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Yes, in summer 2021 our current vaccination status letters will be replaced by fully digital Covid Status Certificates to be used for outbound international travel. The World Health Organisation is currently developing international standards for this, and it is expected this will include either a QR code or 2D barcode. We are working across the Common Travel Area and our four nations to put in place our fully interoperable digital solution that aligns with these international standards being developed. This digital solution will also have an accessible option for those that need it, such as those who do not have a smart phone.

Glasgow City Council received additional discretionary funding of £769,000 to further help businesses affected by the increased period of level 3 restrictions from 17 May. Grants have already been paid and over 2000 businesses received additional support through this fund.

Following an extensive review of how best to deliver support to community networks, it was concluded that – despite helping to deliver a number of successful community projects – Community Broadband Scotland (CBS) was no longer the most viable model. As such, CBS was officially closed down in January 2018, with communities given the option of continuing with their own project with public sector support or being included in the Reaching 100% (R100) programme, with all 15 remaining pipeline communities opting for the latter option.

In total, 18 community projects received grant funding, totalling £2.1 million, through CBS – delivering a total of 1,490 connections. In financial year 2016-17, CBS grants totalled around £313,000. In financial year 2017-18, they totalled around £19,000.

Tim Hair, Turnaround Director of Ferguson Marine, updated the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on the delivery timetable and budget for vessels 801 and 802 in March 2021. The next of the regular quarterly updates on progress, as requested by the committee in their report on ferry procurement is expected at the end of June 2021.

The money we provide to NHS boards is provided to fund drug and alcohol services.

In 2018-2019 Ayrshire and Arran received £3,538,392 baseline funding to support the delivery of alcohol and drug services.

In addition, in 2018-2019 Ayrshire and Arran received £1,259,555 from Programme for Government allocation.

In 2019-2020 Ayrshire and Arran received £3,538,392 baseline funding to support the delivery of alcohol and drug services.

In addition, in 2019-2020 Ayrshire and Arran received £1,259,555 from Programme for Government allocation.

In 2020-2021 Ayrshire and Arran received £3,538,392 in baseline funding to support the delivery of alcohol and drug services.

In addition, in 2020-2021 Ayrshire and Arran received –

1. £1,878,903 from Programme for Government Allocation.

2. £ 260,970 from additional funding of £3 million made available to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships to support work to reduce drug deaths in Scotland.

3. £ 216,641 in funding through the Drugs Death Task Force,

We have declared that a national mission is required to tackle drug-related death and have committed additional funding of £50 million per year over the next session of parliament. This is in addition to baseline funding.

Details of funding to NHS Boards can be found here - Alcohol and Drug Partnerships: funding allocations - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Details of additional funding through Local Improvement Fund can be found here –

Local Improvement Fund: allocations - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Details of Additional funding for ADPs in 2020/2021 can be found here - Alcohol and drug partnerships: additional funding 2020-2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Neither the Scottish Government or any of its agencies have had engagement with David Moulsdale or his company Spring Depot SPV Limited prior to, or since the purchase of the St Rollox site.

Since the start of the pandemic, businesses have directly benefitted from £3.6 billion in support and the Scottish Government has provided more funding than the consequentials received to support businesses. The Scottish Government publishes statistics, management information & budget allocations relating to its Covid-19 business grants on its website at Coronavirus (COVID-19): business support funding statistics - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The next management information update is scheduled to be published on 11 June 2021.

The Scottish Government published its Drugs Strategy, Rights, Respect and Recovery in November 2018. This provides the framework for our work with national and local partners, including Police Scotland, to focus on prevention which will reduce the individual, family and societal factors which increase the likelihood of alcohol and drug use and related harm.

We work with our partners to focus and align efforts to ensure people across Scotland are and feel safe in their communities. To support this aim, the Scottish Government provides support and funding to national community safety organisations to champion and take forward community safety activities. This includes annual grant funding the Scottish Community Safety Network SCSN (£250,000 in 2021-22), Crimestoppers (£104,000 for 2020-21), Neighbourhood Watch Scotland (£118,000 for 2021-22) and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (£150,000 for 2020-21). Crimestoppers and Fearless run regular campaigns targeting drug related crime in Scotland. From 2020 this has included a focus on County Lines and the exploitation of children and young people who are coerced to move drugs across the country.

Local developments include the following:

The Scottish Government fund the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit (SVRU) who are currently working across the South and East Ayrshire local authority areas to help collaborative partnerships focused on supporting vulnerable individuals and families with multiple complex issues, including drug use. The SVRU have expanded their reach to the Wallacetown area of Ayrshire. The aim is to prevent violence by creating an environment where service providers work much more closely together in partnership, ensuring activity can be collaboratively focused on supporting vulnerable individuals and families with multiple complex issues, including drug use, to improve outcomes for the whole community.

The SVRU are also working with partners to test a Navigator model within Bowhouse Prison, Kilmarnock, to support inmates in their return to the community. The programme will address the individuals priority areas, identifying existing supportive networks as necessary. Crucial to this service is its ability to link with other providers and specialists such as addiction services.

In September 2019 a peer support pilot commenced in Ayr Police Office Custody Suite for arrested persons with drug or alcohol dependency. This was led by the Alcohol & Drugs Partnership and delivered by those with lived experience with the aim of better supporting those with addiction issues and encouraging them to engage with some of the local support groups in the area. The initial pilot ran until March 2020 and in that time 121 people were visited by a peer support worker whilst in police custody, with many taking up the offer of additional support. The pilot has seen some positive outcomes and is now in the final stages of evaluation with a view to a roll out across other custody suites in Ayrshire.

The South Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Strategy for 2019-24 details a number of strategic priorities:

• develop innovative approaches to engage those at risk of an alcohol or drug related death in services and support, including individuals experiencing a non-fatal overdose.
• develop innovative ways of providing support for individuals in prison settings, including individuals on remand, and strengthen throughcare support for individuals returning to the community.
• undertake a peer-led police custody referral pilot aimed at increasing engagement with vulnerable individuals affected by alcohol or drugs.

The Scottish Government does not hold any official information about the number of persons who may have undergone mesh removal surgery privately in the past and as a consequence, cannot confirm how many people may be eligible for reimbursement under the proposed legislation. The Government believes at the moment that there may be a very limited number of persons who have arranged such surgery in the past. If the Parliament approves the legislation that the Government plans to propose, arrangements will be made and publicised to allow for potentially eligible persons to apply for reimbursement.

The previous Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science was in regular contact with both the Employers’ Association and EIS-FELA in relation to the national dispute regarding instructor/assessor roles in the college sector, which has now been resolved.

The Scottish Government has been clear throughout this dispute that both the employers and trade unions must continue with negotiations in an attempt to resolve this situation, which is absolutely not in the best interests of our learners. EIS-FELA have suspended local industrial action at Forth Valley College to allow the matter to be referred to the National Joint Secretaries for review and I urge both sides to resolve this dispute without the need for further industrial action.

The Scottish Government remains firmly of the view that it is for the college unions and the employers to negotiate pay and terms and conditions voluntarily in the spirit of collaboration and co-operation. We do however continue to work with the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), who work closely with the sector, to ensure any actions taken are compliant with the Scottish Public Finance Manual, the SFC Financial Memorandum and are in line with Fair Work principles.