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The Scottish Government recognises the importance of mobile and broadband connectivity for almost all aspects of everyday life which is why we are working closely with BT, Ofcom, UK Government and other network operators to ensure the migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital based services is as seamless as possible.

It is important to note that resilience of the Communications Sector, which includes telecommunications and internet, is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government

It is also important to note that the move to digital based services is an industry-led decision and process. This decision to upgrade the legacy PSTN network is driven by the increased difficulty in maintaining the current network, due to reduced availability of replacement parts and the reduction of expertise in aging analogue systems.

The telecoms regulator (Ofcom) have imposed a regulatory obligation on communications providers in General Condition A3 to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations for their customers.

Through the Scottish 4G Infill programme, we are investing £28.75 million in future-proofed infrastructure to improve access to 4G services for some of Scotland’s rural and island communities. The programme is targeting total notspots, areas where there is no outdoor coverage on any 4G network.

At present, the Scottish 4G Infill Programme is providing future-proofed, 4G mobile infrastructure at 25 locations across Scotland, from New Luce in Dumfries and Galloway to Reawick on Shetland. Up to 55 sites will be live and providing service by the end of the programme in 2023.

During Storm Arwen, telecoms operators were quick to respond, deploying emergency response teams that provided mitigating measures such as backup generators to affected sites.

Local Resilience Partnerships also provided welfare centres and offered Wi-Fi and mobile phone charging facilities where possible.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a Review into the response to Storm Arwen which aims to learn lessons and improve the response to power outages and associated impacts like those experienced in November 2021.

We will continue to press the UK Government and the regulator (Ofcom) for assurance that increasing resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

The original FOI request and the subsequent review were handled by the Scottish Government in compliance with its statutory obligations under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA). Where any requester is dissatisfied with the outcome of a review, there is a clear statutory route by which they may appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner, within six months. Any new request received by the Scottish Government would be considered afresh, in compliance with our obligations under FOISA.

A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016.

A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here:

( https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2021/07/foi-202100216003/documents/foi202100216003---information-released-2/foi202100216003---information-released-2/govscot%3Adocument/FOI202100216003%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B2.pdf ).

The ‘’wider group’’ referred to by the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise is Liberty Steel Dalzell Limited's parent company.

The Scottish Government has not carried out an overarching assessment of the typical environmental remediation costs for sites of former steelworks in Scotland. Due to Scotland’s long history of iron and steel making such activity has taken place in a range of locations and circumstances over differing time periods and has involved many different processes and scales of production. Hence land remediation costs at any particular former steelworks site will depend on a multitude of site-specific factors and the owners’ planned future uses of the land.

A soil and groundwater contamination liability assessment covering the Lanarkshire steelworks was prepared for the Scottish Government in 2016.

A copy of the report with redactions in line with FOISA exemptions is available from the Scottish Government website here

( https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/foi-eir-release/2021/07/foi-202100216003/documents/foi202100216003---information-released-2/foi202100216003---information-released-2/govscot%3Adocument/FOI202100216003%2B-%2BInformation%2Breleased%2B2.pdf ).

I am unable to confirm on the basis of Section 2.38 of the Ministerial code. Ministers must not divulge either who provided the advice or its contents (whether it is from the Law Officers or from anyone else). This applies to all forms of legal advice, including advice on a particular subject or advice associated with clearance of a document.

Referrals of this nature to the European Commission can only be made by the member state.

Channels of communication between the Scottish Government and Tata Steel UK remain open so both parties are aware the other’s position on this commercially sensitive topic.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No.3) Regulations 2022 amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (“the principal regulations”) and will take effect on 28 January 2022 at 05.00 am.

The Amendment Regulations amend exemptions from face covering requirements in the principal regulations which exempt a person from face covering requirements in certain indoor places where a specific distance is maintained between the exempted person and other people or where they are separated from other people by a partition. This changes the distance to be maintained between persons who are not wearing face coverings from at least two metres to at least one metre – this includes

• employees and volunteers in certain places
• a person leading an act of worship in a place of worship
• a person leading a funeral, marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration
• parties to be married or entering into a civil partnership
• a person performing, presenting, addressing a public gathering, making a speech or acting as a panel member and;
• a person performing or rehearsing for a performance where certain circumstances apply.

The Regulations also amend the requirement that a face covering must be worn in any indoor communal area in a workplace, where there is no partition, or where people are not otherwise separated by a specified minimum distance, to change the specified minimum distance between persons who are not required to wear a face covering from at least two metres to at least one metre.

The Regulations also exempt a person travelling on a ferry, who is not outdoors, from wearing a face covering where a distance of at least one metre is maintained from other persons, as opposed to at least two metres.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2022/29 .