Chamber and committees

In November 2022, we published the report ‘Attitudes to family formation in Scotland’ . The purpose of this study was to update the evidence base with regards to attitudes to family formation and ideal family size, to formulate a current and more nuanced picture with regards to fertility in Scotland. The Ministerial Population Taskforce is currently considering next steps for this strand of work, including comparing this position to other countries, in both urban and rural areas.

The Scottish Government has no formal role in the Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme which is a joint venture between the UK Government and the UK's four main mobile network operators.

However we fully recognise the need to ensure that SRN deployment in Scotland is maximised whilst being cognisant of the importance of Scotland's natural environment. In order to improve communications between SRN programme leads (both UK Government and industry) and key Scottish stakeholders including the National Parks and NatureScot, we have organised and participated in direct discussions with these parties. We encourage the SRN programme to explore these issues with all relevant stakeholders through improved engagement and to determine mutually acceptable outcomes.

We have also shared with the SRN programme our experience and learning gained from our Scottish 4G Infill programme, which has deployed 55 masts to serve rural and island communities. This learning includes the importance of thorough local stakeholder engagement at the mast site selection and acquisition stage.

The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibits pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, and gives local authorities the relevant powers to enforce these new provisions. To support these provisions, a suite of regulations is required to bring the new legislation into force.

The first of these regulations regarding the Exemption Order Procedures that local authorities must follow, was laid in Parliament in December 2022. The second set of regulations which will help define how a local authority can issue a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) to someone found to be in contravention of the new national prohibitions are currently laying in Parliament and are due to come into force on 11 December 2023, if approved.

As such no PCNs for the new parking prohibitions have as yet been issued as the regulatory procedures have not been in place.

The SPCB provides a free school engagement programme.

Our Education Services staff deliver sessions and tours at the Parliament, online, and visit schools across Scotland.

Digital and outreach education sessions are popular and especially appreciated by those who don’t want to travel to Edinburgh or who find coming to Edinburgh to be too challenging.

Last school year, we reached schools in 69 out of 73 constituencies, and we are continuing work to grow our engagement with schools.

In June, the SPCB commissioned a review into how best to deliver our education services in the most effective and inclusive way post Covid.

As part of this review, our education team is engaging with schools from across Scotland to fully understand their barriers to accessing our services.

Evaluations from the last school year show that the barriers include cost but also things like time and staff availability.

The SPCB will consider the matter again early in 2024.

To enable all Members to take part in events and recognising that parliamentary business needs to take precedence, events do not take place at the same time as parliamentary business in the chamber.

However, the SPCB recognises that events involve a great deal of advance planning and that individuals may travel some distance and give up their time to be able to attend.

So when business runs late, parliamentary officials will work with the event organisers to ensure refreshments are served to event guests and they can go to the room where the event is taking place and meet with Members, where possible.  However, speeches should only take place once parliamentary business is concluded so all Members have the opportunity to hear them.

This pragmatic approach appears to be working but we continually keep this under review.

The SPCB takes very seriously its responsibility for the wellbeing of its staff.  That’s why it approved a Positive About Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy which applies to MSPs, their staff and SPCB staff.  In support of this policy the SPCB has put in place a number of measures including our Employee Assistance Programme and online resources, self-assessment tools and intranet links to external resources.  Our People and Culture team support MSPs, their staff and SPCB staff to access the help that they need, when they need it.

The Parliament’s Energy Performance Certificate was last updated in 2019 and is renewed every 10 years. The Energy Performance Certificate is displayed at the Visitors Desk and is available on the Parliament’s website. The Parliament achieved a C rating which is a good score but leaves room for improvement. Measures are being adopted to improve the energy efficiency of the building as part of the Carbon Management Plan.

As part of the annual budget cycle, the SPCB considers the indexation for uprating of all provisions, including staff cost provision. The index to be applied is a matter for SPCB judgement rather than automatic application and will be confirmed when the SPCB submits its budget for consideration to the Finance and Public Administration Committee in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government continues to progress work towards the elimination of cervical cancer in Scotland, in line with the targets set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This work has included the introduction of a one-dose schedule of the HPV vaccine, increasing screening uptake and continued investment in treatment.

In 2024, the UK National Screening Committee is expected to make a recommendation on the use of cervical self-sampling in the screening programme. In Scotland, a working group is assessing potential models and understand any changes that would be required to the screening programme to support an initial roll-out. This work continues to be informed by the wider UK and global research.

The Scottish Government wants a strong manufacturing sector, one which is innovative, thriving and international looking. We are supporting our manufacturing companies to increase their output, sustainability and efficiency through a range of funding programmes and initiatives.

Our £75 million investment into the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland represents a real investment in our manufacturing sector’s future; helping both our large and small manufactures to unlock productivity gains through developing new products and processes and transforming their skillsets. Twelve Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund projects are also delivering free support to SMEs.