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We are concerned by suggestions of foreign interference in Scottish universities. Our universities are autonomous institutions and the alliances they forge across global academic networks are a matter for them and their governing bodies.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the level and nature of financial investment from China in universities in Scotland as universities are autonomous bodies.

We are committed to continuing to work with COSLA and Local Authorities to meet Scotland’s ambitious waste reduction and recycling targets, to promote a circular economy and tackle the climate change crisis.

In May we will publish a consultation on a route map outlining how we will deliver our 2025 waste and recycling targets in a way that maximises carbon saving potential to 2025 and beyond. As part of the development of the route map, we have looked at high performing recycling systems across the world, including Wales. COSLA and local authority representatives have been involved in pre-consultation development of the route map. We have dedicated, regular forums with Local Authorities and COSLA to progress our shared waste and circular economy objectives.

We also continue to work closely with all four UK administrations to deliver packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms, which will tackle excess packaging, and help fund improved local recycling collections of packaging waste from households.

Including glass in our Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will bring significant environmental and economic benefits. The inclusion of glass will save over 1.2 megatonnes CO 2 equivalent over 25 years. DRS will also reduce the amount of harmful glass litter in our environment.

Our DRS is designed to stand alone and our business case did not include any assumptions about the level of ambition of schemes in other UK nations. We will, of course, work with the other UK administrations to ensure that our schemes are interoperable, without jeopardising the ambition of our own scheme.

There are no current plans to deploy Operator of Last Resort (OLR) arrangements for Caledonian Sleeper services. Consequently, the Scottish Government has not undertaken an assessment of the costs associated with OLR at this time.

Transport Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers has contingency arrangements in place for OLR which could be mobilised in the event a franchise agreement is terminated or otherwise comes to an end and no further franchise agreement has been entered into, in line with the Scottish Ministers’ duty under Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993.

Guidance on Self-Directed Support during the Pandemic (updated and published on 11 March 2022) addresses the underspend of allocated budgets. The guidance states "Where Local Authorities or Health and Social Care Partnerships have concerns about underspend of allocated budgets, these should be reconciled in line with local contractual arrangements." Local authorities were notified of the updated guidance in a letter from myself on 11 March 2022.

Since the start of the pandemic the Scottish Government has provided local authorities with £240 million of additional investment, over two financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22), specifically for the recruitment of more education staff, and a further £145.5 million of permanent funding has been allocated from April 2022.

The recruitment and deployment of teachers is a matter for individual local authorities, and they are responsible for using available resources to provide a complement of staff, including Lead Teachers, which meets the needs of each of their schools and its pupils based on local needs and priorities.

Safeguarding our democracy is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government. This includes being an open, accessible and transparent government. Public officials, including Ministers, MSPs and councillors, are subject to Code of Conducts which provide a clear set of principles and standards for their behaviour, including how to avoid undue interference from external actors. We believe the public should have trust in those they elect.

There will be no delay to year one of the Just Transition Fund as a result of the revised timetable for publication of the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

There is no management fee payable under the Temporary Measures Agreement (TMA), instead there is a small, capped, incentive payment – linked strictly to performance.

As the performance payments relate to potential future revenues receivable by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited, this information is currently commercially sensitive.

Overall values will be determined following a full financial reconciliation after the end of the TMA term on 31 March 2023.

The Scottish Government is fully committed to promoting Fair Work practices throughout Scotland and will continue to press the UK Government for the full set of powers around employment law in order to allow us to fully deliver our Fair Work ambitions, including replacing the National Minimum Wage (NMW) with the real Living Wage as set out in the Fair Work Action Plan. The Scottish Government also supports the abolition of the apprentice rate and a move towards the real Living Wage for all apprentices.

The Scottish Government, as an employer, has an on-going commitment to supporting payment of the real Living Wage in our public sector pay policy in a manner consistent with the terms of the living wage foundation accreditation scheme.

The pay policy applies directly to staff within over 50 public bodies, however the Scottish Government would encourage all public sector workforces to take a similar approach.