Chamber and committees

Self-isolation can be difficult, but it is essential to protect people and reduce the spread of Coronavirus. The Scottish Government is fully committed to supporting low income workers who have to isolate. That is why we have put aside £100m for increased spending on the Self-Isolation Support Grant to ensure that low income workers won't experience financial hardship as a result of doing the right thing.

Between the start of the scheme and 31 October 2021, 48,810 Grants have been awarded totalling £25.3 million. Eligibility has also widened to allow many more workers to access the support available. Workers earning less than the Real living Wage, living in households whose income is less than 25% above their Universal Credit level or receiving Council Tax Reduction are all eligible if they have to isolate. Additionally, carers of adults who need assistance to isolate and parents or carers of children who are isolating may also be eligible if their caring responsibilities prevent them from working. More information on eligibility including a checker tool is available at Self-Isolation Support Grant (£500) - mygov.scot

Two sets of regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.6) Regulations 2021 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (“the principal regulations”).

These Amendment Regulations introduce physical distancing requirements in hospitality and indoor leisure premises, requirements for table service and also introduce a capacity limit for live events. These regulations provide the following requirements;

• Physical distancing – a requirement to take measures to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that a distance of 1 metre is maintained between people in or waiting to enter hospitality and leisure premises and that only enough people are admitted to the premises to allow the 1 metre distance to be maintained.
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• Table service - a requirement for table service in premises where alcohol is sold for consumption on the premises, and that the customer must remain seated whilst consuming food and drink on the premises.
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• Capacity limit for live events - a requirement that live events held indoors and outdoors do not exceed capacity limits set in the regulations - 100 people at indoor standing events, 200 people at indoor seated events and 500 people at outdoor events (whether seated or standing).

The requirements in relation to capacity limits at live events will take effect at 5.00 a.m. on 26 December and the requirements in relation to physical distancing and table service will take effect at 5.00 a.m. on 27 December.

These regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2021/496

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.7) Regulations 2021 also amend the principal regulation and will take effect at 5.00 a.m. on 27 December 2021.

These Amendment Regulations have the effect of closing nightclubs, dance halls or discotheque premises from 5.00 a.m. on 27 December 2021. It would remain open to these businesses to operate the premises with distancing and table service, rather than as a nightclub, dance hall or discotheque.

These regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2021/497

The ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Pal vs The United Kingdom [2021] ECHR 990 relates to the police’s decision to arrest the applicant on suspicion of having committed an offence of ‘harassment’ under section 2 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. That does not operate in Scots criminal law.

While the case concerned the actions of the authorities in particular circumstances, it is a reminder that the police are required in the course of their duties to respect an individual’s human rights – including their right to freedom of expression. This is not a new requirement and it will continue to be the case as new laws are implemented.

Soil that is classified as hazardous is always chargeable at the standard rate of Scottish Landfill Tax. Therefore no hazardous soils should have been subject to the lower rate of Scottish Landfill Tax.

Statistics published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) show that the volume of hazardous soil landfilled in Scotland has declined significantly since 2015, reducing from 27,209 tonnes to 3,921 tonnes in 2020.

Scottish Forestry has published a breakdown, by local authority area, of new woodland creation planted in the last full financial year.

In developing proposals for the regulation of short-term lets, the Scottish Government has conducted three public consultations. Our most recent consultation closed on 13 August 2021, and we received 1,026 responses.

We carefully considered suggestions for changes to the legislation from working group members, and stakeholders responding to our third consultation, including the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers. The changes set out in the consultation report align with the policy objectives of ensuring all short-term lets comply with basic safety requirements, without undermining protections for guests, neighbours and local communities. These include significant and pragmatic changes in response to concerns from the tourism sector, such as the removal of overprovision and stronger guidance on fees.

At the heart of our licensing scheme is a set of mandatory standards which will help to protect the safety of guests and neighbours in short-term lets across Scotland. Provided an operator continues to comply with their licence conditions, which will often just be the mandatory safety conditions, their licence would normally be renewed. As the licensing scheme requires licence holders to comply with mandatory safety conditions, and they cannot continue to operate if they do not, it is reasonable to assume that lenders will have regard to this as part of their due diligence, alongside other considerations such as turnover and profitability.

Police Scotland collate missing persons statistics and have provided information from the legacy National Missing Person Database and the current National Missing Person Application which is used to record data on missing people.

Prior to 2016 missing persons incidents recorded by the Police Scotland were recorded and broken down by police divisional areas not by individual local authorities. From 2016 Police Scotland has been recording and reporting both missing persons incidents and missing persons episodes.

A missing person incident is an instance where Police Scotland receive a call reporting a missing person and the incident is logged on the command and control system (STORM). A missing person episode is when someone is reported missing to Police Scotland and a police investigation is then initiated and recorded.

Therefore, depending on the circumstances, a missing person incident may or may not become a missing person episode, such as when someone is reported missing and found quickly without the need for a full investigation.

The information the member has asked for can be broken down as follows:

Missing Person Incidents recorded in each police division from 2010.

There are no proposals to rewrite or remove questions contained in the Health and Wellbeing Census.

I also refer the member to the answer given to S6W-04878 on 17 December 2021 regarding the appropriateness of the Census questions.

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

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.