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Construction is a core sector of the Scottish economy which supports 143,000 jobs across Scotland. The report shows this is projected to continue to grow and recognises the need for a skilled workforce to support the sector.

Scottish Government is already taking action through:

Apprenticeships

During 2020-21 we supported 5,033 people into modern apprenticeships in the construction sector.

The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland to maximise apprenticeships and prioritise a recovery that protects and creates jobs and supports our young people.

Upskilling and Retraining through NTTF

NTTF will continue in 2021-22 and we will continue to develop the support available to the sector to meet new and emerging skills demands.

We will continue to work with the sector through our Skills agency, Skills Development Scotland, to ensure we’re supporting the sector to address skills shortages.

Supporting Transition to net Zero

A key aspect of future training and skills development will be the support to deliver our net zero ambitions, with heat in buildings a critical element.

The Scottish Government and the Fair Work Convention are taking action to embed Fair Work in the sector to help attract and retain workers and support skills.

We are putting in place a temporary arrangement to deal with such a scenario between 26 June and 11 July. In the event of extended play, and limited only to match days and the games where this occurs, closing time for hospitality premises showing the game will be extended up to 23:30 where required. This is not a blanket relaxation of the rules but a specific and pragmatic approach to facilitate safe viewing of full Euros matches. Guidance for the sector will be updated to reflect this temporary change.

The Scottish Government has been ready for some time to press ahead with the process to establish green ports. Despite our commitment to moving forward in partnership, the UK Government has failed to engage with us to publish a joint applicant prospectus. We have also yet to receive formal agreement from the UK Government about designating two green ports in Scotland, and that each will be able to access the same amount of seed capital funding as each freeport in England.

As a result, the Scottish Government is now inviting notes of interest from potential green port bidders in Scotland. This exercise will allow us to gauge interest for the development of green port policy in Scotland and will provide an indication of the geography and sectors likely to benefit. The notes of interest invited will be based on the content of the abridged draft applicant prospectus, published on the Scottish Government website in March, which also signposted the reserved offer available to all freeports in England. Further information on the call for notes of interest is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/policies/cities-regions/green-ports/

I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to set out the Scottish Government’s proposed next steps for delivering this policy and intend to hold a stakeholder engagement session on the 30 th of June.

The Scottish Government is committed to replacing the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion to ensure that future services are of a high quality and sustainable.

NHS Lothian submitted its review to the Scottish Government on 21 May 2021 and we have since accepted the review. The Scottish Government wrote to NHS Lothian on 9 June 2021 to invite it to submit an Outline Business Case (OBC) for the development of eye care services. This will be considered by Scottish Government’s NHS Capital Investment Group who will undertake a detailed review of the evidence provided.

Once an OBC is approved the next stage is submission of the Full Business Case (FBC) and construction normally begins shortly after approval of a FBC.

It is essential that the required due diligence is completed to ensure the best possible future services and facilities; and this will take time. We look forward to continuing to work with NHS Lothian to fully support them during this process.

a) Valneva has not received economic development funding to expand their manufacturing capacity from the Scottish Government, but have received account management support and advice from Scottish Enterprise.

b) The UK Government through the Vaccines Taskforce and (BEiS) has supported Valneva by providing funding for its early clinical trials and has also made a multi-million-pound investment to upgrade and expand Valneva’s Livingston manufacturing facility, as part of its supply agreement for COVID-19 vaccines.

Due to the commercially confidential nature of supply agreements, the UK Government is not able to disclose any further details.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00986 on 23 June 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

The international travel restrictions in Scotland currently apply to people arriving into or returning to Scotland. Anyone travelling to another country should make sure they comply with the relevant procedures where they are visiting. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advice on travel to Spain can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain .

The Scottish Government continues to advise caution when it comes to international travel. Given the risk of importing new cases variants, Scottish Government guidance remains that people considering travel to other countries should think carefully if it is essential. Travellers arriving in Scotland must follow the rules that apply depending on whether they have arrived from a Red, Amber or Green country. Spain is currently on the Amber list. The list of countries is kept under review and subject to change. Countries are classified based on analysis by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, according to a methodology agreed by the four UK Chief Medical Officers.

Children under 11 coming to Scotland don’t need to undertake a pre-departure test or mandatory testing on day 2 and 8 after arrival. Children between 11-18 do need to take these tests. Children of all ages are required to self-isolate for 10 days after arriving from an Amber country. Guidance is available online here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-international-travel-quarantine/pages/overview/ .

We are aware of the current shortages of both labour and materials facing parts of the construction sector. We are working with Construction Scotland and others to understand and address the factors behind this, which include the impacts of Covid and EU Exit.

For the pipeline of future affordable housing supply programme projects, we are continuing to closely monitor any issues around workforce shortages in the housebuilding sector. Through local working arrangements, Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with housing partners and are kept appraised of concerns.

Scottish Government is already taking action through:

Apprenticeships

During 2020-21 we supported 5,033 people into modern apprenticeships in the construction sector.

We have introduced an enhanced Adopt an Apprentice programme, to encourage employers to recruit and retain apprentices supporting the long-term future of work-based learning and the economy.

In December 2020, the Scottish Government introduced a £15 million Apprenticeship Employer Grant (AEG) as a short term, sharp stimulus response to the pandemic.

The Scottish Government will continue to work collaboratively with Skills Development Scotland to maximise apprenticeships and prioritise a recovery that protects and creates jobs and supports our young people.

Upskilling and Retraining through NTTF

In the last year, the National Transition Training Fund (NTTF) has funded a range of support through Scotland’s colleges and universities to provide upskilling and retraining support for both unemployed people and those already in the workforce.

NTTF will continue in 2021-22 and we will continue to develop the support available to the sector to meet new and emerging skills demands.

We will continue to work with the sector through our Skills agency, Skills Development Scotland, to ensure we’re supporting the sector to address skills shortages.

Supporting Transition to net Zero

A key aspect of future training and skills development will be the support to deliver our net zero ambitions, with heat in buildings a critical element.

Training in Energy Efficiency Transition Support and Heat Pump Training alongside training by the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre on Passivhaus construction has been successfully delivered.

The Scottish Government and the Fair Work Convention are taking action to embed Fair Work in the sector to help attract and retain workers and support skills.

Preliminary data indicates that in the Delta wave we are seeing a cohort of younger people in hospital with Covid.

The risk of COVID-19 in young children remains low.

Preliminary data indicates that in the Delta wave we are seeing a cohort of younger adults in hospital with Covid.

We do not recommend travelling to another area of Scotland to take part in an activity that is not permitted in your local protection level.

The risk of COVID-19 to young children remains low.