Chamber and committees

The impact assessments for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) published on 16 March 2020 recognised that a single scheme administrator would likely be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the scheme, in line with the Scottish Government’s preferred scheme design. We therefore have no plans to update any of these impact assessments in light of the approval of Circularity Scotland Ltd as scheme administrator of DRS.

The Programme Business Case which was published in February 2020 provides a full breakdown of implementation costs each year since Social Security Scotland was established. The link to the Executive Summary of the PBC can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-security-programme-business-case-executive-summary/ .

Information on the numbers of people employed by Social Security Scotland is published quarterly and can be accessed using the following link:

Social Security Scotland - Social Security Scotland Workforce Information to March 2021 .

"This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days” .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35673 on 5 March 2021. Since that answer, the working group met again on 5 July and will continue to make progress over the rest of 2021.

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

While the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) hold information about defibrillators across Scotland – available at: Registering your Automated External Defibrillator . The key aspect of the information held relates to the location in order to support SAS call handlers to direct OHCA bystanders to the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator, rather than maintaining a record of the type of building where the defibrillator is placed.

In searching this publicly accessible information, there are over 150 defibrillators at school locations across Scotland currently registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

It is, however, it is important to note that registration of defibrillators is voluntary, and the responsibility of the defibrillator guardian, therefore this may not be an accurate picture of the number of defibrillators placed in schools across Scotland. I refer the member to my answer given to PQ S6W-01501, in which I recommend that you may wish to contact Scottish Local Authorities individually for information they may hold.

SEPA maintains a robust programme structure to plan, track, and deliver the regulator function for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Capital and resource funding for this programme are agreed between SEPA and the Scottish Government as part of the annual Budget process.

Once DRS goes live, the costs of registering producers with SEPA and regulating producers and the scheme administrator in respect of their obligations under DRS will be recovered through the annual registration fee of £360. This fee is to be paid to SEPA by producers with a turnover of greater than £85,000 per year.

Through our membership of the Energy Skills Alliance, we are working collaboratively with the industry, trade bodies and unions to ensure the right skills and training are in place to protect and create jobs as we become a net-zero economy. Our Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan puts knowledge and skills at the heart of a systematic approach to retaining skills and expertise as we transition to becoming a net-zero economy and, this year, the first wave of our £100 million Green Jobs Fund got under way.

In 2020 we launched our £62 million Energy Transition Fund to support the oil, gas and energy sectors grow and diversify, accelerating its transition to net-zero emissions. Fair Work principles are being applied across projects funded by the Energy Transition Fund, supporting the creation of green jobs and training individuals with the skills they need to ensure a just transition to net-zero that puts people’s wellbeing at the heart of our net-zero economy. By capitalising on our strengths in energy, innovation, and our skilled workforce, Scotland can show the rest of the world how it’s done – and ensure our people, businesses and communities are at the forefront of our new green economy.

We have also introduced the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) to support individuals at risk of Covid-19 related redundancy to move into new industries. A number of colleges are delivering courses to support the transition to net zero. In the coming weeks we will set out how NTTF will continue to address the impact of Covid-19, but also take account of the impacts of EU exit, and support upskilling or retraining for the transition to net zero.

We will also invest an additional £500 million over the next parliament to support new jobs and reskill people for the jobs of the future.

The Scottish Government encourages any defibrillator guardian, including those placed in primary or secondary schools, to register their device with the Scottish Ambulance Service to enable an accurate and up to date central record of defibrillators across Scotland.

Through encouraging registration of defibrillators across Scotland, we can better understand their placement, usage and maintain a more accurate and up-to date record.

On 16 March 2020, the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme replaced cervical cytology (looking at cells under a microscope) with a more sensitive test which screens for human papillomavirus (HPV). The new test is more effective at identifying those at risk of developing cervical cancer, meaning women who don’t have HPV will be invited for a cervical screening test every five years instead of every three.

A news release was issued by the Scottish Government to announce this change to the programme on 15 March 2020, and the information available on NHS inform and public information leaflets was updated to reflect the change.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, the cervical screening programme was temporarily paused on 30 March 2020. This meant that some of the communications materials that had been prepared to raise awareness of the move to HPV testing were not released until Cervical Screening Awareness Week in June 2021.

Later this year, the Scottish Government plans to launch a campaign to communicate the benefits of cervical screening. Further awareness raising of the move to five year routine testing will be undertaken to coincide with this campaign.