Chamber and committees

We are engaging HM Treasury and HMRC to ensure that VAT is not applied to deposits charged under Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Any cost associated with VAT would be part of the operating costs of DRS, and would be borne by drinks producers in line with the principle of producer responsibility.

The precise practical steps that each local authority took to conduct ventilation assessments of learning teaching and play spaces depended on the type/model/brand of CO2 monitors that the local authority used. Local authorities were asked to undertake assessments by reference to the Reducing Risks in Schools Guidance, which sets out the levels of CO2 that should be used to identify and prioritise spaces for improvement.

Details on individual assessments are held by local authorities. However, local authorities were asked to provide the Scottish Government with information on any ventilation mitigations or remedial action arising from the CO2 monitoring exercise. Local authorities have to date reported only limited instances of remedial action being required in their learning estates as a result of initial CO2 monitoring. Where actions have been required, they have most often been simple measures.

The Scottish Government do not hold the data on individual CO2 assessments, this is held at a local authority level.

However, I wrote to the Education, Children and Young People Committee on Friday 29 October 2021 and provided a comprehensive factual update on the latest position relating to the CO2 monitoring assessments being carried out by local authorities.

The Scottish Government confirmed a total of £10m funding allocations to local authorities in its grant letter on 14 October 2021. The funding allocations for all local authorities have been agreed and grant payments will be made in line with standard processes and timelines. Local authorities have confirmed that they have been progressing their purchases of CO2 monitors on the basis of confirmed funding allocations. We have requested formal confirmation by the end of November that all funding provided has been, or will be, used for the specified purposes.

The Scottish Government has made more than £9 million available to Health Boards this year for diagnostic imaging and is currently supporting additional X-ray appointments during evenings and at weekends. This service is being delivered while maintaining patient safety and flow through departments, as well as preserving infection prevention control measures at all times.

Moving forward we have recently published the NHS Recovery Plan, which is backed by more than £1 billion of investment and aims to improve service delivery and increase capacity, in order to tackle the regrettable backlogs that have emerged as a result of the pandemic.

The Scottish Government provides various grant funding each year to support and expand allotments and community growing groups in Scotland.

Scottish Government community funds, including Climate Challenge Fund, Climate Challenge Asset Fund and Investing in Communities Fund more broadly support a wide range of community growing and community garden projects.

The Scottish Government provided funding through the Community Growing Fund which was a grant scheme for the years 2019-2020 and 2020-21, providing a total of £80,000 to local community growing groups public bodies and third sector organisations.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on draft policy options for the installation of electric vehicle charge points in a number of different building types, including an option that sets out a minimum requirement for all new residential buildings with parking spaces.

The consultation ( Scottish Building Regulations: Proposed changes to Energy Standards and associated topics, including Ventilation, Overheating and Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure ) can be found on the Scottish Government's website.

We aim to publish a consultation response in early 2022.

The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained directly from Health Boards.

The Scottish Government provided Scotland’s local authorities with an additional £1.2 billion in direct support during 2020-21 through the local government finance settlement – over and above their regular grant payments to combat COVID-19. Taken together with the additional £259 million confirmed for this year, this brings the value of the overall COVID-19 support package for councils up to over £1.5 billion.

£10 million of funding was announced on 3 August to enable local authorities to undertake CO2 monitoring to assess the ventilation levels in all learning, teaching and play spaces by the October break.

Further to initial recommendations from the Short Life Working Group on Ventilation, funding of up to £25million to support businesses with ventilation was announced on 28 September. Due to be open for applications in November, further details will be available in due course.

The level of future funding associated with this Programme for Government commitment will not be confirmed until publication of the Scottish Government multi-year spending review, currently expected to be spring of 2022. The Scottish Budget for 2022/23 will be published on 9 December.

However, the Scottish Government has already committed £2.3 million of funding for genomic medicine for 2021–2022. The funding for 2021-2022 will support the extension of ‘The Bridge to a Scottish Strategy for Genomics Strategy’ which increases laboratory capacity and frontline genetic services for rare and inherited disease.

The Scottish Genomics Leadership Group, jointly chaired by Professor David Crossman, Chief Scientist for Health for the Scottish Government, and Susan Buchanan, Director for NHS National Services Division, are our expert group in genomic medicine and are providing advice to the Scottish Government to plan our long-term agenda for genomic medicine in Scotland.