Chamber and committees

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.

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.

Including glass in our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. The inclusion of glass will save over 1.2 megatonnes CO 2 equivalent over 25 years. DRS will also reduce the amount of harmful glass litter in our environment.

In addition, DRS will significantly increase the quantity and quality of glass recyclate, creating an aggregated and high-quality feedstock for reprocessing. This will include clear glass which we understand to be in high demand.

The Scottish Government does not hold information which provides a breakdown of spending on initiatives to promote the re-use of electrical waste.

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: -

The Scottish Government has today introduced legislation to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004, to ensure the process by which a trans person can obtain legal recognition is simplified, in line with the commitment made in the 2021/22 Programme for Government and the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Shared Policy Programme.

The Scottish Government’s 2021/22 Programme for Government commits to work to ensure that a legitimate and constitutional referendum can be held within this Parliamentary term, if the Covid crisis is over, and that a detailed prospectus for an independent Scotland will be prepared to allow the people of Scotland to make an informed choice over their future.

The work to prepare an independence prospectus is being co-ordinated by the Constitutional Futures Division within the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. This division is currently comprised of one Senior Civil Servant and thirteen other officials (12.9 FTE).

The work to take forward referendum legislation will be co-ordinated by a team in the Elections and FOI Division, also in the Constitution and Cabinet Directorate. The team is currently comprised of three officials.

The staff numbers may change as the work programme evolves. Both streams of work will also draw on other civil servants who will contribute to varying extents as part of their wider responsibilities in supporting the Scottish Government.

As civil servants are not required to record the time spent on individual tasks we cannot provide a figure for total staff hours spent on taking forward these commitments.

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.

Session 6 has seen a change in the nature of the items that the Chamber Desk processes. In particular, the number of Urgent Questions being lodged has increased significantly. This had had an impact on the previous pattern of work undertaken by the Chamber Desk. When Urgent Questions are submitted, they are given priority due to the timeframe for such questions to be taken if selected and only selected questions are published. This, combined with the necessary prioritisation of oral questions and motions and amendments for debate, has resulted in a longer turnaround time for written questions than Members will previously have been used to.

To respond to these changes in demand and pattern of work, additional staffing resources have been deployed to the Chamber Desk. Due to the specialist nature of the services provided by the Chamber Desk, the impact of these additional resources will not be immediately realised as staff require to undertake training and familiarisation with the role. However, the position is being actively assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure that questions and motions are processed in the timeliest manner possible. We are grateful for Members’ forbearance while the necessary training is undertaken.

Public library services in Scotland are devolved to local authorities which have a statutory duty to secure the provision of adequate library facilities for all persons resident in their area.

The Scottish Library and Information Council has provided data on the number of libraries in Scotland, England and Wales, based on data compiled by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA). The data covers the period 2010 to 2020; we do not hold information on the numbers of libraries dating back to 1999. In Scotland, no libraries permanently closed in 2020-21. We do not have figures for England and Wales for this year.