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Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and its predecessor Forest Enterprise Scotland have acquired the following under the New Woodland Investment Programme (2017 - 2021) / Repositioning Programme (2007 – 2016):

The Scottish Government has carefully considered the findings of the review by Laura Dunlop QC, James Hamilton’s Ministerial Code inquiry and the Scottish Parliament Harassment Committee’s report and is publishing its composite response today.

The Scottish Government understands how difficult ongoing restrictions at funeral services are for those who are bereaved and wish to pay their final respects to a loved one.

We continue to review all of the funeral restrictions on a regular basis taking into account the stage of the pandemic, the public health risks and the impact on bereaved families.

Our funeral services guidance sets out that funeral directors can, on a case by case basis, undertake a risk assessment to assess whether the family can have a role in taking a cord at the graveside, given physical distancing requirements. The options should be discussed with the relatives beforehand and decisions should be made with compassion, as well as understanding of the risks.

The conclusion of the physical distancing review is expected shortly, which will consider the implications of 2 metre physical distancing at funeral services.

Not all vaccines prevent transmission and inoculation is not a guarantee against contracting COVID-19, nor is it guaranteed to prevent you from passing it on. However, we do know that the COVID-19 vaccines significantly reduce both mortality and morbidity. Further research is being conducted on the effect of the vaccination programme on transmission overall in relation to current and new variants of concern. Until we know more, it is essential that everyone continues to follow public health guidance and the COVID-19 protection level rules which apply in their Local Authority area.

I welcome the OECD’s report and can confirm that the Scottish Government is accepting the OECD’s 12 recommendations in full.

Recommendation 3.2 of the OECD’s report identifies the need to simplify and better align the institutional structures that support our education system. I therefore intend to replace the SQA with a new, specialist agency and I am minded to make this new body responsible for both curriculum and assessment, to ensure clarity, coherence and alignment as recommended by the OECD. I would like to thank teachers and all SQA staff for all their ongoing efforts to deliver qualifications in challenging circumstances this year.

The report found that having the inspectorate as part of an organisation that is also responsible for supporting school leaders, curriculum design and support, teacher professional learning and a range of other initiatives is an “unusual configuration”.

It is therefore my intention to move the inspection function out of Education Scotland.

During my statement to Parliament tomorrow, I will provide more details on how this will be taken forward, along with our overall response to the report and the other recommendations. I can give an assurance that we will engage widely and will consult on plans for implementation.

A decision on a future round of the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme will be taken following the current round which is due to close in June of this year. In line with the Scottish Government’s “Stability and Simplicity” approach set out in its June 2018 consultation, simplifications and improvements will be made, and potential new schemes for longer term policy piloted, between 2021-2024.

Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments will remain with NatureScot for the time being, but may be included in other approaches to future agri-environment support currently being piloted by NatureScot in partnership with the Scottish Government.

As the UK Government’s own recent White Paper on rail acknowledges, the current structure of the industry was supposed to bring ‘greater efficiency and innovation’, but ‘little of this has happened’. Rather, ‘the system does not always encourage the different part of the sector to work together’.

We saw this in Scotland where a lack of co-ordination led to late and over budget delivery of projects, as flagged in our Major Projects Review 2016. We have worked hard with the industry to rectify these issues through the Team Scotland approach, making best use of the limited powers that we have. In putting arrangements in place for ScotRail services beyond March 22, we will use the opportunity to place an emphasis on the integration of rolling stock and train service plans with infrastructure works, improving the efficient whole system delivery of the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

Scottish Ministers continue to believe that a devolved railway, public sector controlled and operated in the service of the public, fully integrated and truly accountable, will deliver better and more efficient services for our people and our communities. As part of the Rail Review, the Scottish Ministers and officials presented a clear case for the full devolution of rail powers. The UK Government has chosen to refuse this reasonable request.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has provided detailed information on this year’s appeals process on its website that includes Frequently Asked Questions, an interactive chatbot and a flowchart of how the process will work this year. Further details are available at: sqa.org.uk/appeals .

In addition, a leaflet is being sent out to every learner in Scotland with details of the process, along with learner support information. If young people have any questions on appeals that are not answered through these resources they can contact SQA’s customer support team at: sqa.org.uk/enquiry . Support for young people will continue to be available through the summer.

SQA has previously used podcasts and Question and Answer sessions to engage with young people and are actively looking at these for the appeals service.

The Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund was launched on 10 February 2019 with a total of up to £10 million available to help accelerate the commercial deployment of tidal energy in Scottish waters.

Following a process of evaluation and due diligence, two projects were supported under the Fund, with total funding of up to £4.945 million being awarded. A total of £4,604,882 has been paid to the two projects to date. The Fund closed for applications on 6 December 2019.

We are not currently vaccinating children under 16 years old, except for those seriously at risk. As COVID-19 vaccines are currently unlicensed for those under 16, vaccines can only be offered on an exceptional case by case basis by a prescriber based on a risk assessment of an individual.

Clinical trials are currently underway for vaccination of children and young people, and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is currently reviewing vaccinations for 12-15 year olds.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with vaccine developers and the JCVI so that if trials are successful we are ready to vaccinate younger age groups, if that is what the clinical and scientific evidence supports.

The Scottish Government is expecting a report on progressive stroke services by the end of December 2021. This Report will help to support and drive improvement in stroke services across Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people who have had a stroke receive the best possible care as quickly as possible to enable them to live longer, healthier independent lives. That’s why the Programme for Government 2019-20 commits to ensuring that improvements are made to stroke pathways and services, including prevention, treatment and care. Work is ongoing to deliver against those commitments.