Ministers have not discussed the outcomes of the Island Communities Impact Assessment on HIAL’s Air Traffic Management 2030 Strategy with HIAL. Officials attended the HIAL Board meeting on 25 February 2021 where the issue was discussed. The minutes of the meeting are available on the HIAL web site at https://www.hial.co.uk/downloads/file/295/hial-board-minutes-february-2021 .

We remain committed to finalising the Fuel Poverty Strategy later this year and an update on the resumption of work to produce it was sent to the Convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee on 22 March 2021. Further information on the work to develop the draft strategy and also on the appointment of the statutory Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel will be provided in due course.

The National Imaging Equipment Group, National Procurement and Health Facilities Scotland support our NHS Boards with expert knowledge relating to the imaging equipment lifecycle. This helps to ensure that risks are mitigated and pulls in various experts from across the country to support bespoke projects, such as the MRI Scanner at the Gilbert Bain, to ensure project completion.

These groups have been providing support to NHS Shetland on planning, procurement, installation and commissioning. In addition, NHS National Services Scotland is assisting the Board with the development of the clinical specification and the procurement process. The Board expects procurement and implementation to be completed in 2022.

Transport Scotland officials meet regularly with officers from Shetland Island Council and Zetrans, the Regional Transport Partnership, to discuss a range of transport issues.

As part of our engagement on the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) we have regular meetings with the Shetland Islands Regional Transport Working Group, the last being held on the 15 February 2021. Fixed links, alongside a number of other potential options to address transport problems and opportunities in the Islands, have been discussed in broad terms through this engagement, in the context of the publication of the STPR2 Phase 1 recommendations and updated Case for Change reports that were published on the 3 February.

Further details on proposed list of transport options for the Shetland Islands that are to be taken forward for more detailed appraisal are contained in the following report: Initial appraisal: Case for Change - Shetland Islands - STPR2 (transport.gov.scot)

I have met with SQA on 8 occasions since 11 June 2020 on the following dates:

03-07-2020

30-07-2020

04-08-2020

10-08-2020

01-12-2020

10-12-2020

12-01-2020

25-01-2021

Minutes are not routinely taken of these meetings.

Officials meet regularly with SQA on a range of matters relating to the delivery of SQA’s functions.

As stated in the answer to question S5W-35078, the Scottish Government National Co-ordination Team has been in regular communication with the OECD throughout the Review. Meetings have typically taken place once a week although, subject to the point in the review and work required, some weeks there have been more than one meeting and some weeks there have been none. In total, since September 2019, there have been 45 scheduled meetings with the National Co-ordination Team and the OECD Review Team. In addition the OECD Team have met with me three times to provide updates.

The meetings between the OECD Review Team and the Co-ordination Team were not routinely minuted as they were focused on the practicalities of delivering the Review.

The meetings between myself and the OECD Review Team were for the OECD Review Team to update me on progress with the Review. There were no actions from these meetings so no minutes were produced.

In response to the COVID pandemic and the impact on children and young people’s mental health, our local authority partners made excellent progress in the provision of mental health support for young people, including the programme to provide access to counsellors in secondary schools.

We will publish material outlining the returns from local authorities in April 2021.

The Scottish Government is committed to the continuation of the Air Discount Scheme in order to make travel for residents of the Highlands and Islands more affordable. I am happy to announce that the scheme will continue until 31 March 2026. The discount rate in 2021-22 will be maintained at 50%. The discount rate in subsequent years will be subject to Parliament’s consideration of the Budget in each of those years.

As outlined in the answer to S5W-35589 on 12 March 2021, The Scottish Government provide funding to local authorities to recruit equity and excellence lead posts across all 32 local authorities. The allocation of posts and provision of funding have been set by Scottish Government and these posts are recruited and managed by local authorities.

Snapshot figures of graduate level posts in early learning and childcare (ELC) are published annually in Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland 2020 . Data in the tables is gathered from centres (either local authority or partner provider centres) with children registered for the funded entitlement at the time of the census. In 2020, this was collected from 14-18 September 2020.

At that point in time, there were 350 (316 FTE) Equity and Excellence leads in post which is 73% of posts, therefore 27% of posts at that time were vacant. We recognise that there will always be a degree of staff turnover in the system, particularly during this period of ELC expansion and with the further challenge of COVID-19. Ongoing recruitment campaigns are managed locally.

Further analysis of spending on the 2020-21 Higher Education Discretionary Fund is due to be undertaken at the end of this financial year. Officials will arrange to share this with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre once the information is available from the sector. This analysis will show the current demand on the Fund.

There are no plans to ask the sector to provide additional interim information concerning the specific reasons behind individual applications from students. That would place further administrative pressures on college and university staff at what is an extremely busy time for them. That level of information will form part of the annual returns from universities and colleges which is scheduled for the end of October.