Chamber and committees

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond.

The suspension of the Throughcare Support Service (TSS) was a difficult decision for SPS to make in September 2019 and was necessitated by the need to have staff return to their original roles to manage the increasingly complex prison population.

We do however recognise the benefits that the TSS brought to those in our care and we are committed to exploring what any future throughcare support might look like as part of our recovery from COVID.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond.

The following table shows the number of people assisted by the SPS Throughcare Support Service for each month during 2017, 2018 and 2019 up to July.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33579 on 26 November 2020, in which the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills outlined the amending Regulations made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus)(Restrictions and Requirements)(Local Levels)(Scotland) Regulations 2020 to allow students to return home at the end of term and accompanying guidance, which includes travel and transport guidance for students.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

National Records of Scotland (NRS) publish weekly statistics on the number of deaths where COVID-19 was written on the death certificate, either as a suspected or probable involvement in the death. The latest publication was released on 18th November and a link is provided here:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme
/vital-events/general-publications/weekly-and-monthly-data-on-births-and-deaths
/deaths-involving-coronavirus-covid-19-in-scotland

Table 1 in the report shows that to date in 2020 (up to week ending 15th November) there have been 5,135 deaths, where COVID-19 was written on the death certificate. Table 3 shows that there have been 4,720 deaths where COVID-19 was identified as the underlying cause of death.

NRS also publish a more in-depth analysis of COVID deaths every month. The latest of these publications was released on 11th November and a link is provided here:

https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/covid19/covid-deaths-report-week-45.pdf .

Figures 9 and 10 on pages 17 and 18 of the report shows the main pre-existing medical condition in deaths involving COVID-19, between 1st March 2020 and 31st October 2020. The report states, "The most common main pre-existing condition among those who died with COVID-19 was dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (30%), followed by ischaemic heart disease (13%), chronic lower respiratory diseases (11%), cerebrovascular disease (6%) and diabetes (4%).

This information is not held centrally.

Information on the number of hospital admissions and ICU admissions where individuals have tested positive for Covid -19 are published daily at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-scotland/ .

We recognise the critical role of planning in helping to meet our net zero targets. Our NPF4 Position Statement, published on 26 November, underlines that responding to the global climate emergency will be at the heart of NPF4. It highlights key areas for policy change including: 20 minute neighbourhoods, embedding sustainable travel, low and zero carbon design and energy efficiency, emphasis on re-using existing buildings and previously used land, supporting renewable energy and energy transmission infrastructure. The position statement can be accessed from the Scottish Government’s website: www.gov.scot .

We are aware of concerns around resourcing of planning authorities and the need for efficient handling of applications, particularly those with the potential to support key policy drivers including emissions reductions.

Our programme of planning reform aims to improve the system as a whole and our extensive programme of policy, regulations and guidance will bring greater certainty over consenting and delivery of planned development, supporting economic recovery whilst also delivering social and environmental benefits. We will also consider whether to extend ‘permitted development rights’ which remove the need to apply for planning permission for zero-emission heat networks and micro-renewable technologies.

Plans to revise planning fees are currently paused due to the potential impact on the development sector in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However Ministers remain committed to ensuring that planning authorities are properly resourced and we will bring forward a revised fee structure as soon as the timing is appropriate.

Students studying abroad who are returning to Scotland should do so in line with our guidance for residents or visitors travelling to the UK. Those travelling from a country not exempt from quarantine requirements must complete a passenger locator form and self-isolate for 14 days. Students and staff who are travelling to and from Scotland should check the Scottish Government website for the latest advice. Our guidance sets out the support available to help people self-isolate.

Scottish Government anticipate that the statutory annual emissions reduction targets set in the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Act 2019 will represent the future national emissions trajectory. A full list of the levels of these targets has been laid in the Scottish Parliament, and can also be found on the Scottish Government website. The Climate Change Plan update, to be published later this month, will articulate our policy pathway up until 2032 to meeting these targets.

The amount of waste exported will be affected by the type, volume, and quality of waste generated in Scotland, as well as the nature of contracts put in place by businesses and local authorities to manage their waste. We have not made projections for the export of waste or material collected for recycling.

We want to build a fully circular economy and be able to manage more of our own waste within Scotland, including the 14% which is currently processed elsewhere. As outlined in our Programme for Government 2020-21, we are working with local authorities to explore options that will unlock reprocessing investments, including pricing and incentive schemes. We are also actively working with potential investors to encourage reprocessing capacity in Scotland.