Chamber and committees

As with the rest of the UK, fully vaccinated travellers arriving into Scotland from non-red list countries are required to take a test no later than the end of day 2 after their arrival. Currently, the test needs to meet a minimum standard which tends to mean that a PCR test is required, although some other tests can meet the standard.

Travellers can choose to purchase a PCR test via CTM, the UK booking portal for international travel, where costs are currently £68 for a day two test and £136 for day two and eight tests, regardless of where a traveller lives in the UK. Alternatively, a traveller can book a test via one of the private providers listed on the gov.uk site. The average cost of these tests are between £55-£65 across the whole of the UK.

From 24 October, fully vaccinated travellers arriving into England from non-red list countries will be able to take a lateral flow test with photo verification for their day 2 test. This will be followed up with a confirmatory PCR test, should they receive a positive result.

We have confirmed we will align with these changes, however we have only recently received details of the proposal from the UK Government and are reviewing these prior to confirming a date for implementation.

Since the early stages of our pandemic response, the Scottish Government has been committed to a public inquiry into the handling of the pandemic in Scotland, with the purpose of scrutinising decisions taken in the course of this pandemic so far and to ensure that lessons are learned for the future. The Scottish public inquiry is expected to adopt a person-centred, human rights based approach.

Decisions about the scope of the inquiry are yet to be taken. Public engagement about a draft Scottish public inquiry aims and principles paper took place between 24 August and end of September. The Scottish Government is actively seeking the views of equality and Human Rights stakeholder groups. I also met with equality and Human Rights groups on 30 September. This feedback will help inform the terms of reference to be agreed between Ministers and the inquiry’s Chair, once they have been appointed.

The Programme for Government 2020-21 commits the Scottish Government to consult on legislation to extend the regulatory framework that came into force on 1 September for the licensing of animal welfare establishments, animal rehoming activities, dog, cat and rabbit breeding and pet sales to performing animals and animal care services.

Given that the new licensing regulations have only just come into force and the fact that they introduce significant changes, the Scottish Government does not have any immediate plans to consult on extending the licensing framework to encompass a registration scheme for anyone breeding, selling, or transferring the ownership of a litter of puppies.

There are a number of subsidised training schemes provided by Scottish Government in regards to HGV and Bus Driver training:

• Employability Fund - offers employability and skills training for unemployed individuals across Scotland. HGV driver training is available to eligible individuals through this fund.
• Modern Apprenticeships – learn on the job to gain the experience you need and work towards a recognised qualification. The Freight Logistics framework applies to HGV/LGV. As part of this framework apprentices will be offered the opportunity to study SVQ Driving Goods Vehicles at SCQF Level 6.
• Individual Training Account – to help people develop the skills they need for work. Up to £200 contribution towards a training course, which can include HGV and Bus driver training.

On 2 September 2021, the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture announced that £250,000 would be made available from the Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) to provide critical help for the people of Afghanistan.

Given the volatile operating environment on the ground in Afghanistan, our NGO partners have been unable, as of 19 October, to operate safely to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance. However, we are in close contact with our partners and as soon as assurances over the safety of their staff in Afghanistan are forthcoming, disbursement will commence.

In January 2021 I announced that £50 million would be allocated to support the justice system “Recover, Renew and Transform Programme”, which includes addressing the national requirement for a higher number of both sheriff and summary sheriff roles to manage the backlog in the sheriff courts that occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

To support this programme of work, the Lord President made a formal request to Scottish Ministers for 15 fee paid sheriffs and 15 fee paid summary sheriffs to be appointed by the end of 2021. In April 2021, Scottish Ministers formally requested the Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland (JABS) begin the recommendation for appointment process to fill these roles. Subsequently recommendations for appointment are expected to be received from JABS in November 2021.

The Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland Working Group, chaired by the Baroness Helena Kennedy, is on track to produce its final report to Scottish Government by early February 2022, meeting the one year recommendation set by the Justice Committee.

The Working Group on Misogyny and Criminal Justice is working independently to consider how the Scottish criminal justice system can better deal with misogyny, and if the group recommends a specific criminal offence of misogynistic harassment the Scottish Government will carefully consider its advice.

In Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is the environmental regulator responsible for making sure that watercourses are protected. As part of its role, SEPA monitors for contaminants of emerging concern, such as certain pharmaceuticals, in the water environment.

SEPA also works in collaboration with Scottish Water on its Chemicals Investigation Programme (Scotland), which analyses concentrations of a number of chemicals, including some pharmaceuticals, entering and leaving waste water treatment works across Scotland.

Scottish Water is responsible for monitoring and assessing public drinking water supplies to ensure that there is no danger to human health.

The Scottish Government welcomes, and is in the process of carefully considering, the recommendations set out in this important publication. The case for making any changes to air quality targets in Scotland to reflect the new guidelines will be assessed and taken forward during implementation of the Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 strategy.

Asylum is reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes family reunion and the establishment of refugee resettlement schemes. UK immigration rules currently only allow for the reunion of dependent children under 18 and spouses, or long term partners, with refugees already living in the UK.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly urged the UK Government to review its family reunion policy and to consider expanding eligibility so that more people can be reunited safely with their family in the UK. Most recently, I raised concern about the impact of the Nationality and Borders Bill on family reunion rights in my letter of 1 September to the Home Secretary. The Minister for Justice and Tackling Illegal Migration replied on 19 October. He responded on some of the points raised and indicated further discussion with Scottish Ministers should follow. The Scottish Government will continue to press the UK Government for clarity on the implications of this legislation for Scotland.