category that I am in, the advice is that it is safe to wait to get the flu vaccine at that time, in order to get both together. NHS Inform provides further information and advice.

With regard to those who are not in the priority categories for the booster, but are eligible for the flu vaccine—and there is a significant overlap between the two categories of eligibility—I will ensure that the health secretary provides information for the benefit of constituents about how stand-alone flu vaccines should be accessed.

No, I will not, because my duty to keep the population of Scotland as safe as possible means that I cannot take the easy options that Alex Cole-Hamilton puts forward.

He misunderstands the package of mitigations that were in place at COP26, for which one of the protections was that delegates were asked to be double vaccinated before they arrived. We offered vaccination to people who were coming from countries where that was not available, and LFD tests were an additional precaution. It is easy to be selective, but it is better to look at the whole package of measures that were in place.

In relation to the wider issue, when there is a scheme that is partly about driving up vaccination rates, it makes no sense to offer an alternative to being vaccinated, because that undermines the objective of the scheme. That is important. Although they are hugely effective, vaccines have limitations. LFD tests are effective but also have limitations.

We need to use all the tools that are at our disposal to drive Covid rates down as far as possible and to keep people as safe as possible. That is the obligation and responsibility that the Scottish Government will—even when it means taking unpopular decisions—continue to take seriously every single day that we are in the pandemic.

I am happy to do so, and I will ensure that the health secretary writes to the member.

It is entirely my fault, but I am not sure that I was following all the examples that the member put to me. It is important that people understand what to do in all circumstances, such as when someone has had one dose in England and another in Scotland or when they are having their booster somewhere else.

There is a portal whereby people can update their vaccination certification, but, to ensure that we give clear information on what people should do and to ensure that I am answering the question properly and in full detail, I will answer in written form. As I said in a previous answer, I will also put the information in the Scottish Parliament information centre.

Unless I am wrong—in which case, I am sure that it will be pointed out—the position in Scotland is the same as it is in other parts of the UK right now. We are currently looking at how we incorporate booster vaccinations into the app and vaccination certificate. Indeed, we discussed the issue at Cabinet this morning. Steps will be taken to ensure that people are not disadvantaged, particularly for international travel, for which we are dependent on other countries’ requirements, and that the benefits of booster vaccinations are properly reflected.

As I said in response to the previous question, we are committed to adding boosters to vaccination certificates and we are considering the steps that must be taken to do that. It is important to point out the additional piece of information that there is no international standard on how to display booster information on vaccination certificates, and work is under way to develop the appropriate systems to meet the requirements.

Until we have an international standard, there is no guarantee that any solution will be accepted in all other countries. It is important to do this in the proper way. In the interim, any individual who is looking to travel should check what is needed for entry into the country that they are to visit. We will provide updates on progress to incorporate booster vaccinations regularly and as soon as possible.

It pains me to say this, but Douglas Ross’s immaturity and irresponsibility in the face of the virus continue to be utterly breathtaking. I know that he has had other things on his mind in recent days, but is he oblivious to what is currently happening across Europe, where the virus is on the rise again and Governments everywhere are, once again, having to grapple with the most difficult decisions? We are seeking to do that in a responsible way. That is what we have done throughout, and we will continue to do it in the period ahead.

Two particular issues were raised. The first was vaccination. We are organising the current phase of the vaccination programme in the way that makes best use of resources and vaccinates people as quickly as possible. One of the things that I have learned in recent weeks is that, whatever we decide to do, Douglas Ross will probably oppose it. When we introduced a vaccination programme for younger teenagers that was not principally school based, that was criticised, but it turned out that we managed to vaccinate those younger teenagers more quickly than any other part of the UK did.

In respect of every dose of the vaccine, Scotland is right now the most vaccinated part of the UK. We are not complacent about that. We continue to press to speed up the vaccination programme every day, although the programme is going extremely well. Perhaps, once in a while, Douglas Ross could find it within himself to thank those who are working so hard across the country to ensure that people are vaccinated.

On Covid certification, it is simply not an option right now for any Government across Europe or much of the world to do nothing in the face of the virus. The easiest thing, of course, is to oppose everything that Governments decide to do to try to keep people safe. Douglas Ross bemoans the fact that the Cabinet has not taken a final decision yet. If I had stood up today and said that we had taken a final decision to expand the reach of the certification scheme, he would, of course, have criticised that and said that we were acting too quickly and that we were not taking account of up-to-date data.

We have decided to consider the matter carefully, to take account of up-to-date data and to reach a decision next week. In the meantime, we will publish an evidence paper and consult businesses on the practicalities and the pros and cons. We will decide which businesses might be affected on the basis of the data and the evidence. In order to give people an update on what we are considering, I have set out today the sectors that we are considering. People need only look around the UK—there is such a scheme in Wales, and Ireland is extending its Covid certification scheme—and to many countries across Europe to see that most Governments are grappling with the same difficult decisions.

The easiest thing in the world right now, as Douglas Ross has found out, is to oppose everything. However, when we have a duty, as the Government does, to try to keep people safe, the decisions are harder than that. We will continue to take them with an intense degree of responsibility.