Chamber and committees

The development of a Scottish Education Exchange Programme is a Programme for Government commitment and will help maintain Scotland’s place as an outward looking, internationally connected destination for work and study.

We are engaging with stakeholders from across the education spectrum including higher and further education, community learning and development, youth work and adult education, schools and sports and are developing the programme ensuring it is fit for Scotland.

We have been engaging closely with the UK Government to establish that Scottish stakeholders can provide feedback and ensure that the Turing Scheme better reflects their needs.

In Turing Scheme’s first round of application results, each nation within the UK received less funding than previously secured under Erasmus plus. This highlights the need for the Scottish Government to consider how best to offer staff and learners further opportunities for mobility exchange.

The Scottish Government intends to lay a copy of the report before the Scottish Parliament, as soon as it is practicable, as set out in accordance with Section 11F(5) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Scottish Government will also publish a copy of the report on its website.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of educational mobility. While we remain committed to Erasmus plus, in the interim we are creating a Scottish Education Exchange Programme to support participants from across Scotland’s education system.

This is a Programme for Government commitment and will help maintain Scotland’s place as an outward looking, internationally connected destination for work and study.

Throughout the pandemic, the Scottish Government has worked in collaboration with the college and university sectors to provide support and guidance, and to ensure the safety of staff and students. Following the publication of the Scottish Government’s updated Strategic Framework on 22 February, we are working with partners on the Advanced Learning COVID-19 Recovery Group to develop a framework to replace prescriptive sector-specific guidance.

This framework will provide high-level guiding principles and support for institutions in developing local solutions. We will also work with universities and colleges to support the development of institution-level COVID-19 Response Committees. The committees – using existing structures where possible with representatives from the institution, trade unions, students and accommodation providers – will monitor the public health and wider context, with a view to adjusting local safety protocols accordingly. This will enable decisions on COVID-safety measures, beyond any that may be in place across society, to be determined locally and, where possible, collectively.

a) The Bioenergy Policy Working Group consists Scottish Government officials from a number of policy areas.

• Agriculture Transformation for Environment and Climate Change
• Bioenergy
• Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)
• Critical Energy Infrastructure & Commercial Projects
• Domestic Climate Change
• Environmental Protection - Air Quality
• Environmental Quality and Circular Economy
• Heat Strategy
• Hydrogen
• Industrial Decarbonisation
• Industrial Strategy and Technologies
• Just Transition
• Land Use Strategy
• Land Use Transformation
• Natural Capital and Land Management
• Office of the Chief Economic Adviser (OCEA)
• Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS)
• Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA)
• Scottish Forestry
• Sustainable Aviation
• Transport -Supply Chains and Alternative Fuels
• Whole Energy System

Minutes from the meetings will be published as soon as practical. However the group are still in the process of developing policy and considering options.

b) The Bioenergy Expert panel has still to be assembled.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS is currently in the process of selecting a contractor to initially develop a design for HMP Glasgow and thereafter award a contract for the construction of the new prison.

It is anticipated that a contractor will be appointed later this year to develop the design stage of the project.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table details the (a) average occupancy (b) design capacity and (c) the occupancy rate of each prison over January 2021;

JANUARY 2021

The occupancy rate and the design capacity rates provided are the average for the calendar month.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01070 on 9 July 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

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The following table details the average number of purposeful activity hours per week for convicted prisoners across the prison estate, in each financial year that incorporates 2019, 2020 and 2021: -