Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have decided to publish my reference to the Supreme Court made under paragraph 34 of schedule 6 to the Scotland Act 1998. The reference is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/reference-to-supreme-court-whether-the-question-for-a-referendum-on-scottish-independence-contained-in-the-proposed-referendum-bill-relates-to-reserved-matters

Yes. The post was filled in 2021.

The COVID-19 Ventilation Short-Life Working Group (SLWG) reported to the Scottish Government at the end of March 2022. Following due consideration, we published our response to the SLWG recommendations on 29 June 2022, as part of a wider update to all MSPs on our progress to deliver COVID-19 adaptation commitments in the COVID-19 Strategic Framework update. A copy of that letter can be found on the Scottish Government website here .

The SLWG made ten recommendations aimed at improving: awareness of the contribution ventilation has in reducing the risk of transmission; regulations; guidance; technical skills; and air quality in buildings. Work is in hand to take forward these recommendations. We are prioritising actions that can be taken quickly to improve ventilation ahead of this winter to improve our resilience against COVID-19 and other infections.

A Women’s Health Plan Implementation Programme Board has been established to ensure that progress is achieved against the actions within the Plan.

Good progress is being been made against the actions in the first year of the plan. A first progress report, which will update on these achievements, will be published in Autumn 2022.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-09221 on 28 June 2022. 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 consultation document will be published on the Scottish Government’s website on 4 July at 10 am.

https://consult.gov.scot/agriculture-and-rural-economy/land-reform-net-zero-scotland

Prompt payment of suppliers is critical to the sustainability and resilience of our supply chains, particularly our SMEs. Paying suppliers on time, in full and within a maximum of 30 days also supports our economic recovery and growth. The Scottish Government refreshed the 2009 prompt payment policy earlier this year, consolidating existing guidance and providing advice on how public bodies may choose to track and monitor payment performance. This updated policy sends a clear message to industry that late payment is not acceptable for the Scottish Public Sector.

The Scottish Government has been contacted directly and indirectly by 6 local authorities with resource concerns in relation to complying with this policy, mainly regarding the resource required to monitor prompt payment through the supply chain.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-01935 on 24 June 2022. 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 consultation paper on restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt will be published on the Scottish Government website at http://www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781804356241 and on the Citizen Space portal at https://consult.gov.scot/population-health/restricting-price-and-location-promotions-on-foods on 1 July 2022 at 10am.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks, closing on 23 September 2022.

I met with Solar Energy Scotland (SES) in February, with the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth meeting with them in May. In addition to ministerial meetings, officials have also been meeting with SES regularly, and they have been invited to join the Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group (RESLG). Continued official engagement is planned over the summer as the solar vision develops. The solar vision will form part of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will be published later this year.