Seòmar agus comataidhean

Scottish Government officials were in regular discussions with UK Government officials regarding the Internal Market Act (IMA) exclusion process for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Throughout these discussions officials made it clear that not providing a timely and complete exclusion would jeopardise the future of the DRS in Scotland and by extension the viability of Circularity Scotland. Scottish Ministers and officials wrote to UK Ministers a number of times throughout April and May highlighting the risk to the scheme and to Circularity Scotland due to the uncertainty around the IMA exclusion. This included letters from myself on 19 May and from the First Minister on 22 April and 3 May 2023.

“Tranche two” Marine Protected Areas are included in work currently ongoing to implement fisheries management measures within existing Marine Protected Areas.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20143 on 15 August 2023 for details of the timescale for this work.

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 Scottish Government’s guidance ‘Included, Engaged and Involved Part 1: a positive approach to the promotion and management of attendance in Scottish schools’ makes clear the need for schools to follow up absence immediately, and to continue to follow up absence for those for whom there are welfare concerns.

Local authorities are expected to have robust processes and guidance for children who do not attend school from the first day they are absent until they are re-engaged with education. Where children are missing for extended periods of time, or are not on a school roll or being educated otherwise, the Children Missing from Education Guidance and Service can support local authorities in this.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on children persistently absent from school centrally. Information on rates of children persistently absent from school would be for local authorities to collect.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20057 on 15 August 2023. 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

Through a combination of the R100 contracts, the R100 Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme and the commercial broadband market – including the emergence of technologies such as Low Earth Orbit satellite - every home and business across Scotland can access superfast broadband speeds of 30 Megabits per second (Mbps). The R100 contracts are continuing to deliver future-proofed, full fibre connections – capable of gigabit speeds; more than 30 times faster than our original superfast target.

Within the Scottish Government funding of Health and Care research falls under the remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).

As part of the Scottish Government response to the pandemic, in October 2020 CSO launched a funding call seeking applications which aimed to investigate the longer-term effects of COVID-19. Following an independent expert review process, 9 projects were funded with a total funding commitment of £2.5 million. The funding outcome was announced in December 2020.

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/funded-research/long-covid-call/

The timetable for completion of the 9 projects funded through the longer-term effects of COVID-19 funding call is provided below.

CSO funded research project start dates are confirmed through submission by the corresponding host institution of a completed start certificate ( Form7-Start-Certificate.docx (live.com) )

Project final reports are the result of a collaborative effort between the individual project teams and members of the CSO Public Engagement Group who work together to ensure the reports are written in accessible language. There is therefore an inevitable short delay between the project end date and the publication of the final report on the CSO website.

COV/LTE/20/04

Amplifying the voices of people with lived experience to improve understanding, support, treatment and education

Professor Kate Hunt University of Stirling

Project Start Certificate 01-03-23

9 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 23-02-23

Revised End Date 30-11-23

COV/LTE/20/06

Defining and understanding the longer-term effects of COVID-19: A mixed methods study exploring the frequency, nature, and impact of ‘long COVID’ in the Scottish population

Professor Jill Pell University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

End Date 31-01-23

Project Completed

Final report published on CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/COVLTE2006.pdf

COV/LTE/20/08

COVID-19: Tracking Persistent Symptoms in Scotland (TraPSS)

Professor Nicolas Sculthorpe University of the West of Scotland

Project Start Certificate 01-04-21

3 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 19-01-23

Revised End Date 31-06-23

Project Completed

Final report in draft

COV/LTE/20/10

Prevention and early treatment of COVID-19 long-term effects: a randomised clinical trial of resistance exercise

Professor Colin Berry University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

8 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 03-04-23

Revised End Date 30-09-23

COV/LTE/20/15

Developing and validating a risk prediction model for long COVID-19

Professor Aziz Sheikh University of Edinburgh

Project Start Certificate 01-03-21

6 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 09-09-22

Revised End Date 31-08-23

COV/LTE/20/26

Clinical phenotyping to enable targeted treatment of persistent cognitive symptoms after COVID-19

Professor Alan Carson University of Edinburgh

Project Start Certificate 01-04-21

CSO currently in discussion with Lead Investigator on no-cost extension

COV/LTE/20/28

Longer term impact of COVID-19 infection people with diabetes

Professor Robert Lindsay University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-02-21

12 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 11-10-22

Revised End Date 31-04-24

COV/LTE/20/29

Evaluating emerging models of community rehabilitation for people experiencing the effects of long-COVID to inform responsive service delivery across Scotland

Professor Kay Cooper Robert Gordon University

Professor Edward Duncan University of Stirling

Project Start Certificate 01/05/21

6 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 10/03/23

Revised End Date 31/10/23

COV/LTE/20/32

Lived experience of long term COVID-19 on NHS workers in health care settings in Scotland: a longitudinal mixed methods study

Dr Nicola Torrance Robert Gordon University

Dr Aileen Grant Robert Gordon University

Project Start Certificate 01-05-21

2 month no-cost extension authorised by CSO 11-11-22

Project Completed

Final report published on CSO website

https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/COVLTE2032report.pdf

CSO’s standard funding committees also welcome applications on the longer-term effects of COVID-19 infection. To date 2 such proposals have been recommended for funding by the CSO’s Health Improvement, Protection and Services Committee Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research Committee – Chief Scientist Office (scot.nhs.uk)

HIPS/22/33

Caring for Long COVID in Primary Care: Using Patient and Professional Experience to Build Co-Designed Solutions. A Participatory, Mixed Methods Study

Professor Catherine O’Donnell University of Glasgow

Project Start Certificate 01-04-23

Project end date 30-06-24

HIPS/23/08

Long COVID And Frontline Public Service Occupations: Impacts On Employees And Organisations

Dr Alice Maclean University of Stirling

Funding letter issued 06-07-23

Projected project end date 30-04-25

The Scottish Government welcomes this research and agrees with the need for Net Zero to be implemented in a manner that achieves maximum benefit for all of society. Through our Just Transition Planning and publication of the next Climate Change Plan we will ensure that we act quickly to achieve our Net Zero ambitions in a manner that assures inequalities are tackled in partnership with Scotland’s local communities.

Broadcasting is reserved to the UK Government. We have not had any recent discussion with the UK Government on this particular issue, however we remain strongly committed to a fairer and more representative service for Scotland, and we will continue to press for its improvement to ensure it better reflects the specific needs and interests of Scottish audiences in terms of all programming, including sport.

We will continue to support expanding the offer for audiences to enjoy Scottish international football and other major sporting events on free-to-air broadcast TV.

Although the Scottish Government cannot influence access rights, and the listed events regime is the responsibility of the UK Government, we maintain a close interest in audience and stakeholder views in Scotland and we meet regularly with representatives of Ofcom and the broadcasters to urge them to consider how they can ensure that audiences in Scotland receive the best possible level of service.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting all Boards to achieve the standard that 90% of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral. We allocated nearly £40m additional funding in 2021-22 to NHS Boards to improve CAMHS, which included £4.25m specifically for clearing backlogs. In 2022-23 we allocated a further £36.7m via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all.

We recognise that performance varies across Health Boards and we continue to provide targeted, tailored support towards those Boards with the longest waits and poorest performance. We have asked Boards to submit trajectories up to March 2024 for performance against the CAMHS standard, and for clearing long waits.

The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing protection for our marine environment in the face of the twin crises of climate change and loss of nature.

Although we are no longer progressing with our proposals for Highly Protected Marine Areas, we want to develop a new pathway to enhancing marine protection with all those who will join us round the table. There is a wealth of innovative ideas in our island and coastal communities and we want to hear more of these to help us develop an approach which is fair, just and brings people together.

We are also committed to supporting any group that wishes to pursue community-led marine protection in its local area. We have already seen successful initiatives in Arran and in St Abbs and Eyemouth and we will do everything to support those communities that want to follow in their footsteps.

Additionally, we have an on-going programme of work to implement fisheries management measures in existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) where they are yet to be introduced, and to protect some of the most vulnerable priority marine features outside the MPA network.

After the summer recess, we will be consulting on proposals for fisheries management measures in offshore MPAs, beyond 12 nautical miles. The options to be consulted on have been the subject of extensive engagement over many years with a wide range of marine stakeholders. Inshore MPAs and priority marine features also require fisheries management measures and consultation on these inshore measures will take place in 2024.

Another step is the consultation on proposals to close fishing for sandeel in all Scottish waters which the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands launched on 21 July. This is a crucial step in safeguarding an important food source for many species, and it could aid the long-term sustainability and resilience of marine ecosystems.

Our Fisheries Management Strategy commits to rolling out Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to key parts of Scotland’s fishing fleet. REM will offer enhanced scientific benefits, enabling us to boost the data and knowledge we have which in turn will help deliver an improved evidence base. This can be of significant benefit to not only the fishing industry but also fisheries managers and could improve our ability to provide enhanced protection to our marine environment going forward.