Seòmar agus comataidhean

It is too early to assess whether there will have been any implications for crimes involving persecution of raptors from the introduction of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance which is helping to slow down the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

Police Scotland’s Wildlife Crime Officers continue to operate and to investigate reported wildlife crimes.

On 9 April 2020, the Scottish Government released a statement setting out what exercising rights of responsible non-motorised access to land under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 means during the Covid-19 emergency. The full statement is available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/ministerial-statement-on-access-rights-during-covid-19/ .

This statement makes clear that responsibility in exercising access rights has always been at the core of access policy. Exercising access rights responsibly means respecting the needs of other people and we have advised access takers that they will need to adapt their behaviour in the national effort to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Under The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 2) Regulations 2020, people are only allowed to leave their homes for certain reasons. These include taking exercise, once a day, locally. When taking exercise, time spent outdoors should be minimised and people should stay two metres apart from anyone outside of their household.

People should make use of paths, open spaces and quiet roads in their own local area, for example a short walk, a run, or a short bike ride. People should not be driving to other locations to exercise.

For some people, their daily permitted local exercise might involve taking a short bike ride using a mountain bike. This is permitted providing that people comply fully with the Regulations and the published Coronavirus guidance.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of ensuring void properties in the social housing sector are made available to those in most need at this time. That is why we have jointly with COSLA issued allocations advice and information to support the housing sector.

This incorporates the most recent public health guidance to help landlords mitigate the challenges they face as a result of Covid-19 and supports them in making allocations safely.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-allocations-advice-and-information-for-the-housing-sector/ .

The Scottish Government has no powers to compel supermarkets to use home delivery services only for specific groups of people.

There is unprecedented demand for online supermarket deliveries and we are working closely with supermarkets to provide priority access for those at the highest clinical risk from COVID-19 - those who are ‘shielding’. From 9 April, people in this group have been able to request that their details are passed to supermarkets so that they can be offered priority access if they need it, and these deliveries have begun.

There are many people who are not in the clinically highest-risk ‘shielded’ group, but are otherwise vulnerable, for example people aged over 70 and people who receive the flu jab for health reasons. Supermarkets have increased their delivery capacity however it is not sufficient to cater to the size of this group, and so we are working to ensure other support is available, for example through the £70m Food Fund.

We are in continued dialogue with retailers to see what further action may be possible in relation to supporting vulnerable groups, and we are also aware that some supermarkets are already offering priority delivery slots for older people.

The Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change held its first Stewarding Group meeting on 2 March 2020. Since this meeting, the Assembly’s Secretariat has been developing proposals on how the Assembly will operate including the size and duration of the Assembly, how to recruit Assembly Members and what selection criteria to use to ensure the Assembly is representative of the people of Scotland and also governance arrangements for the Assembly. Consideration is also being given to options to adapt proposals in line with evolving understanding of the Covid-19 pandemic. These proposals will be discussed at the second Stewarding Group meeting which is scheduled for 30 April 2020.

The Secretariat is preparing contracts for procurement of professional design and facilitation services, member recruitment and communications. Some work to identify venues has been completed, but procurement is paused in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government and Food Standards Scotland have put in place a system to support the shielded population; that is those that are high clinical risk living in Scotland.

This service is being provided by two food distribution companies – Brakes and Bidfood - and Local Authorities via local resilience partnerships. We are also working with supermarkets, Tesco, Asda, Morrison’s, Iceland, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s along with National Health Service colleagues, to facilitate priority access to online supermarket delivery slots for those that fall within this high clinical risk group. Text messages were issued to shielded individuals on 9th April and the process of priority online deliveries has commenced.

Vulnerable people can also contact their Local Authority via an established helpline to facilitate local access to food.

The Scottish Government is determined to support businesses during this time, and we are offering a package of support worth £2.2 billion for businesses who can now claim rates relief and apply for one-off grants to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Estate agents will be able to benefit from the 1.6% universal rates relief in 2020-21, which will apply automatically to their non-domestic rates bills.

Small estate agents claiming the Small Business Bonus Scheme or Rural Relief may also be eligible for a £10,000 one-off business support grant in 2020-21.

We welcome the common sense decision to postpone COP26. Given the global health and economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that hosting an international conference in November would be difficult if not impossible. The decision also means that much needed resources can be focussed on the immediate task of saving lives and protecting the economy.

It is critical that COP26 increases global ambition to tackle climate change. The Scottish Government hopes that a date can be agreed shortly that allows the world to focus on the immediate priority of Covid-19 ensuring an ambitious COP26 can be delivered.

Waste charges are the responsibility of individual local authorities and therefore any relief from charges for depositing waste at council facilities is a matter for local authorities to decide upon.

The Scottish Government remains committed to developing the circular economy in Scotland, including opportunities to promote reuse. We are continuing to pursue a number of key initiatives including the Circular Economy Investment Fund to stimulate business innovation; the ‘Revolve’ reuse quality standard for shops selling second-hand goods; and our Food Waste Reduction Action Plan.