Seòmar agus comataidhean

In October 2021 I launched the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, providing an initial £15 million to support small scale, community mental health and wellbeing activities. In light of the very positive response to the Fund, and the number of high quality bids received, in February I provided an additional £6 million for this work in financial year 2021-22.

Since the launch of the Fund, the Scottish Government has worked with the 32 Third Sector Interface organisations across Scotland to support hundreds of grass roots, community groups to deliver programmes for adults which tackle priority issues such as suicide prevention, social isolation and loneliness.

Projects are being funded across the whole of Scotland, supporting activities involving sport, nature, the arts and community cafes. There is a clear focus on people who are more vulnerable and in need, including those facing social isolation, refugees, the LGBTQ+ community, and carers.

Officials are currently collating learning from year one of the Fund, which will be used to inform a further £15 million investment in the coming year.

The Scottish Government, in collaboration with the Scottish Energy Task Force, have committed to developing and publishing a Joint Business Plan for Unlocking Investment in Scotland’s Energy Sector.

This work is vital to identifying and overcoming many of the short-term barriers to decarbonisation and development of the energy system in Scotland, and enabling a green recovery from Covid-19.

I am pleased to say that the Joint Business Plan has now been published and is available here: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781804350119 .

The Scottish Government committed to publishing a refresh of the 2017 Energy Strategy. In parliament in June 2021, the Minister for Environment and Land Reform announced that a draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan (ESJTP) would be published in Spring 2022. This will now be published in Autumn 2022.

We are working to deliver the ESJTP in the context of a fast-moving energy landscape. The revised timeline will allow time for robust evidence and analysis to be produced and take account of ongoing projects, which are progressing at pace in response to the rapidly evolving global energy environment. The UK Government is due to produce an energy security strategy, which has been postponed, and we will also need to take this into consideration for Scotland’s Energy Strategy.

Securing a just transition for our energy sector is a non-negotiable aspect of our journey to net zero and the timeline will enable an extensive stakeholder engagement programme, ensuring we create a Just Transition Plan that is truly collaborative in its approach and design. The extended timescale will also allow stakeholders more time to engage in the process.

The construction of the A92/A96 Haudagain Improvement project is well advanced.

In December 2021 my predecessor announced a revised anticipated date for completion of works allowing roads to open to traffic by the end of March 2022. This revised completion date was based on the latest information reported by the Contractor at the time and was subject to no further disruption occurring due to events such as adverse weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Contractor has reported impacts to programme critical work since then due to adverse weather, including a number of high profile named Storms all having an impact on the works (Storm Malik, Storm Corrie, Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice) in addition to cold temperatures causing ground frosts that have prevented programme critical road surfacing works being progressed. This has been compounded by ongoing disruption to the workforce as a result of COVID-19, with over 40% of the on-site workforce having to isolate due to COVID-19 earlier this month, and continued supply chain issues.

In light of the above, I can advise that based on the latest information from the Contractor I now anticipate that the works will be complete to allow the new link road to open to traffic by mid-May 2022 at the latest, although the Contractor is hoping to achieve an earlier date if possible, subject to no further disruption occurring due to adverse weather or the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport Scotland will continue to engage with the Contractor to ensure that any risks to programme are mitigated where possible and to explore all opportunities to better this anticipated completion date.

The Red Rocks and Longay MPA which is located in the Inner Sound of Skye was designated as an Urgent MPA in March 2021, following discovery of the largest flapper skate nursery area in Scotland, with the site being deemed nationally important for the conservation of this critically endangered species. The protected area was further extended in December 2021 following survey work to establish the extent of the nursery. This MPA is being strictly managed using an urgent Marine Conservation Order.

An urgent MPA can only last for a maximum of two years, unless it is made permanent. In order to do this a public consultation needs to be undertaken. Today the Scottish Government will launch a consultation on proposals to make Red Rocks and Longay a permanent MPA with an associated Marine Conservation Order. The public consultation will seek views on the designation of the site and the management measures to be adopted. Following statutory advice from NatureScot that recreational and commercial hand diving for scallops do not impact on flapper skate, these activities will not be prohibited under the proposed permanent measures.

The public consultation will run for 12 weeks and can be responded to via https://consult.gov.scot/marine-conservation/red-rocks-longay-marine-protected-area

The Urgent Marine Conservation Order that is currently in place can only be in force for one year, unless extended for a maximum of one year. An Urgent Continuation Order, to ensure management measures for the Red Rocks and Longay urgent MPA remain in force whilst the public consultation is undertaken, will be laid in Parliament on Thursday 03 February 2022.

As NatureScot have advised that for flapper skate recreational diving and commercial hand diving for scallops are considered not likely to have an affect (other than insignificantly), the Scottish Government will take steps in due course to remove the prohibition of these activities under the Urgent Marine Conservation Order that is currently in force.

This means that the required protections for flapper skate and their eggs will remain in place at the Red Rocks and Longay Urgent Marine Protected area whilst the public consultation on the permanent site and final measures is undertaken. Following the public consultation, Ministers will make a final decision on the designation of the MPA and the adoption of measures to protect it through a Marine Conservation Order.

No appointments were cancelled as a result of the de-prioritisation of the flu programme. Appointments for co-administration of vaccines were then repurposed as the COVID-19 vaccine was still being offered. All scheduled flu appointments, especially those for the protection of more at risk individuals were administered.

The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Gregor Smith, wrote to health boards on 15 December regarding the COVID-19 vaccination programme and the de-prioritisation of the flu vaccination programme.

To summarise, on the basis that data from Public Health Scotland (PHS) suggests that the vast majority of those in high risk groups have already been offered the flu vaccine, and that uptake rates were already higher than the entirety of last years’ programme, health boards should cease co-administration of the flu vaccine alongside the COVID-19 vaccine programme within community COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

Health boards continue to offer the flu vaccine to those at risk who were routinely offered it prior to the pandemic. Flu vaccinations for these individuals should be offered through community pharmacies, midwives, GP practices as appropriate and opportunistically through domiciliary care and/or care home settings as appropriate.

The full contents of the letter can be viewed at: CMO(2021)37 - COVID-19 vaccination programme: supporting further acceleration of the booster programme (scot.nhs.uk) .