Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Ferries Plan (2013-2022) published in 2012, following a 4-year review, set out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach for the provision and support of ferry services to 2022. It has led to increased frequencies and capacities on numerous routes, reduced fares and introduced new services. The Scottish Government has not specifically assessed the impact of these measures on resilience and intends to produce a progress report on the implementation and outcomes of the Ferries Plan as part of its work on the Islands Connectivity Plan.

The Scottish Government places great importance on public libraries and believes everyone should have access to these services. Libraries don’t just provide access to reading material. They play a crucial role in providing access to IT, improving attainment, supporting children in the early years, helping engage older people, and empowering our communities.

The Scottish Government is aware of the challenges facing Scotland’s Public Libraries and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on them, and recognises the way in which many library services have adapted quickly during the pandemic to support their local communities. Officials are working closely with the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), to understand current challenges and facilitate the sector’s recovery.

As of Friday, 4 June, 377 libraries were open, with 104 yet to reopen and these numbers are regularly changing. Officials understand from an update provided by SLIC on 4 June 2021,that 14 more libraries have signalled their intention to reopen soon. In some local authority areas, mobile libraries are operating where libraries are closed.

The Scottish Government has worked with the sector and local authority representatives to produce safer workplace guidance for public libraries to allow these services to be restored safely. The guidance has been updated on a regular basis responding to ongoing feedback from stakeholders and reflecting the latest scientific advice, to facilitate safer reopening. There may be a range of reasons that libraries have not yet reopened, including alternative usage during the pandemic (for example as testing centres) or ability to allow physical distancing within smaller buildings.

Public libraries are devolved to local authorities, who are best placed to decide what services can be offered. Scotland’s councils have been allocated an additional‎ £1.5 billion in direct support through the local government finance settlement and councils have also been granted additional financial flexibilities to address the financial pressures caused by COVID-19.

Furthermore, the 2021-22 Local Government Settlement of almost £11.7 billion provides a cash increase in local government day to day spending for local revenue services of £375.6 million or 3.5 per cent.

We advised in our consultation on the draft Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that all responses would be analysed, an analysis report published and the responses considered along with other evidence available to help progress our commitment to reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Work on the draft Bill, including the consultation analysis, was paused in April 2020 as a result of the pandemic. In November 2020, we announced that we were taking forward work so that the consultation responses would be analysed independently of Scottish Government.

Analysts commissioned by the Scottish Government to review consultation responses are required, under the procurement arrangements, to carry out a transparent, robust and systematic analysis of all responses. As a condition of the contract, they are also required to produce a balanced and impartial report for publication, ensuring that the full range and nature of views are presented.

We will publish the analysis report and the responses from organisations and groups, where we have permission to do so, in due course.

As live music takes place in a variety of settings, different guidance is applicable for different scenarios. The guidance for the performing arts and venues sector was most recently updated on 1 June 2021 and that for the events sector on 26 May 2021.

Performing arts venues can reopen in areas in protection levels 0 to 2, and both indoor and outdoor events can take place in levels 0 to 2. Such activity must follow the measures, mitigations and capacity limits as detailed in the performing arts guidance ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for the performing arts and venues sector - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ) and the events guidance ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): events sector guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ).

Separate guidance is also available for calculating capacities - Coronavirus (COVID-19): calculating physical distancing capacity in public settings - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and for applying for approval for to exceed the capacity limits in the published protection levels -

Coronavirus (COVID-19) stadia and live events guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Live background music in hospitality settings is permitted at levels 0 – 2. Any such activity must be done in accordance with the tourism and hospitality guidance, updated on 26 May ( Coronavirus (COVID-19): tourism and hospitality sector guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ).

The Scottish Government continues to work with the live music sector to inform guidance and advise on its application.

The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by emerging evidence that EU Exit is having a severe impact on the ability of Scottish companies to trade effectively and competitively with the European Union, with lasting consequences for our economy. We are aware of reports of material shortages and price increases within the construction sector and are working with industry and the UK Government to fully understand the current supply chain issues. These will be discussed in detail on 16 June at the next meeting of the Construction Leadership Forum which I will chair.

The Scottish Government will continue to work hard to address the problems and blockages faced by companies, where it is in our power to do so.

The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 removed the common law defence of “reasonable chastisement” from the law of Scotland on 7 November 2020.

That Act also provides that the Scottish Ministers are to take such steps as they consider appropriate to promote public awareness and understanding about the removal of the defence.

The Scottish Government has taken a variety of steps to achieve this, including:

• Information about the Act on gov.scot Information about the Act on Mygov.scot A dedicated page about the Act on ParentClub
• The publication of a news release
• Social media activity:
• The ParentClub Instagram account - post on the Act
• The ParentClub Facebook account - post on the Act
• Scottish Government education tweet about the Act
• Scottish Government tweet about the Act
• The creation and publication of promotional materials about the Act for parents and carers, and for children and young people
• The publication of an Easy Read factsheet about the Act
• Writing to organisations, including local authorities and health boards, with information about the Act:
• May 2020 letter
• October 2020 letter and framework document
• Arranged for information about the Act to be included in Ready Steady Baby

More generally, the Scottish Government is committed to supporting parents. The Scottish Government has run a marketing campaign which promotes positive parenting. This can be seen on the ParentClub website .

Working with the Implementation Group formed by the Scottish Government to consider work required to implement the Act, we will continue to explore options for raising public awareness and understanding about the removal of the defence.

It is for the independent court to decide whether to grant bail or remand an accused person in any given case. This decision is made within the overarching legal framework whereby bail can be refused if there are good reasons. Where the courts decide to release an accused person on bail, bail is awarded subject to conditions. These always include the standard conditions set out at section 24(5) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. Amongst others, these conditions include that the person: should not commit an offence while on bail; does not interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice; and does not behave in a manner which causes, or is likely to cause, alarm or distress to witnesses, including the complainer.

Breach of a bail condition is a criminal offence. Police Scotland treat all cases of stalking and harassment as a priority and encourage anyone to report incidents including where breach of bail conditions occurs. At any time after a court has granted bail to a person, if the prosecutor applies to the court, putting before it material which was not available when bail was granted, the court may review its decision to grant bail.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Action Against Stalking, which offers specialist support to victims of stalking throughout the criminal justice process, and provided funding to the Scottish Women's Rights Centre to develop the FollowIt App, which helps a person who is being stalked to record what is happening to them in a simple and safe way.

All of our decision making in the approach to responding to Covid-19 is guided by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) , advice from Health Protection Scotland and our Chief Medical Officer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

The JCVI priority groups are based on either vulnerability to Covid-19, or on interacting with (and therefore possibly spreading to) people who are vulnerable to Covid-19.

The JCVI’s recommendation continues to be that an age-based approach is the best way to address the risk of severe illness and mortality.

Calling people forward in age cohorts is operationally very simple and this process has already worked well during the earlier stages of the programme. This approach will be taken by the 4 Nations across the UK and we will continue to vaccinate as quickly as supplies allow.

We are adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from COVID-19 and is estimated to address over 90% of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is extremely important that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost. It would be a dereliction of our duty to the people of Scotland to deviate from the JCVIs expert advice.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with UK Government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), regarding support for touring musicians and others working in the sector, who are based in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. Ongoing discussions aim to ensure that support for touring musicians from the Scottish Government and UK Government is coordinated where necessary.

Scottish Government officials and representatives of Creative Scotland are members of the DCMS Touring Working Group, which is currently considering a range of options for supporting touring musicians based in the UK, and to mitigate the impacts of EU exit.

The Scottish Government has made clear to the UK Government that any potential UK-wide initiatives to support international touring must take a 4-nations approach, respecting the devolved nature of culture, and include a meaningful decision-making role for Scottish Ministers.

I am due to meet the UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture on 17 June 2021 to discuss international working in the culture and creative sectors, including how touring musicians and others working in the sector can best be supported.

The Scottish Government recognises the additional barriers that Scotland-based touring musicians are likely to face as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU, including the potential need for visas and work permits. We are working closely with the sector to consider urgently what additional support can be provided to musicians and others working in the sector to mitigate these barriers.

The Scottish Government has already provided funding for Arts Infopoint UK, which will provide advice and support to cultural and creative professionals on obtaining visas and other requirements for working in the UK.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to negotiate with the EU to seek visa- and work permit-free arrangements for cultural and creative professionals working in EU countries on a short-term basis, for activities including touring. Scottish Ministers are continuing to make the case for such arrangements to be sought in engagements with UK counterparts.