Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the need to deter and prevent abuse of our immigration and asylum systems, but we are clear that people who come here to live, work or study, to seek sanctuary or who have been subject to human trafficking and exploitation should be treated with dignity and respect at all times. Extremely vulnerable people, such as trafficking victims, should find a system which enables access to support rather than one which erects barriers.

We have set out our concerns about the Nationality and Borders Bill to the UK Government with regards to victims of human trafficking and exploitation. Identifying trafficking victims and enabling access to support and assistance must be a priority. Vulnerable and traumatised individuals should not be penalised for failing to disclose their experiences within mandated timeframes or face impediments to accessing support.

The First Minister announced that Kathleen Jamie is to be Scotland’s next Makar at an event at the Scottish Poetry Library on 18 August.

The news release provides the details of this appointment. This is available at: New Scots Makar - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Following Jackie Kay’s departure from the role in March 2021 an Expert Panel was convened to consider nominations for the next Makar. They met a number of times to consider potential candidates against the role description, they compiled a confidential shortlist of potential candidates and agreed upon a recommendation which was put to the First Minister for endorsement. The First Minister accepted that recommendation.

Collectively the Expert Panel bring a wide range of skills in poetry, including in the use of the Gaelic and Scots languages, and in the way it is communicated to audiences.

The Expert Panel comprises:

David Seers, Head of Sponsorship & Funding Team, Culture & Historic Environment Division, Scottish Government, (Chair)

Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing, Creative Scotland

Jackie Cromarty, Associate Director of External Relations, National Library of Scotland

Dr David Goldie, President, Association for Scottish Literary Studies

Peggy Hughes, Chair, Literature Alliance Scotland

Eleanor Livingstone, Former Festival Director, StAnza, Scotland’s International Poetry Festival

Marjorie Lotfi, Poet, Director of Open Book and Chair of Board of Trustees, Wigtown Book Festival

Dr Robyn Marsack, Independent Advisor, Editor, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library 2000-2016

Dr Peter Mackay, Lecturer in English, University of St Andrews and poet who writes in Gaelic

Michael Pedersen, Poet and Poetry Programmer, Neu Reekie

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01865 on
‎ 18 August 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

Permission from the Scottish Government was not required by Abellio ScotRail to commission Professor Iain Docherty to produce the Scotland’s Railway after the pandemic report.

Police management information, while a useful tool, should be used with caution. These are not official statistics and should not be taken as indicative of longer term trends. Due to the exceptional circumstances of the last year, caution is even more necessary when considering the information for 2020-21, as a rise in complaints and neighbour disputes in relation to potential breaches of COVID-19 restrictions are included.

Measuring change in antisocial behaviour over time is best done using population-based measures and all the evidence points towards a long-term, sustained reduction in Scotland. For example, the Scottish Crime & Justice Survey shows the proportion of adults who feel people behave in an antisocial manner in their area has fallen from 46% in 2008-09 to 33% in 2019-20 (with no change identified between 2018-19 and 2019-20).

We remain committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour while recognising the progress made and will continue to work with partners to deliver the best outcomes for communities.

We are wholly committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045 and, whilst oil and gas licensing is ultimately a reserved area, any Scottish Government support for oil and gas businesses operating in the North Sea is conditional upon them contributing to a sustainable and inclusive energy transition, and ensuring a secure energy supply.

The oil and gas sector has a positive role to play in our journey to net zero. Indeed, we are clear that the North Sea has a vibrant future in renewable energy, hydrogen, and Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage. Meeting our climate obligations while ensuring a secure energy supply and supporting our highly skilled workforce to transition to the green jobs of the future must all go hand in hand. We will continue to work closely with industry, trade unions, communities and workers to ensure the right skills and training are in place to protect and create jobs as we become a net-zero economy.

Oil & gas, and wider energy policy is reserved to UK Government, including the licensing of exploration and extraction of offshore reserves. UK Government did not consult with Scottish Government prior to issuing the licence for Cambo. On the 12 August, the First Minister wrote to the UK Government, making our position clear that the UK Government to reassess oil and gas licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced. This would include the proposed Cambo Field. There was a further call for a four nations summit to be convened in order to discuss how we can work together, both in the run up to COP26 and beyond, to ensure that we provide clear leadership to ensure a just transition to net zero that does not repeat the mistakes of the past.

The Scottish Government has offered to work with the UK Government on a revised licence process – to ensure that licences already issued but where field development has not yet commenced are now reassessed in light of the global climate emergency which all of us now face. As part of this process, we would expect to see robust analysis of the climate impacts of the developments.

In April 2020 we announced that a prioritisation of legislation was required owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. A decision was taken not to introduce the Good Food Nation Bill in the last Parliamentary session owing to the need to focus on critical legislation.

We look forward to introducing the Good Food Nation Bill as soon as is possible in this Parliamentary term.

The Scottish Government currently only allows travellers returning from green and amber list countries to use NHS tests, which are reserved and paid for through the booking portal, CTM. These PCR tests are sent to individuals’ home addresses anywhere in Scotland, including rural areas. The individual should use a Royal Mail priority post box to return their test to the laboratory if they have access to one.

Individuals in Scotland are able to book PCR tests and request lateral flow home devices free of charge via the government portal, however these cannot be used for international travel.

There are an estimated 1,460 guest houses on the valuation roll according to the most recently available Scottish Assessors data. This is likely to be an under-estimate however as it excludes properties on the council tax system. Information on the type of premises which hold an alcohol license is not held centrally.