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The Scottish Government has been reviewing the hybrid working policy for civil servants it employs and decisions on future arrangements will be announced shortly. Working from home can be more productive than working from an office. Hybrid meetings can be much more productive than in person meetings in many cases as they reduce travelling time between individual meetings.

Growing the economy is at heart of the Scottish Government's agenda. The First Minister has announced that the next Programme for Government will be published on Tuesday 6 May. It will be focused on targeted initiatives to boost Scotland’s economic prospects, now and for the long term – in particular sustainable and renewable energy resources – to draw in new investment and create rewarding and well-paid jobs.

The Scottish Government recognises that global economic conditions are creating a challenges economic environment for Scotland’s businesses. In addition, the Scottish Government has consistently called on the UK Government to reverse in full its decision to increase employer national insurance contributions from April 2025.

Recognising the challenges faced by the hospitality sector, in 2025-26 the Scottish Government is offering 40% relief for hospitality premises liable for the Basic Property Rate, with 100% relief for premises located on islands as defined by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 to tackle the specific pressures they face. A number of measures in the Budget will also benefit properties in the retail and leisure sectors including freezing the Basic Property Rate and the most generous small business rates relief in the UK.

The Budget provides capital investment in offshore wind, almost tripling the current support to £150 million and investment of £100 million will continue to rollout of the digital connectivity programmes across Scotland. Investment of over £2 billion in Scotland’s colleges, universities and skills system recognises their contribution to driving economic growth and to help ensure businesses have access to a skilled workforce.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-36866 on 6 May 2025. 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

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6O-04553 on 23 April 2025. All answers to Oral Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Official Report: search what was said in Parliament | Scottish Parliament Website

The Scottish Government’s decision-making for the flu vaccination programme continues to be guided by the expert clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI currently advises flu vaccination for those aged 65 and over, as well as at-risk groups. As such, we are not considering expanding the flu programme to the healthy 50-64 year old age group for winter 2025.

Scotland expanded its flu programme to those aged 55 and over in 2021, and then those aged 50 and over in 2022 and 2023, as part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to reduce pressure on the NHS in unprecedented times.

In winter 2024, as we moved beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, we reverted to the standard JCVI-advised groups, and healthy individuals aged 50-64 were no longer included. Those aged 50-64 who have certain underlying medical conditions remain eligible by virtue of their clinical risk status.

Aviation and airspace are reserved matters.

The Scottish Government is currently engaging with the Ministry for Justice on no fly-zone regulations across prisons. Considerations about extending regulations in place in England and Wales to Scotland are ongoing.

SPS, Police Scotland, HMPPS, and police forces from England and Wales are part of a cross-border tasking group. Recently, SPS met with HMPPS, NIPS, and the Irish Prison Service to discuss drone threats, share best practices, and develop mitigation strategies.

Any attempt to bring illicit substances into prisons threatens the health of those in custody and staff safety, which is why SPS collaborates with Police Scotland and deploys technology to prevent it, where possible.

Scotland does not have a mandatory curriculum. Instead, Curriculum for Excellence is a flexible framework for teachers to determine what they wish to teach and how, including providing learning and teaching about the Holocaust.

The Curriculum Improvement Cycle will begin the review of Social Studies this academic year, where all aspects of the social studies curriculum will be reviewed. Practitioners will play a central role in this process.

Scottish Government intends to provide estimates of the costs and benefits of the policies and proposals in the draft Climate Change Plan when that is published later this year. Information on the expected distribution of costs may not be available for all policies and proposals at the time of CCP publication but will be provided through the normal processes (impact assessments, financial memoranda) as the policies and proposals are developed and introduced over the coming years.

The Scottish Government is aware of the reports indicating that the cost of publicly funded care home beds in Scotland is higher than in England. This disparity is likely to be influenced by several factors, including differences in service models, staffing levels, and the geographical distribution of care facilities.

Myself and the previous Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills have supported the annual Vision Schools Scotland Awards ceremony by attending and contributing to the ceremonies where achievement of schools and pupils in Holocaust Education are recognised.

Since 2021, Scottish Government has provided £126,247 in funding to the Vision Schools Scotland programme to further support Holocaust education in schools. This includes funding up to £36,352 for the 2024-25 financial year.