Seòmar agus comataidhean

We recognise the importance of engagement in developing the Climate Change Plan. We are planning for engagement with stakeholders in 2023. This is in advance of the draft Climate Change Plan being laid by the end of 2023 – for a period of at least 120 days of scrutiny - and a public consultation which will commence at the same time. In addition, we will publish an engagement report alongside the new draft Climate Change Plan to 2040 to provide detail around this engagement.

The Scottish Government’s Public Engagement Strategy for Climate Change - Climate change - Net Zero Nation: public engagement strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) - sets out the importance of widespread participation and engagement in addressing the climate emergency.

Achieving our emissions reduction targets requires a societal transformation that goes beyond incremental behaviour change. There are currently 29 research projects being managed through ClimateXChange, totalling £1.2million. Many of these will inform our approach to the Climate Change Plan, including a project to identify points of intervention with the potential to influence multiple, interlinked social practices.

Our universities are autonomous institutions and the alliances they forge across global academic networks are a matter for them and their governing bodies.

However, we expect all universities to understand and manage the reputational, ethical and security risks associated with international partnerships. This includes conducting appropriate due diligence before entering into new international partnerships and monitoring existing partnerships. Guidance to support universities has been published by Universities UK.

Following the Minister of State for Security, Tom Tugendhat's statement in the House of Commons on 1 November 2022 reiterating UKG's pledge to close all Confucius Institutes, my officials have increased their engagement with UK officials in order to understand the impact that this policy shift will have for Scotland.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The data requested is not centrally held by the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government have commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) and National Services for Scotland (NSS) to undertake a programme of work to extract regular GP in hours activity data from GP systems. This data will be published for the first time by PHS on 6 December 2022 and will include a breakdown between activity by (1) GPs and (2) other clinicians.

Discussions are ongoing with PHS and NSS on the next phases of the programme of work.

This year’s winter vaccination programme has enjoyed very high uptake to date. According to the latest data, 87.8% of older adult care home residents, and 83.0% of those aged 65 and over, have received a winter COVID-19 vaccination.

Nevertheless, we are continually exploring ways to build on these very promising levels of uptake. We have undertaken a range of national communications and engagement activity to further encourage uptake, as well as supporting Health Boards and other partners with local activity.

We have embedded inclusivity as a key aspect of the vaccination programme from its outset, working alongside health boards and other partners to encourage uptake, remove barriers and respond to evidence of low uptake in certain communities, including those from more deprived areas.

There is capacity right across Scotland to get vaccinated, and I would encourage all those eligible for COVID-19 and flu vaccinations this winter to come forward.

This year’s winter vaccination programme seeks to protect those at the highest risk of severe illness and hospitalisation from COVID-19 and flu, and reduce pressure on the NHS and social care services.

Ensuring accessibility for the most vulnerable has, therefore, been central to our approach throughout the vaccination programme.

In line with this, instead of the large-scale vaccination centres used in previous programmes, this winter we are offering smaller, more local clinics to facilitate access and minimise travel times to appointments.

Housebound patients have been vaccinated in their homes, with some health boards utilising the Scottish Ambulance Service to support this. Health boards may also offer support to patients with limited mobility in travelling to their vaccination appointment. Details of this can be found on the NHS Inform website.

Scotland is making excellent progress in the winter vaccination programme, when compared to the other UK nations. The latest published figures show that, as at 6 th November, Scotland has provided 87.8% of older adult care home residents and 55.7% of those aged 50 and over with a winter COVID-19 vaccine.

While differences in the way statistics are collected means that the figures are not always directly comparable, England has reported an uptake of 58.0% among older adult care home residents, and 53.5% among those aged 50 and over as at 6 th November.

Scotland’s winter vaccination programme also compares favourably to that of Wales, where, according to the latest data, 80.4% of older adult care home residents and 53.0% of those aged 50 and over have taken up the offer of a winter COVID-19 vaccination.

The information asked for is not fully available at this time. The Scottish Government intends to issue a proactive release on its attendance and expenses incurred.

The Scottish Government strongly opposes the immigration health surcharge (IHS) and believes it should be removed, despite receiving £20.8 million in Barnett consequentials from it in 2018. Increasing the surcharge to £624 in 2018, more than three times the cost, was morally wrong.

The Scottish Government remains deeply concerned that multiple unnecessary immigration charges could make Scotland a less attractive destination for skilled workers and international students and impact student retention rates on the Graduate visa. Scottish Ministers have, and will continue to push the UK Government for an immigration system that meets Scotland’s needs

The Scottish Government regularly engages with universities on matters impacting the sector.

Whilst the reinstatement of the Graduate Route in 2021 was welcomed, it remains clear that the UK Government’s immigration policy does not address Scotland’s economic, demographic and social needs.

In absence of a UK Government equivalent, the Scottish Government is developing, and seeks to pilot, a student retention programme, aiming to reduce the flow of students outside Scotland once they have completed further/higher education.