Chamber and committees

As the First Minister noted in her statement to the Scottish Parliament on the Programme for Government on 6 September 2022, the Scottish Government’s commitment to the full-parliament plans set out in last year’s Programme for Government - and in the Bute House Agreement - stands.

Under the Bute House Agreement, Ministers and Scottish Green Group portfolio holders hold regular liaison meetings as well as regular stocktake meetings with me, in my capacity as Deputy First Minister, and the wider Green Group of MSPs.

In line with the commitment in the Cooperation Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group, Patrick Harvie MSP and Lorna Slater MSP both attended Cabinet meetings on 26 April 2022 and 16 August 2022 where the Bute House Agreement was discussed.

The Scottish Government remains committed to funding the expansion of free school lunches to all children in primary and special schools during the course of this parliament. We will also establish a pilot of the provision of free school lunches to secondary school pupils.

As the First Minister stated, during her statement to Parliament on our Programme for Government on 6 September, having delivered free school meals for all pupils in primary 1 to 5, we can now announce that we will start work with local authorities to extend universal provision to all pupils in primary 6 and 7. This work will be supported by £30 million of capital funding during this academic year to support the expansion of catering and dining facilities to accommodate increased uptake.

Where families do not meet the regular eligibility criteria for receiving free school meals, local authorities have the flexibility to make discretionary offers of free school meals where families are experiencing financial hardship due to exceptional circumstances. We would encourage any families experiencing difficulty with meeting the cost of school meals to contact their local council to enquire about what assistance may be available.

The Scottish Government committed in the Programme for Government, to explore how to ensure the interests of future generations are taken into account in decisions made today.

Ministers and officials have been engaging with a wide range of organisations who have an interest in embedding sustainable development, wellbeing and the interests of future generations in policy. I have held a series of meetings with key stakeholders in this area.

The Scottish Government is also considering the case for a Future Generations Commission alongside other ways of embedding the interests of future generations in policy, such as placing duties on public authorities to take account of the impact of their decisions on wellbeing and sustainable development and future generations.

The Scottish Government will take this into account as part of the development of a proposed Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Bill.

We intend to set out more detailed proposals later this year.

The Scottish Government Environment Strategy (2020) recognises the urgent need for action at all levels, in tackling the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Sadly, the evidence tells us that in common with the rest of the world, Scotland has not yet done enough to prevent the continuing decline in biodiversity. We recently consulted on our new biodiversity strategy, which sets out our ambition to halt nature loss by 2030 and reverse it by 2045. The consultation closed on 12 September and we are currently analysing responses.

A map of participating centres in the GBS3 trial is available on the GBS3 trial website and the Group B Strep support website .

Participation in such clinical trials is a matter for individual NHS Boards.The Scottish Government has twice contacted the Scottish Heads of Midwifery and Obstetrics and Gynaecology Clinical Directors within all NHS Boards to share the information provided on the GBS3 clinical trial and to make them aware of the opportunity for participation, on 31 May and 14 September 2022. The NHS Research Scotland Reproductive Health and Childbirth Specialty Group have also promoted the trial on several occasions through their monthly newsletter.

We are committed to ensuring that all children and young people, get the support that they need to reach their full learning potential.

Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) education authorities have duties to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. Education authorities can ask other agencies (including health boards) for help in carrying out their duties.

The Scottish Government has published guidance on supporting children and young people with healthcare needs in schools . The guidance supports education authorities, health boards and schools in delivering their responsibilities to support pupils’ healthcare needs. Where children and young people require medication throughout their school day, a healthcare plan should be put in place which sets out the arrangements for ongoing medical care in school and emergency procedures should an emergency arise.

Employment Law is reserved to the UK Government. Without control over employment law, the Scottish Government continues to promote Fair Work practices in workplaces across Scotland and encourages employers to treat workers undergoing fertility treatment fairly and with sensitivity.

The Scottish Government recognises that pulmonary rehabilitation is an important element of respiratory care. Since the publication of our Respiratory Care Action Plan in March 2021, we have established the Scottish Respiratory Advisory Committee (SRAC) to oversee its implementation. They have identified pulmonary rehabilitation as one of the key priorities for 2022.

To take forward this key priority, we have established a group of clinical experts from across Scotland, as well as involving people living with respiratory conditions. The group are currently carrying out a scoping exercise to determine areas of good practice and areas that require improvement, including access to appropriate venues. This scoping exercise will aid the development of consistent guidance on access to and delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation services across Scotland. The group will also seek out new and innovative approaches in pulmonary rehabilitation and support boards to test new models out with traditional health settings.

Increased energy costs are one of a range of cost pressures NHS Boards need to manage in order to deliver services that best meet the needs of their local populations.

We have committed to an Emergency Budget Review to tackle the challenges facing public finances and help support those hit hardest by the cost crisis. The Scottish Government continues to work with NHS Boards to address financial pressures across the system, to the support recovery and reform and delivery of a financially, environmentally and socially sustainable health and care services.

The Scottish Government believes that all children and young people should have the opportunity to participate and engage as fully as possible in all aspects of school life, including trips and extracurricular activity. Scottish Government guidance on the presumption to provide education in a mainstream setting makes clear that children and young people who may face barriers to participation should be appropriately supported to access these opportunities.

The Scottish Government funds an Education Officer at Carers Trust Scotland, who works with Education Scotland, the General Teaching Council for Scotland and the Scottish Qualification Authority help ensure education staff are aware of young carers and are able to support them appropriately.

During the last Parliamentary term, the #YSAttain project supported Young Scot and local authorities to explore new entitlements around transport, leisure infrastructure and access to extra-curricular activities for young people, including young carers, aimed at improving health and wellbeing and reducing poverty. In 2022-23, £101,200 will be provided for this purpose.

The Scottish Government also funds social care support for unpaid carers, including young carers, under the Carers Act. We invested an additional £20.4 million in the 2022-23 local government settlement for Carers Act implementation. Added to similar (baselined) increases in previous years since the Act came into force in April 2018, this brings the total additional investment to £88.4 million per year. Support to young carers can include activities, including group activities.

The Scottish Government funds Young Scot to provide an exclusive platform for young carers with tailored discounts and opportunities, with funding of £234,000 in 2022-23. The package offers high value e-vouchers, subscriptions to streaming services, wellbeing boxes, opportunities to win iPads and Kindles and vouchers for family days out. As of August 2022, 2,529 young carers have signed up.

The Scottish Government also funds Carers Trust Scotland to run an annual Young Carers Festival, with £130,000 in 2022-23. This event is designed to provide an opportunity for young carers to have a break, have fun, meet other young carers from across Scotland, and speak directly to key decision makers.