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The issue of body-worn cameras is a policy and operational decision for Police Scotland, acting under the oversight of the Scottish Police Authority. However, as part of our budget allocation for policing this year, we have provided one-off funding of £500,000 to support their use by armed officers.

Police Scotland are currently running a public consultation on a wider roll-out body-worn video across the service which will assist them in protecting the public, their officers and staff and provide best evidence at court.

This consultation launched on the 1 June and is due to close on 31 August 2021. The results will help inform protocols, a code of practice and training to ensure that cameras are used in appropriate and proportionate way .

The Evaluation of the Scottish Strategy for Autism has been completed. The report is being finalised and is expected to be published soon.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving and embedding inclusive communication within Government and across public bodies, this is a focus of one of our Equality Outcomes for the 2021-25 reporting period, as well as being a 2020 PfG commitment. The Scottish Government intends all local services to be accessible to all citizens in Scotland, regardless of circumstances of an individual service user.

We believe that as professionals, Social Workers are best placed to make a professional judgment based on their assessment of need exactly what, if any additional support is required. This assessment will include consideration of need for Spoken Language Interpreters, British Sign Language and any form of verbal/non-verbal communication requirements.

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance and multiple benefits of appropriate tree planting and development of green spaces and we are working hard with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, to encourage and support these activities.

In terms of planning, measures in this area include The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, which requires planning authorities to prepare and publish a ‘forestry and woodland strategy’ setting out the planning authority’s proposals in their area as to the development of forestry and woodlands, including the expansion of woodlands of a range of types to provide multiple benefits to the physical, cultural, economic, social and environmental characteristics of the area.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) also states that ‘Planning should protect, enhance and promote green infrastructure, including open space and green networks, as an integral component of successful placemaking.’ SPP sets out that local authorities’ local development plans should seek to enhance existing and promote the creation of new green infrastructure.

Enabling redevelopment of vacant and derelict land has been identified as a key consideration and more information about this will feature in a draft National Planning Framework (NPF4), which will be laid in parliament in autumn 2021.

There are a number of measures in place to support local authorities in the planting of trees and development of green spaces. This year we opened our new £50m low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme to applications from all Scottish local authorities and Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company. It will help unblock the reuse of persistent vacant and derelict land, especially in disadvantaged areas, and bring forward opportunities for new green infrastructure, as part of place based approaches to regeneration and support to a just transition to net zero.

We are also investing in the quality of our greenspaces with the development of the Central Scotland Green Network, Europe’s largest greenspace project. Through this fund we have invested more than £7 million since 2010 in projects that are promoting active travel, woodland planting, community growing and restoring land.

The Scottish Government recently launched the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), which included £5 million going to Local Authorities to support new or existing projects that will help address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. These may well include tree planting and development of green spaces.

In the Programme for Government 2020-21, we announced our intention to pilot Miyawaki forests, which are also known as ‘tiny’ or ‘wee’ forests. These are small densely planted, fast growing woodlands largely planted in urban areas. The Scottish Government, alongside NatureScot, are currently exploring options for delivery, which will involve Local Delivery Partners, such as local authorities.

Scottish Forestry also offer grants to tenants and occupiers of local authority land who have a tenancy or occupancy agreement for 20 years or more to plant trees where the local authority has no plans to do so on the same area. Scottish Forestry also provide grants for creating a management plan for woodlands in and around towns (WIAT), and supports communities active on local authority land through the Forestry Development Fund.

Regulations revoking the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 were made today.

These new Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 will take effect on Monday, 9 August 2021.

The regulations provide that relevant hospitality and entertainment premises are required to obtain and record visitor information for the purpose of preventing the spread of coronavirus or monitoring the spread of infection and the incidence of coronavirus disease.

The regulations also require persons responsible for places of worship, carrying on a business or providing a service to have regard to relevant guidance issued by the Scottish Ministers about measures to minimise risk of exposure to coronavirus.

The regulations provide that persons in specified indoor places must wear a face covering unless a specific exemption applies.

The regulations require persons who use a passenger transport service or passenger transport service premises to wear a face covering unless a specific exemption applies.

The regulations cap numbers at live events at 5000 people for events held outdoors and at 2000 people for events held indoors subject to local authority approval of higher attendance limits in accordance with the process set out in the regulations.

The regulations provide for the enforcement of the regulations.

The regulations require Scottish Ministers to review the requirements at least once every 21 days and the regulations require Scottish Ministers to revoke any requirement as soon as it is no longer necessary.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2021/277

Police Scotland have advised that there are currently 256 body worn cameras in use within North East Division and 5 body worn cameras in use within Fife Division. These are in daily use and managed in accordance with Data Protection impact assessments.

In addition, Police Scotland have access to 50 body worn cameras available from legacy force areas, including the Football Policing Unit.

Police Scotland have confirmed that they are proceeding with the development and introduction of additional body worn cameras for armed policing officers in advance of the Climate Change conference COP26 in November 2021.

Challenging behaviour is often the result of extreme frustrations in communication and Scottish Government recognises the challenges this brings for everyone. Scottish Government, together with the Scottish Commission for People with a Learning Disability, established the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Community of Practice to embed the principles of PBS nationally and locally.

Alongside this, Scottish Government funded the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Postgraduate Certificate which is currently being delivered to a range of practitioners across Scotland to improve specialist skills locally, for the benefit of individuals and families.

Parallel to this is the work of the Scottish Network for Reduction of Restrictive Practices (SNRRP) in recognition of the fact that the use of restrictive practices with people who have been identified as vulnerable in Scotland, including children, adults, and older adults is a significant concern. The aim of the SNRRP is to eliminate the misuse of restrictive practices in Scotland and to ensure that where these are used, they are done so safely, with respect for people’s human rights, and in a culture of openness and transparency. The network also exists to promote the use of positive alternative approaches to the use of restrictive practices.

The Scottish Government is undertaking a range of action to support local authorities to promote positive relationships and behaviour in schools. This includes investment in various violence reduction preventative approaches with young people across Scotland, which take place locally through schools or the local community, curricular learning on positive relationships and support for a whole school approach to promoting positive relationships and behaviour.

There are currently 40 officials working full-time, or scheduled to begin working full-time on the delivery of COP26. There are also 23 officials currently, or scheduled to dedicate a percentage of their time to working on the delivery of COP26.

As set out on page 63 of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), we do not anticipate online retailers being adversely impacted by our DRS. The BRIA is available here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/deposit-return-scheme-scotland-full-business-regulatory-impact-assessment-2/documents/ .

It is vital to the success and fairness of our DRS that online retailers charge the deposit and provide a service to allow it to be redeemed and the container returned.

Our current Higher Education (HE) student support package provides a maximum income of £7,750, through a combination of bursaries and loans, for both young (those under 25 before the start of the academic year) and independent students (those over 25 at the start of the academic year) in the lowest income group, who are not care-experienced.

The Scottish Government has committed to a range of student support improvements including to expand the maximum total support package available to students over the next three years to reach the equivalent of the living wage. As part of that, consideration will be given to the financial support made available to both young and independent students.