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The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a Net Zero, Wellbeing economy and a highly skilled workforce is critical to this ambition. Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation is clear that we must adapt our education and skills system to become more responsive and agile so that it can deliver on our key priorities. Published in 2020, the Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan (CESAP) provides a framework for green skills planning and investment across regions and priority sectors.

Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council are progressing Pathfinder projects to identify the skills requirements necessary to support the priority sectors identified in CESAP including in heat decarbonisation. The Pathfinders are operating in Glasgow City and Shetland Islands and the findings will strengthen the green skills evidence base and inform further action to address green skills gaps.

On behalf of the Scottish Government, Skills Development Scotland work with Industry Leadership Groups and other key industry players to develop Regional and Sector Skills Investment Plans. They are created through a process of labour market and skills supply research and analysis, industry consultation and action planning with industry and partners across Scotland’s education and skills system.

It is the responsibility of the operator, CalMac Ferries, to conduct negotiations for the charter of a vessel. Scottish Ministers have no involvement in these discussions.

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and CalMac Ferries continue to pursue any opportunities to bring in additional tonnage to add resilience to the fleet.

The Scottish Government is considering the health and environmental impacts of disposable vape cartridges. Zero Waste Scotland is undertaking an urgent review into the environmental impacts of disposable vapes and we expect the review report to be received in May. We have also recently published our consultation analysis on proposed restrictions on vaping products and are considering next steps. The findings from the consultation are being used to inform the refreshed Tobacco Action Plan, which is due to be published in 2023.

As the First Minister said on Tuesday, he has asked officials to go back to the drawing board on potential proposals to restrict alcohol advertising and promotion.

It is crucial that we prevent and reduce alcohol-related harms, particularly to young people, but that aim has to be balanced with careful consideration of the impact restrictions may have on business.

We will be reflecting on the feedback we received from stakeholders during the recent Ministerial roundtables and will analyse the public consultation responses to understand the views and perspectives of those that responded. Further consultation and engagement with public health stakeholders and businesses will take place as our work progresses.

The new National Public Energy Agency – Heat and Energy Efficiency Scotland (HEES) –which is operating in virtual form in-house within the Directorate for Energy and Climate Change aims to work in partnership with a range of key stakeholders, including local government, to provide strategic leadership and co-ordination to accelerate both the pace and scale of heat and energy retrofit across domestic, non-domestic and public sector buildings in Scotland. To support this aim, one of the roles of the Agency will be to improve overall coordination including how it can most effectively work with local government.

COSLA are represented on the HEES independent Strategic Board which has been established to provide support to the design of the future Agency and also more widely on how the virtual Agency can accelerate the roll out of zero emissions heating and evolve our delivery approaches.

The virtual Agency continues to have ongoing engagement with COSLA and local authorities on specific delivery programmes. Since 2013 the Area Based Schemes funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by local councils have helped over 100,000 fuel poor households to benefit from warmer homes and lower energy bills. We have allocated £64 million for energy efficiency improvements through these schemes this year and continue to build upon our partnership approach to delivery.

Richard Lochhead, the former Minister for Just Transition, Fairwork & Employment engaged with a wide range of stakeholders in the offshore energy sector during this period. A comprehensive list of all Ministerial engagements for the year 2022 has been published and can be found online ( Ministerial engagements, travel and gifts - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)).

For the period of January 2023 until March 2023 The Minister had the following meetings:

• 9 February – The Minister met with Opportunity North East, Energy Transition Zone and the Net Zero Technology Centre, discussing Just Transition and the next phase of the Just Transition fund.
• 21 February 2023 – The Minister attended SBCC (Scottish Business Climate Collaboration) SME (Small/Medium Enterprise) Net Zero Hub launch event, with EY (Ernest & Young) and Scottish Power representatives in attendance.
• 2 March 2023 – Mr Lochhead visited South of Scotland Enterprise in Dumfries and chaired a roundtable discussion that included representatives from Carbon Capture Scotland, and visited Cochran Ltd on site.
• 16 March 2023 – The Minister chaired a CBI round table event, which included representatives from Centrica Energy, Equinor UK LTD, Scottish Power and SEC (Scottish Events Campus).
• 21 March 2023 - Mr Lochhead attended the Scottish Renewables Net-Zero Dinner and spoke to representatives from EDF Renewables, Scottish Renewables and EY (Ernest & Young).
• 22 March 2023 –The Minister delivered a speech to the Scottish Renewables Conference, and participated in a panel discussion with representatives from Scottish Renewables, EDF Renewables and Ripple Energy.

I also refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15805 on 24 March 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 .

The Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy – Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) has, since its inception in 2014, remained committed to supporting young people by ensuring that a wide range of pathways and routes into apprenticeships are open to young people. As part of that, we created Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs), with partners across the education and skills system. FAs provide a combination of qualifications and work-based learning for young people in the senior phase of school.

Since their introduction in 2016, 15,371 school pupils have enrolled on an FA and they are now available across all Local Authorities. FAs are now recognised by all Colleges and Universities in Scotland and Scottish Government worked with the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) to ensure that FAs have UCAS tariff points for universities. Work has also been undertaken to ensure that FAs at SCQF Level 6 are appropriately recognised in schools metrics.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) undertakes activities to support greater parity of esteem and to encourage pupils to take up apprenticeships. SDS careers advisors deliver information sessions on apprenticeships to all pupils in S2 and S3 as they approach option choices. SDS engages directly with parents and teachers to raise awareness of apprenticeships. FA webinars were held in January and March 2023 with a panel of apprentices, employers and teaching staff to share their experiences. Apprenticeship teaching resources are available on SDS’ My World of Work, this includes an FA Schools Toolkit for teachers and a refreshed apprenticeship CPD module for teachers.

SDS also lead on the annual Scottish Apprenticeship Week campaign, which includes a wide array of school activity, with the aim of promoting Modern, Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships to young people.

DYW Regional Groups also work with SDS, colleges and training providers to highlight the importance of vocational pathways, including apprenticeships to help young people develop key skills and transition to work. This work is enhanced through the placement of DYW School Coordinators in every mainstream secondary school, to highlight work-based learning and help people take that path that is right for them.

The provision and deployment of Taser is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

No meeting has taken place between my predecessor and the National Farmers Union and subsequently there is no information to publish. The request to meet with the National Farmer’s Union will carry over to me as the new Transport Minister to consider within my parliamentary business.

Although the Scottish Government has not made an assessment of historical artefacts within Scottish educational institutions obtained as a result of colonialism, it has encouraged public collections to consider the method of acquisition of all objects in their care, the vast majority of which were obtained ethically and legally.

Any consideration to return historical artefacts would be a matter for the relevant institutions, including universities as autonomous bodies with responsibility for their own strategic and operational decisions. The Scottish Government expects institutions to follow best practice and ensure that decisions in respect of any requests for the return of objects of cultural significance from their collections conform to international standards.

Scottish Government officials continue to engage with the museums sector on these matters, including those museums hosted by universities.