Chamber and committees

We announced the launch of the new Just Transition Commission and confirmed Professor Jim Skea as returning Chair on 15 September. Further announcements on the wider membership will be made in due course.

Our response to the previous Just Transition Commission’s report was published alongside Programme for Government and set out our ambitious agenda to achieve a fairer, greener future for all. We are determined to get this right for the people of Scotland, bringing all affected communities with us while learning from unjust transitions in our recent history.

The previous Commission called on the Scottish Government to pursue an orderly, managed transition through the creation of Just Transition Plans for high-emitting industries. In our response, we set out our approach to just transition planning across the Scottish economy and I want the new Commission to play a crucial role in this.

Our new Commission will be delivery focused. It will support (and scrutinise) the production and delivery of Scottish Government-led transition plans.

Specifically, the Commission will be tasked with:

• Providing scrutiny and advice on the ongoing development of Scotland’s Just Transition Plans, including the application of the planning framework, as they are developed;
• Advising on the most suitable approaches to monitoring and evaluation;
• Supporting the Scottish Government’s ambition to be a leader in the international community and to take decisions informed by international best practice;
• Meaningful engagement with those most likely to be impacted by the transition; hearing from a broad range of representative voices to help shape just transition planning in Scotland;
• Publishing an annual report to reflect on Scotland’s progress.

The projected cost of the overall campaign is £800,000 which is being funded by the Scottish Government‘s ‘Reducing Drug Deaths’ budget. We are working in partnership with Scottish Drugs Forum to deliver the campaign which will run until mid-November 2021.

In addition to widening awareness of naloxone, one of the main objectives of the campaign is to ensure that the general public know that overdose deaths are preventable and to address stigmatising attitudes regarding the lives of people who use drugs. Stigmatising attitudes impact on people’s sense of self-worth and therefore the likelihood that people engage with treatment which is an evidenced protective factor against overdose deaths.

The campaign is national and every area in Scotland will have an access to multiple elements of the campaign resource. However, it was crucial that lower socio-economic areas, areas with high rates of drug deaths, were identified and particular parts of the campaign, such as bill-board or bus-stop adverts, were closely located to community pharmacies where naloxone would be available.

The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) investment in NHS Research Scotland (NRS) clinical research infrastructure is supporting NHS Health Board participation in a number of COVID-19 vaccine trials to provide data for regulatory submissions for approval for use.

The CSO, NRS and health boards work closely with the UK Vaccines Taskforce to bring a range of vaccine trials to Scotland.

Regulatory approval and licensing conditions for the use of COVID-19 vaccines is a statutory responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

More information about the trials being supported by NHS Research Scotland is available at: COVID-19 vaccine studies | NHS Research Scotland | NHS Research Scotland .

We will work collaboratively with partners, communities and other stakeholders to take forward the ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the North East and Moray. The delivery of the Fund will exemplify our co-design and co-delivery approach that will be supported by a programme of broad engagement in the area. This Fund is a new commitment which will require detailed policy design work and implementation planning. We will provide further information on the process in due course.

The Just Transition Fund will support and accelerate energy transition, create good, green jobs and maximise the region’s future economic potential. We are determined to tackle climate emergency and mitigate the impacts of the transition on communities across Scotland, and we will work at pace to deliver our sectoral plans for a just transition.

The Arts Alive programme delivered a digital programme from the period of April-June 2021 which consisted of 3 residencies. The remaining residencies and school sessions, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be delivered in September-December 2021, as requested by schools.

The programme was delivered over 3 schools (see the following table)

All employees of Scotland’s National Performing Companies, which the Scottish Government funds directly and includes (a) the National Theatre of Scotland, (b) the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, (c) Scottish Ballet, (d) the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, (e) Scottish Opera and (f) Creative Scotland are paid at least or more than the National Living Wage.

We are working across the Common Travel Area to ensure that the vaccination certification scheme recognises people who were vaccinated in other countries in the Common Travel Area with a Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved vaccine. We will put in place, before the scheme goes live, an interim process to enable Scottish residents who have had a dose outside Scotland to have their vaccine record updated. People will be able to get a record of their vaccination from whichever country they were vaccinated in – this will be accepted in Scotland for entry purposes.

The Scottish Government expects everyone to be treated with consideration, dignity and respect when accessing and using NHS services. NHS staff will make every effort to ensure that the privacy and dignity of all patients are maintained in Scottish hospitals.

All patients should routinely be cared for in wards or bays which are for single sex occupancy. The Scottish Government provided guidelines and recommendations on the elimination of mixed sex accommodation in 1999 and 2000. Further guidance and direction regarding the provision of clinically appropriate single room accommodation in all planned new buildings and major refurbishments was provided in 2008 and 2010.

The Scottish Government is grateful to everyone who has volunteered for COVID-19 vaccine trials in Scotland. The clinical trials participants have made an important contribution in tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

The Scottish Government are committed to ensuring that these participants are not disadvantaged. Work is ongoing to ensure that vaccine status is correctly presented on the coronavirus vaccine database.

An interim letter was sent to study investigators to send on to participants, including those in the Valneva study, on 15 July advising how they can provide vaccination status. An updated letter is currently being prepared and will be sent out in the coming weeks.

The digital application to record the COVID-19 vaccine will be available from 30 September. Clinical trial participants who have received a licenced product and are un-blinded will be able to access the application. Other clinical trial participants will not have access to the application at this time. However, other measures are in place to provide proof of vaccination.

This includes a letter of support and subsequently participants will receive a hard copy Record of Vaccination which contains security features and 1-D barcode. This Record of Vaccination can be used across the UK. In due course, this will be replaced by a QR Record of Vaccination with a QR code.

Participants should receive a record of vaccination status and do not have to do anything. If they have not received it or have lost it, they should contact their Principal Investigator.

General advice is on the NHS Inform pages at https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/after-your-vaccine/get-a-record-of-your-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-status and https://www.nhsinform.scot/clinicaltrialparticipants .