Chamber and committees

Since the Scottish National Investment Bank opened for business in November 2020 it has invested £55.5 million in line with its strategic missions. Details of the each of the Bank’s investments are published on the Bank’s ‘Our Portfolio’ page: https://www.thebank.scot/our-portfolio/ .

Criminal justice social work statistics show that there were 16,700 CPOs imposed in 2019-20 and of these, 70% had an unpaid work or other activity requirement. While unpaid work or other activity is the most common requirement imposed by the courts, there are eight other requirements that can be given as part of a CPO.

National criminal justice statistics are published annually which include information on the proportion of CPOs with unpaid work or other activity requirements. While the relevant statistics are monitored and analysed on an ongoing basis, the proportion of requirements imposed is a result of decisions taken by the independent courts.

It is up to the independent sentencing judge to decide the most appropriate sentence, including which requirements are most appropriate, based on all of the circumstances of the case – for example, the nature of the crime, information contained in the criminal justice social work report and what is most likely to prevent the individual from reoffending.

In certain circumstances, the court may consider that an order without an unpaid work requirement is the most appropriate sentence to address the offending behaviour and its causes. This is particularly the case where an individual has more complex risks and needs that need to be addressed and unpaid work may not be suitable.

An order without unpaid work must have supervision and may include specific requirements in relation to treatment of alcohol, drugs or mental health or a programme requirement such as the Caledonian programme. Conduct, residence and compensation requirements can also be imposed.

While the proportion of CPOs with an unpaid work or other activity requirement has declined in recent years, the proportion of orders with supervision requirements has increased over the same period. This suggests the needs and issues to be addressed may be more complex and for some unpaid work will not be suitable or appropriate.

We are developing a cross-government framework, the Wellbeing Economy Monitor, to be published later this year. This work is grounded in Scotland’s National Performance Framework, to track progress towards our outcomes beyond GDP. It includes developing the four capitals approach to ensure we take a longer-term view and are able to join up effectively across Government, noting the inter-dependencies across the social, economic, human and natural capitals.

The National Performance Framework also contains a diverse range of measures of success including a new biodiversity indicator.

We also need to take account of the impact of our economy on nature in other countries. Zero Waste Scotland’s material flow accounts ( https://zerowastescotland.org.uk/research-evaluation/material-flow-accounts-mfa ) is an example of this.

The Scottish Government welcomes the key messages of the Dasgupta Review, which is highly relevant and demonstrates the central importance of biodiversity and environmental sustainability to economic policy. There are no plans to publish an assessment of the Review.

Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation will be published later this year and will focus on building an economy that will maximise Scotland’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing whilst delivering green economic recovery and green jobs, and building businesses and industries of the future. In 2022 we will publish our new post-2020 biodiversity strategy which will outline wider measures being taken to enhance Scotland’s biodiversity and natural environment.

The Dasgupta Review is comprehensive and takes a global perspective, and we are not planning to undertake a Scotland specific review. The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing research into biodiversity, as set out in our ‘Environment, natural resources and agriculture research: strategy 2022 to 2027’. This includes plans to establish a Scottish Centre of Expertise in Biodiversity, which will advise policymakers across central and local government and public bodies, on how best to address biodiversity loss.

Close contact and retail premises and other sectors were aggregated from December 2020 in the context of payments of the Strategic Framework Business Fund and thereafter for top-up payments, and that was carried forward to the restart grants paid in April 2021, not least because close contact services tend to operate from adapted retail premises.

It is not possible to provide a definitive costing of the financial implications of increasing the levels of restart grants for close contact businesses. Initial analysis of potential costs was based on estimates of the numbers of close contact services premises developed by Scottish Government analysts, supplemented by further information on close contact service business numbers provided by individual Local Authorities. This analysis suggested that the costs of increasing grant rates for close contact services to those paid to leisure and hospitality premises could have been of the approximate order of an additional £20 million, over and above the package of financial support provided as part of the broader set of restart grants. However, this cost is an estimate, influenced by eligibility criteria, assumptions on uptake, and by information held by individual Local Authorities on the characteristics of the broader retail sector recipients of business support administered by them.

Restart grants were paid in April only.

The findings of the Dasgupta Review will inform the development of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, to be published later this year, and our new biodiversity strategy, to be published in 2022.

Full details of the projects funded through the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund in 2020-21 can be found on the VisitScotland website.

Rural Development Fund - Funding | VisitScotland.org .

Deployment of 5G in Scotland is being commercially led by the four main mobile network operators.

To support that rollout and accelerate adoption and use of 5G, we published a strategy in 2019 (available at 5G: strategy for Scotland - gov.scot ).

This states our commitment to embracing the possibilities of 5G and establishes what steps are needed to ensure Scotland seizes this social and economic opportunity.

As a core part of implementation of this strategy, in 2019 we established the Scotland 5G Centre to be a visible national platform supporting the development, deployment and commercialisation of 5G in Scotland.

COP26 will put Scotland on the global stage when leaders from around the world come together this November to take collective action in tackling the climate emergency. The opportunity to inspire and galvanise action with people across Scotland is clear. But COP 26 also presents a significant opportunity to showcase Scotland as a global leader in sustainable and inclusive economic development and to showcase our expertise in climate change solutions.

In the run up to COP26, Scottish Government, together with its enterprise agencies and VisitScotland, will be taking every opportunity to showcase the best of our business and tourism landscape. Our communication efforts will maximise the opportunity of COP in Scotland to enhance our progress to Net Zero through a Just Transition, and attract the innovation, investment and partnerships that will help us achieve this.

Across all of the venues during the conference, we will ensure that participating nations can see the best that Scotland has to offer. Clear branding and targeted marketing campaigns will show delegates, visitors and businesses what is distinctive about Scotland, whilst also demonstrating our climate leadership. Our Brand Scotland marketing platform will be central to the delivery of all marketing activity ahead of and during COP26.

We are also developing a number of partner toolkits to share with the media, our international network, external stakeholders and brand partners, all of which will seek to extend reach, awareness and advocacy around the event.

COP26 represents an opportunity for Scotland to showcase its green tourism credentials. With around 30,000 delegates projected for Scotland over the period VisitScotland are ensuring that people arriving in Glasgow will receive a warm welcome. COP26 also gives us an opportunity to enhance Scotland’s reputation in the longer term. We will use this opportunity to attract climate conscious tourists to enjoy Scotland’s amazing tourism offer.

During the event, our trade and investment focus will be on an exhibition and programme of events at our 1,750sqm Scottish Innovation and Investment Zone on Glasgow’s Cessnock Quay, adjacent to the UN Blue Zone and the UK Green Zone. Innovation and investment will drive the transition to Net Zero in Scotland, and globally. Our vision for the zone is of participation and conversations, on how we can collaborate to take action, with Scotland and our businesses at the forefront of that transition.

We will showcase Scotland’s businesses leading the way, demonstrating Scotland’s ambition and innovation. We aim to create an immersive experience where everyone can see a vision of a net zero future and real progress being made, with the promise of more to come. An outline programme will be published in the early autumn.

As well as delivering our own activities, Scottish Government is supporting UKG to ensure the successful delivery of COP26 in Glasgow and working closely with UKG partners to maximise our opportunities to promote Scottish solutions to the climate crisis. For example, the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise will be attending a Global Investment Summit, Building A Green Future Together , hosted by UK Government in London and Windsor in the autumn. This event in the run up to COP26 will showcase the pick of investment ready environmental businesses from across the UK, including several key Scottish companies, to a high profile audience of international investors. In developing our Scottish programme, we are looking as far as possible to align with the UK’s announced programme of theme days to produce a coherent experience for delegates and visitors. We will continue to look for areas where we can align with and enhance the UKG programme.

COP26 is not an end in itself. From a trade and investment perspective, we will use this event to accelerate our work on delivering our commitment to Net Zero, as set out in Scotland’s Vision for Trade . Net Zero is at the heart of our global capital investment plan, Investing with Purpose , and our inward investment plan, Shaping Scotland's Economy . By grasping this opportunity to showcase Scotland’s strengths and the economic opportunity presented by a just transition, the Scottish Government will further invigorate the transformation of our economy to address the global climate emergency.