Chamber and committees

The total cost from April 2020 to date for Scottish Government to remove car parking charges at the PFI hospital car parks at Ninewells Hospital, the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh was £6.97million, inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

We are unable to provide the cost at each of the individual hospitals as disclosure of this particular information would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially the commercial interests of the contracted PFI company’s business operations.

The requirement to wear a face covering in certain indoor public places is not specific to places of worship. This requirement is necessary to reduce the number of indoor interactions that occur without a face covering in order to limit the opportunities for transmission. A list of exemptions is included within the Regulations laid in parliament as well as in the Scottish Government's published guidance. Those exemptions cover activities where it would be a disproportionate interference or impractical to require a face covering including eating or drinking, performing, exercising and with some specific exemptions around weddings and civil partnerships.

The Scottish Government regularly publishes evidence and data relating to the response to the COVID pandemic. With regard to face coverings, decisions were based on evidence and advice from both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) both of whom have published extensive evidence and guidance on the use of face coverings.

Mitigations to reduce transmission of the new variant SARS-CoV-2 virus, 22 December 2020 (publishing.service.gov.uk) .

Advice on the use of masks in the community, during home care and in healthcare settings in the context of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak (who.int)

The World Health Organisation recommends the use of face coverings in the community in areas of known transmission and in certain workplaces. The settings of known transmission tend to have identifiable characteristics such as close proximity with people from other households, settings where an individual may stay for prolonged periods of time, confined shared environments and poor ventilation. Any future requirement to wear face coverings will continue to take account of social and economic factors as well as the epidemiological impact on transmission. This is subject to regular review.

Public Health Scotland is leading the comprehensive evaluation of minimum unit pricing which is a five year programme, with a final evaluation report due in 2023. The evaluation includes assessing the impact of minimum unit pricing on the alcohol industry in Scotland. It is too early in the evaluation to say anything definitive about the impact on producers and retailers. However, an initial qualitative assessment, Evaluating the impacts on the alcoholic drinks industry Report , found that, overall, effects on retailer revenue and prices are small as increased margins have compensated for decreased volumes, and the effect on producer revenues and profitability is negative but small. A final report, which will analyse quantitative data, is due in 2022.

Snaring is reviewed every 5 years under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the next review is due to be completed by December 2021. The Scottish Government will consider any recommendations from the review and will take further action if necessary, including introducing further legislation.

The carrying capacity of vessels under physical distancing requirements is dependent upon the individual layout, including access and egress arrangements. The table below provides information on the normal passenger carrying capacity of the vessels used on the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services and the Northern Isles Ferry Services as well as carrying capacity under 2m and 1m physical distancing requirements.

The following table details the annual breakdown of estimated expenditure on new ferries and infrastructure improvements on the ferries network from 2021/22 to 2025/26.

The Scottish Government plans to launch its consultation on restricting the advertising and promotion of Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs) in November. Timings for any potential legislation that may arise from the consultation will be dependent on the detail of responses as well as Parliamentary time.

The Scottish Land Fund supports urban and rural communities to become more resilient and sustainable through the ownership and management of land and land assets.

It has a two-stage application process. At Stage 1 groups are asked for basic information about their project and organisation. At Stage 2 groups are asked to complete a full application form for funding for the acquisition of the asset.

At both stages, groups can reapply if they are unsuccessful, so the numbers of 'unsuccessful' applications shown in the table below includes some groups who have applied several times. The 'unsuccessful' category could include multiple applications by the same applicant who may subsequently have submitted a successful application.

The following table sets out figures for applications received and awards made for both stages.

1. Stage 1 Applications received, and awards made

At 31 March 2021 there were 7816 directly employed staff within the core Scottish Government, however all staff continued to work from home where possible during this time.

The average salary for staff normally based in each Local Authority is in the following table.

As concluded in the South West Scotland Transport Study, a new station at Thornhill was one of the interventions recommended for the next stage of appraisal. This option is one of 58 potential new stations across Scotland that are being appraised as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The appraisal process for STPR2 is considering the performance of all options against the transport outcomes we are seeking, the Transport Planning Objectives, which are aligned to our National Transport Strategy priorities and outcomes. The interventions will seek to contribute to our vision of a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

Therefore, we need to consider the social and economic benefits and impacts based on performance against these objectives and the five Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria, to determine the overall Value for Money. This also takes into account risks, uncertainties and other factors such as affordability, deliverability and the wider acceptability of options. This will be an important consideration given pressures on current and future public finances.

Also underpinning STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy where we will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

Until the appraisal process is completed, it is not possible to make individual decisions on potential new stations such as Thornhill.