Chamber and committees

Since my appointment to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills I have had a number of introductory discussions with the Chief Examining Officer to develop my understanding of matters pertaining to the alternative certification model and to discuss issues being raised by stakeholders.

The meeting of 24 May informed my understanding of the ACM and the approach to 2021 appeals.

On the phone call of 3 June I discussed my priorities and the upcoming publication of the OECD review ahead of my Parliamentary Statement that day.

At the meeting of 24 June SQA were invited to share thoughts on the Reform of SQA and Education Scotland.

These meetings were informal and as a result no minutes were taken.

Social isolation and loneliness can affect all ages, stages and groups in our society and we know significant events such as addiction can lead to a situation where isolation compounds the challenges of recovery. That is why the Scottish Government carried out wide stakeholder engagement, community events and consultation to hear people’s views when developing our 'A Connected Scotland' Strategy.

To support people with problematic alcohol and drug use into treatment and recovery, recognising the impact that loneliness and isolation can have, the Scottish Government funds third sector partners, including the Scottish Recovery Consortium, the Scottish Drugs Forum and Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs to address loneliness and isolation through family support, peer support and recovery communities.

In the last few months the publication of new Medication-Assisted Treatment Standards, and significant additional investment or £250 million over 5 years in alcohol and drug support will further increase this work. And in the coming months we will publish a framework for Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, Children’s Services and other local partners, setting out a whole-family approach and family-inclusive practice, which recognises and supports family members to build their own resilience and recover themselves. This will reduce their social isolation and loneliness.

This specific work complements our broader work on social isolation and loneliness across society. We will shortly make an announcement on our planned next steps in relation to our commitment to £10 million funding for social isolation and loneliness work over the span of this Parliament.

The UK Internal Market Act was imposed on the rest of the UK by the UK Government, despite the refusal of consent from the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, and poses a direct threat to Scotland’s ability to exercise devolved decision-making across a wide range of devolved policy areas including environmental policy.

We are currently analysing the text of the Act to understand how it could interact with Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.

The information requested regarding the number patients who have contracted COVID-19 while attending hospital is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

However, on 14 July 2021 the Public Health Scotland weekly report titled “Hospital onset COVID-19 cases in Scotland” shows that up to 20 June 2021 in NHS Lanarkshire there were:

• 493 definite hospital onset cases (first positive specimen date was 15 or more days after admission)
• 270 probable hospital onset cases (first positive specimen on days 8 to 14 of admission to NHS board)
• 203 indeterminate hospital onset cases (first positive specimen on days 3 to 7 of admission)
• 1,223 non-hospital onset cases (first positive specimen on day 1 or 2 of admission)

These statistics are not published with a hospital breakdown. The report can be found at the following link:

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/media/8430/2021-07-14-covid19-hospitalonset-week-24-2021-report.pdf

We have no plans to monitor this Order. The comments received from statutory consultees at the time of making the Order confirmed that they were content with the proposal, providing the requirement for prior notification of the change remained in place, ensuring that any visual or environmental impacts resulting from the use of larger cages could be effectively managed under the planning process.

SEPA has not yet published information on its Compliance Assessment Scheme results for 2019 and expect to publish the results later this year. As such, no discussions have been held with SEPA or Ineos in relation to the assessment.

The draft result for Ineos Kinneil Terminal was included in the information stolen from SEPA in the cyber attack and was subsequently published in the press. The information stolen was an draft of this assessment - and had therefore not been subjected to all the necessary verification processes to finalise the assessment.

Information on how many disabled interns each NHS Board has hired in each of the last three years is not centrally held.

It will be for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as regulator of Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to assess Circularity Scotland’s performance of its obligations under the DRS Regulations.

We are currently considering our approach to wider monitoring and evaluation of the operation of DRS.

The Scottish Government continues to follow the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance for the rollout of our vaccination programme.

The JCVI has from the start advised a rollout of COVID-19 vaccination targeting the most vulnerable first, resulting in an age based rollout, with the oldest, and those with conditions which make them susceptible to COVID-19 being offered vaccinations first.

COVID-19 vaccinations are now open to everyone over the age of 18, who can register for a vaccination online via NHS inform here : Registering for a coronavirus vaccine | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

Health boards are now also offering drop in clinics, with no pre arranged appointment required. Details of which are different per board area, with further information available here : Vaccine drop-in clinics | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot)

Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025, in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. By working to achieve our ambitious waste and recycling targets, we can ensure a transition to a fully circular economy and help to achieve our net zero commitments.

The implementation of the ban was delayed to 2025 to allow local authorities and the wider waste sector the necessary time to ensure full readiness and avoid unintended negative economic impacts, as highlighted by the Waste Markets Study (2019) . We are working to provide a centrally supported procurement solution to help local authorities secure alternative solutions to comply with the forthcoming ban. In addition, we will continue to engage with the commercial sector to support their preparation and input in to the delivery of the ban.

We recognise that the actions needed to become net zero by 2045 will transform all sectors of our economy and society. The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition, which is about ensuring that, as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, that journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone – regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are. We are working with industry and businesses to maximise the opportunities and realise the benefits of a circular economy, identifying where there are opportunities to make transformational changes. We will ensure our transition to net-zero creates new opportunities for people across the country. For example, we are investing £100 million in the Green Jobs Fund which will provide support to businesses (and their supply chains) to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. In so doing, the Green Jobs Fund will boost green employment and create opportunities for individuals to retrain and upskill in new and high-growth areas.