Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan, published in July 2020, sets out how domestic passenger services in Scotland will be decarbonised by 2035.

Public control of ScotRail will facilitate the integration of rolling stock and train service plans with infrastructure works and thus improve the efficient whole system delivery of the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

The Scottish Ministerial Code outlines a code of conduct for members of the Scottish Government (the First Minister, Cabinet Secretaries and Law Officers) and junior Scottish Ministers, including on the use of personal social media accounts. No other Scottish Government guidance has been issued to Ministers in this regard.

Further information

The Scottish Ministerial Code outlines a code of conduct for members of the Scottish Government (the First Minister, Cabinet Secretaries and Law Officers) and junior Scottish Ministers.

Section 10 concerns Ministers And The Presentation Of Policy. There is reference here to the use of social media, which states:

10.10 Ministers may retain personal social media accounts (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), provided that any activity on their account is not at variance with their obligations to Parliament or their duty to observe the principle of collective Ministerial responsibility. It is Ministers’ personal responsibility to ensure that social media activity in their name does not breach these requirements or bring the Government into disrepute.

10.11 If Ministers wish to use social media for official policy communications, they should use an appropriate Government account.

The Scottish Ministerial Code can be found online at https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-ministerial-code-2018-edition

There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) under this Government. As at March 2021 the number of GDPs in Scotland was 3,039 compared to 2,186 in 2007, an increase of 39%. This means that there are 55.7 dentists per 100,000 of the population providing NHS care and treatment in 2021, compared to 42.3 in 2007.

Social Security is integral to my Social Justice, Housing and Local Government portfolio . It’s importance is reflected in the fact there is both a Cabinet Secretary and a Minister with responsibilities for it.

We are doing everything we can with the limited powers available to us to support the tourism sector.

We have extended 100% NDR relief, which is more generous than the equivalent rates reliefs available in other UK nations, for all retail, leisure and hospitality premises for all of 2021-22. In addition, Tourism businesses on Non Domestic Rates have been supported by the Strategic Framework Business Fund.

We also launched a £129 million package of business support measures over December and January as part of our short term response to the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce recommendations and followed engagement with industry to target support where it was needed the most.

We also invested £14 million in the Hotel Support Programme to secure up to 3,000 jobs in the hotel sector, and through the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund we awarded over £8.9 million to hotels and other accommodation last year – there was no equivalent fund in England.

Over the past year we have worked closely with sectoral organisations like the Scottish Tourism Alliance on support for the tourism and hospitality sectors and we will continue to do so. This includes £25 million, which we announced in March, to implement the Phase 1 recommendations of the Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce.

This fund will support domestic and international marketing to rebuild visitor demand, leadership and skills training, development of a net zero pathway for tourism, and social tourism and days out vouchers.

Development of phase 2 recommendations (years 2 through 5) is underway by the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group and proposals will be considered by the Scottish Government very shortly.

The release of red-legged partridges and pheasants is a legal activity and is expressly permitted under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981.

At present there is no evidence that gamebirds are having an impact on the features of protected areas as shown by NatureScot’s Site Condition Monitoring work and little information to suggest that they are having an impact on Scotland’s wider natural heritage. The Scottish Government therefore has no current plans to legislate in this area.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6T-00019 on‎ 26 May 2021. The answer is available on the Parliament website at: Official Report - Parliamentary Business : Scottish Parliament

I refer the member to the answer to question S6T-00019 on‎ 26 May 2021. The answer is available on the Parliament's website at: Official Report - Parliamentary Business : Scottish Parliament

Whilst Scottish Ministers set the strategic policy for the NHS in Scotland, responsibility for service delivery rests locally with Health Boards and GP practices. Practices are contracted to provide general medical services by their local health board and not the Scottish Government. As such, Scottish Ministers are unable to intervene in the service and appointment arrangements of individual practices, but they do expect satisfactory systems to be in place for the benefit of all patients.

East Lothian HSCP have been working closely with the practice and have given support to increase the number of GP appointments available to patients of the practice. The HSCP are also delivering a range of self-referral services that offer patients same-day access to specialist clinical, mental health and MSK physiotherapist support.

The practice have recruited a number of members of staff including call handlers, a Specialist Paramedic, a Clinical Manager/Nurse Practitioner and a further Nurse Practitioner. An additional GP has joined the practice, with another due to join in the summer.

It is vital for the current Covid-19 vaccination programme to reach everyone and that no one is left behind, both for individual health and our collective community wellbeing.

In order to achieve this, we have embedded inclusion as a key aspect of our national COVID-19 vaccination programme, working alongside Health Boards and other partners to respond to evidence of low uptake in certain communities.

To help support this work we set up a National Inclusive Steering Group with representatives from Health Boards, faith groups, third and community sector. The group advises on issues and identifies solutions and actions for all partners. Organisations represented on the group include BEMIS, the African Council, Scottish Refugee Council and the Ethnic Minority Resilience Network.

We have provided over £100,000 to a range of organisations working with minority ethnic communities to help inform and promote the programme. Activities undertaken include the facilitation of focus groups, provision of translations, hosting awareness-raising events and the development of tailored resources for certain communities.

In April 2021 the national programme team produced inclusive planning and delivery criteria to help address barriers for specific groups within health board populations. This is based on the Health Inequality Impact Assessment, research by Voluntary Health Scotland and health board plans. Scottish Government officials meet regularly with Health Boards to discuss inclusion, local challenges and actions that are being undertaken to reach communities with low uptake of the vaccine.

Work has also been undertaken to respond to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in certain areas by accelerating the vaccination rollout and through assertive outreach in communities with large ethnic minority populations. For example, in the south of Glasgow, an additional Vaccination Centre was set up rapidly at the Glasgow Central Mosque on 18 May 2021. Mobile clinics continue to be deployed into communities offering drop-in opportunities at venues such as the Glasgow Gurdwara. Discussions are also underway with community leaders of African descent to ensure we are reaching these groups with appropriately tailored communications and delivery.

The national Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign phase 2 launched on 20 April 2021 and the TV advert cast and creative reflects Scotland’s diverse society. Our national communications plan includes the production of translated assets in a range of community languages. The QR code on vaccination appointment letters and COVID-19 vaccination leaflets support people to access the information in a format or language of their choice.

Scotland’s COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan 2021 provides further details about our approach to the national COVID-19 programme to date and includes examples of partnership work, local outreach and communications undertaken.