Chamber and committees

We recognise Scotland’s part in historic injustices like the transatlantic slave trade and Empire. We are determined to acknowledge and learn from our past and the role Scotland played. We must also focus on making sure we deliver positive outcomes for the minority ethnic people of Scotland now. A number of our Programme for Government 2020 – 21 commitments focus on recognising Scotland’s role, how we educate ourselves about our past and raise awareness of these events to the wider public.

Scottish Ministers are not aware of any powers that they have which would allow them to direct a charity such as the Dick Bequest Trust to require any return of money in the way that is being suggested. Scottish Ministers are actively considering the associated issues raised in a recent Press and Journal article as well as a letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and will respond in due course.

Advice from clinicians is to continue to use PCR testing for international travellers coming to Scotland, which is more accurate than other forms of testing. We will consider lateral flow testing further as technology improves and more data is available. Regardless of any testing regime, individuals should be following strict protocols set out to minimise transmission.

For outbound travel, each country has its own requirements for entry and lateral flow test kits may not meet the required standard of test for certain countries. It is the responsibility of the individual to determine what is needed before travelling to another country and we would encourage people to carefully check those requirements before travelling. NHS test kits cannot be used for people travelling to another country to ensure that all testing capacity is used for the benefit of Scotland’s communities.

We intend to carry out the Gateway Review into the go-live date for DRS by the end of the summer and provide an update to Parliament following summer recess.

While industry has made good progress towards implementing DRS, we recognise the unique and significant pressures that COVID-19 has placed on relevant sectors over the past year. The Gateway Review will assess the impact of the pandemic on the go-live date for the scheme.

Industry has made good progress towards implementing Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), including the establishment of Circularity Scotland Ltd and its approval by Ministers as a scheme administrator.

Nevertheless, we recognise the unique and significant pressures that COVID-19 has placed on relevant sectors over the past year. That is why we have commissioned an independent Gateway Review into the go-live date for DRS.

American foulbrood (AFB) is a notifiable disease of honey bees. Figures of the disease incidence in GB are publically available in BeeBase, the database used by Scottish Government and the National Bee Unit in England and Wales. Last season in 2020, AFB was found in 8 honey bee colonies in 5 different apiaries.

Since 2015 there has been 60 honey bee colonies diagnosed with AFB in Scotland.

For context the number of inspections in Scotland recorded in BeeBase varies between 3,000 and 8,000 per year and there are currently 2830 beekeepers with a total of 17,783 honey bee colonies in 3,754 apiaries registered.

The Scottish Government takes the matter of honey bee health extremely seriously. Our honey bee health team continues to work with the affected beekeepers on disease control measures and has established a surveillance area to detect possible spread of disease to other colonies.

Although AFB has been historically present in Scotland, the work of the Scottish honey bee health team has achieved a significant reduction in the incidence and spread of the disease in Scotland. Unfortunately, as the causative bacterium is spore forming it can remain dormant on infected equipment and outbreaks continue to occur.

Beekeepers have a significant role to play in preventing and controlling disease within their apiaries and they have a legal obligation to report suspicion of a notifiable disease to their bee inspector. Training and education in biosecurity, good hygiene best practice and the ability to recognise diseases are essential aspects of beekeeping which are supported by Scottish Government.

Following a necessary pause to the implementation of Part 3 (Bus Services) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 last year owing to the reallocation of national and local government resources to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, work resumed with a virtual stakeholder event held in March this year.

The outputs of that and ongoing engagement will feed into a consultation paper for launch later this year. That will inform the development of secondary legislation and supporting guidance. The timetable for the introduction of secondary legislation will be dependent, to an extent, on parliamentary process.

Responsibility for qualifications development sits with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

Existing Environmental Science qualifications (available at National 3, National 4, National 5 and Higher) draw from the sciences and social sciences and take a problem-solving approach to attempt to develop solutions that prevent or reverse environmental deterioration and aim for sustainable practices.

As part of the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan, SQA will consider the contribution Learning for Sustainability can make to new or revised qualifications, and will work with stakeholders to provide recognition, signposting or accreditation.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6T-00019 on‎ 26 May 2021. The answer is available on the Parliament's website at: Official Report - Parliamentary Business : Scottish Parliament

The one-off payment will be made following completion of teachers’ and lecturers’ work in relation to the Alternative Certification Model. We are continuing to work with partners to finalise the details and delivery mechanisms for the payment which will be announced in due course.

Teachers’ terms and conditions stipulate that composite classes cannot exceed 25 pupils. Local authorities have flexibility over how year groups should be balanced within a composite class.

The Scottish Government’s view is that the quality of the teacher and the organisation of the class to meet the range of children’s learning needs are more important factors in the success of children in composite classes, than the composition of the classes themselves. There are no plans to review the arrangements for composite classes.