Chamber and committees

Government budgets contribute to alleviating the climate emergency through a range of investments, including spend that reduces greenhouse gas emissions towards net zero, spend that delivers emissions reductions through a fair and just transition, and spend focussed on adapting to the effects of climate change.

The 2021-22 Budget increased low carbon capital investment across government to over £1.9 billion, comprising 36% of overall capital spend. This proportion has risen from 29% in 2018-19, when reporting began. In March, following budget negotiations, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance committed to a further £40 million in capital investment for active travel and energy efficiency initiatives that align with our green recovery and net zero ambitions. These figures that we track on low carbon capital investment, as mentioned above, provide only a partial picture of the wide range of investments across all government spend that contributes towards alleviating the climate emergency.

Some of our key commitments on climate change in this budget include increasing our Heat in Buildings investment by £30 million to £213.4 million; increasing forestry investment by £26.9 million to £121.2 million; committing £40 million for our Agricultural Transformation Fund to assist the sector in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and committing the first £165 million of our £2 billion Low Carbon Fund, including: £14 million for the Green Jobs Fund, £25 million for bus priority infrastructure and £15 million for zero emissions buses.

It is not possible to accurately quantify the future associated with COVID-19 related health problems at this time, as we are still in the midst of the pandemic. Some of these impacts may not be tangible immediately but are likely to become more evident over time.

We need a better understanding of the frequency, nature and impact of health complications caused by COVID before an assessment can be made of future costs. This includes the cost of providing support for people with long COVID.

The Scottish Government has invested £2.5 million funding for nine Scottish-led research projects relating to the long-term effects of COVID-19. We continue to engage with NHS Boards to identify their support needs in relation to delivering care and support to people with long COVID.

I refer the member to the question S6W-01283 which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

All young people 16 to 17 years of age are now being offered the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination in Scotland. In line with the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), they will be offered a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. People who are 16 or 17 in mainland Scotland will be invited to register their interest through the online portal at NHS Inform, and will then be sent an appointment via SMS or email. Eligible young people in Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles will be contacted by their health board and invited to attend clinics.

Drop-in clinics are available for 16 to 17-years-olds. Anyone who doesn’t register an interest or attend a drop-in clinic, will be sent an appointment invitation through the post.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01283 on
‎ 16 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

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in developing guidance as the vaccination programme makes progress towards increasing levels of COVID-19 immunity in the population. Current JCVI advice remains that the single greatest risk of mortality and severe disease from COVID-19 is increasing age and COVID-19 risk increases exponentially with age.

Following the recent JCVI advice, young people aged 12 to 15 with severe neuro-disabilities, Down’s Syndrome, immunosuppression and multiple or severe learning disabilities, as well as people who are household contacts of individuals who are immunosuppressed, will be eligible for vaccination soon. The JCVI is not currently advising routine vaccination of children outside of these groups, based on the current evidence.

All young people 16 to 17 years of age will now be offered the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination in Scotland. In line with the latest advice from the JCVI, they will be offered a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. People who are 16 or 17 in mainland Scotland will be invited to register their interest through the online portal at NHS Inform, and will then be sent an appointment via SMS or email. Eligible young people in Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles will be contacted by their health board and invited to attend clinics.

Drop-in clinics are available for 16 to 17-years-olds. Anyone who doesn’t register an interest or attend a drop-in clinic, will be sent an appointment invitation through the post. It is expected that everyone in this age group will have been offered a vaccination appointment by the end of September.

The advice to protect against the risks of contracting COVID-19 or developing any associated ‘Long COVID’ signs and symptoms, remain the same for those who are vaccinated as those unable to receive vaccination for medical reasons. There is further detailed advice available, which is continuously updated in line with protection levels advice, for those who have been shielding for health reasons published here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): shielding advice and support - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective, but we do know the vaccination of a high proportion of the population will assist in reducing symptomatic disease and transmission. As the vaccination programme progresses, the Scottish Government advises everyone to follow the protection level rules set for each Local Authority area, as well as to follow general public health guidance issued on non-pharmaceutical measures which help to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

In addition to the individual level of protection against severe disease or hospitalisation afforded by vaccination, a further benefit of the vaccination programme is to assist in developing widespread community immunity and thereby reduce the force of transmission and viral reproduction rate, controlling the prevalence of COVID-19.

Research by Public Health England (PHE), which monitors vaccine efficacy within the UK, shows that those who became infected 3 weeks after receiving one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca vaccine were between 38% and 49% less likely to pass the virus on to their household contacts than those who were unvaccinated. Protection was seen from around 14 days after vaccination, with similar levels of protection regardless of age of cases or contacts. Data is published here: One dose of COVID-19 vaccine can cut household transmission by up to half - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . Further research into the COVID-19 vaccines’ impacts on transmission is underway.

The inoculation of a large proportion of the population will help to provide a degree of ‘passive protection’ in the community for those who cannot receive vaccination for medical reasons and those who may develop a weaker immune response to vaccination due to old age, immunosuppression or illness.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01820 on
‎ 16 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

Scottish Government support for film production since 2007 has been included in grant-in-aid channelled, and not disaggregated, through Creative Scotland and, prior to the establishment of Creative Scotland in 2011, through one of its predecessor bodies, Scottish Screen. Creative Scotland includes the dedicated screen partnership, Screen Scotland, since it was launched in August 2018. Creative Scotland operates on an arms-length principle whereby Ministers do not intervene in individual funding decisions. Since Scottish Government does not hold the detailed information requested I asked Creative Scotland to provide me with the detail required for me to respond fully.

Screen Scotland currently supports the production in Scotland of films intended for theatrical release through two funds, the Film Development and Production Fund and the Production Growth Fund. Funding awarded via Screen Scotland through these funds comes from both the Scottish Government and National Lottery funding

The Film Development and Production Fund aims to support the production of distinctive and high-quality feature films that promote Scotland’s culture, creativity and diversity, and that have the potential to engage and entertain audiences in Scotland, the UK and internationally”. It offers development and production funding for feature length films and documentaries being made by filmmakers based in Scotland. Its 2021/22 budget is £4 million.

The Production Growth Fund aims to help grow Scotland’s screen production sector, creating employment opportunities for Scottish crews, encouraging the use of production facilities, providing significant opportunities for the professional development of producers and freelance crew based in Scotland and delivering a direct and significant economic benefit to Scotland. It seeks to do this by attracting large scale productions into the country, and maximising spend in Scotland. Its 2021/22 budget is £2 million.

As almost all films produced in the UK are produced via a “special project vehicle” or SPV, a company formed in the UK as the legal entity responsible for the film’s production, including the making of applications to Screen Scotland, the most efficient way to distinguish between domestic UK productions and those made for international production companies in Scotland is to look at the two distinct funding routes.

The Production Growth Fund awards funding to high-end TV productions as well as film production companies. The fund has been running since 2015 and £9.9 million in total has been awarded, which is estimated to have generated an economic benefit to Scotland of more than £140 million. Of the total awarded, £5.8 million has been to film production companies with an estimated economic benefit to Scotland in excess of £75 million.

Since 2012, the Film Development and Production Fund, together with its precursors operated by Creative Scotland, has awarded £37 million in aggregate towards the development and production of feature films (including feature length documentaries) by production companies and filmmakers based in Scotland. Before 2012, the systems used were those of Creative Scotland's predecessor bodies Scottish Screen and the Scottish Arts Council and data regarding the origin of applicants is not currently available. However, £19.4 million was awarded via equivalent production and content funding routes between 2007 and 2011.

Screen Scotland’s Screen Commission also offers specialist support to a wider range of international productions than those that secure funding, for instance with recce funding, which helps projects understand the quality and range of locations, infrastructure and crew available in Scotland.

Statistics on the number of patients waiting for reconstructive surgery following treatment for breast cancer are not held centrally by Public Health Scotland (PHS). In the case of patients waiting for inpatient or day case treatment the national Waiting Time data collection is designed to identify the procedure that the patient is waiting for. However, not all Boards submit this information consistently and so it is incomplete. In addition, no information is collected on the diagnoses or conditions that relate to the planned procedure.

Statistics relating to the waits patients experience for inpatient or day case admissions, at specialty level are published up to 31 March 2021 using the link below.

https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/8036/ipdc_may21.xlsx

Keep Scotland Beautiful has delivered a range of initiatives on the Scottish Government's behalf and has been allocated the following funding since 2016 to enable it to do so:

2016-17 £11,147,463

2017-18 £11,152,455

2018-19 £11,131,472

2019-20 £8,642,939

2020-21 £10,054,598

To date £1,555,145 has been awarded to KSB for initiatives to be delivered in this financial year