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As the contract for delivery of phase one of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments is due to expire in July 2022, the Scottish Government was legally required to compete the ongoing service.

Returning to the market to compete public contracts enables us to maximise value for money and secure the benefits of technical (and in this case education, assessment, psychometric and accessibility) developments over the period since the last contract was awarded. In conducting a regulated procurement exercise the Scottish Government is required under procurement legislation to treat all potential suppliers equally and without discrimination. Tenders are evaluated on the basis of the information contained therein, and no other factors.

The contract for phase two delivery of National Standardised Assessments for Scotland effectively combines two existing contracts, for phase one delivery of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments and their Gaelic equivalent, the Measaidhean Coitcheann Niseanta airson Foghlam tron Ghidhlig respectively. As such, there is no one current provider and a transition of services would have been required whatever the outcome of the procurement evaluation. The risks and opportunities associated with that transition have been carefully assessed and will be closely monitored and managed through the governance structures established for the National Improvement Framework Programme. Outgoing service providers are contractually obliged to support the smooth transition of services to a new service provider.

The Evaluation Guide and Award Criteria published as part of the Invitation to Tender determined the Quality: Price ratio for the evaluation process as 75:25. The emphasis placed on quality reflects the importance the Scottish Government attaches to delivering a high quality assessment resource to schools, and recognises the requirement for a range of technical, educational and psychometric expertise to deliver the complex and multi-faceted Services associated with the Contract.

The Award criteria for the Quality Analysis element of the evaluation identified a series of questions across a range of areas, including Assessments and Reporting; Technical; Service Management; Security; and Transition, Implementation and Business as Usual. Some of these questions were identified as mandatory, requiring a minimum score of 2 in order for the tender to progress to the Price Analysis. The rationale for this approach is that if suppliers are unable to fulfil particular aspects of the service, the service would not be viable, irrespective of cost. Mandatory items are clearly identified within the published Evaluation and Award Criteria.

The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 Statutory Guidance (amended 2021) states that regulated contracts must be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender. The Guidance clarifies that this means contracts cannot be awarded on the basis of lowest price or lowest cost alone.

The Scottish Genetic Laboratory Consortium is commissioned by NHS Services Scotland National Services Division (NSD) through four Laboratory sites in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

Genetic services are a matter for NSD and local Health Boards therefore the information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

However we can advise that the Scottish Genetic Laboratory Consortium use a number of testing methodologies for accurate tumour profiling.

Next generation sequencing (NGS) for the most common cancers is now available across all four Scottish Consortium Laboratory sites. The application of NGS means that several clinically important genetic variants can be tested for simultaneously. Such testing expedites rapid and accurate diagnosis of the particular cancer and informs the most appropriate treatment for patients based on the genetic profile of their tumour which can also be referred to as Precision Medicine.

NGS testing is being delivered by the Consortium laboratories for colorectal cancer, lung cancer and melanoma as well as a number of less common solid tumours.

Since May 2021 we have a system in place through NHS Inform to provide people with a record of their vaccination status if they need this for international travel. Scottish residents who want to demonstrate their vaccination status can request a certificate through NHS Inform before they travel. This can take up to 14 days, but current turnaround is typically 2-3 days.

It remains the case that if people are returning from an amber list country and are not fully vaccinated in accordance with the exemption, they must self-isolate for 10 days at their accommodation in Scotland and must book a day 2 and day 8 testing package , prior to departure. Details of this can be found at the link below.

It also remains the case that if people they are returning from a red list country they should follow the managed isolation guidance as set out on:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): international travel and managed isolation (quarantine) - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

People need to be aware that countries may move between the red, amber or green list country at short notice. They are advised that they should not assume that a country on the green, amber or red list now will remain on the same list over the weeks and months ahead.

A table has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib Number 62587) that provides information on delays and cancellations on individual routes serving the Clyde and Hebrides network since January 2016. Sailings can be the cancelled for a number of reasons including - inclement weather, vessel breakdowns, deployment of vessels to other routes across the network.

The Scottish Government is working with key business sectors, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Water, local authorities, and other stakeholders to make sure water is used efficiently; the first line of defence against the risks of drought.

SEPA has just consulted on a Water Resources Management Plan, which highlights the risk of climate change and the need to work in collaboration to develop a series of practical actions to deliver a more sustainable and resilient use of water. This builds on the approach taken under the National Water Scarcity Plan, which focuses on making early information available to allow water users to manage supplies during prolonged dry periods without harming the environment. Following the consultation SEPA will develop a more proactive approach that aims to increase the resilience of businesses and reduce the pressure on the water environment during droughts.

Scottish Water carefully considers the actions required to mitigate against any drought risk through its water resource plan to ensure it has resilience in its networks to cope with an increase in demand during extended periods of dry weather.

The vaccination programme uptake in Scotland is highly successful overall with around 90% of the adult population (18+) having received their first dose - far beyond our planning assumption of 80% - and so far 73% have received their second dose.

To ensure good uptake amongst younger age groups the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are undertaking a wide range of initiatives.

Drop in clinics are widely available for people who want a first vaccination or are 8 weeks or more from their second vaccination – regardless if they have an appointment in the system. Drop-in mobile centres are attending a range of sites such as football grounds, parks, workplaces and shopping centres.

Young people within the eligible Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) age cohorts will still also receive a scheduled invitation which they may attend if the time and date suits. A dedicated self-registration portal allows SMS notification to take account of the greater turnover of registered addresses amongst young people.

We continue to engage with young people in a variety of ways, including through social media outlets, to make sure they have access to the correct information on vaccines. To this end the Scottish Government has developed a comprehensive set of public information campaigns across TV, radio, print and online to disseminate quality information on vaccines and positive encouragement to take up vaccination invitations.

We are presently strengthening communications targeting the 18-29 age group, such as the Roll Up Your Sleeves campaign, to ensure we vaccinate as many people in this cohort as possible.

All NHS Boards have dedicated inclusion plans within the vaccination programme, outlining how they will actively offer vaccination to people who may face barriers in taking up the vaccine. Some examples of outreach include offering vaccinations in places of worship, in other community settings, providing concessionary bus travel to appointments and working with community leaders to promote uptake.

We are continuing to discuss a range of measures with universities and colleges to help ensure students get vaccinated as soon as possible before arriving on campus. We remain in regular dialogue with Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland and have agreed with Health Boards and Higher and Further Education Institutions to appoint Single Points of Contacts in universities and colleges. Additionally, we are engaging with the Health Boards to support vaccine delivery for both international and home based students where there is local need, including the possibility of on-campus pop-up clinics.

Medical students who are studying medicine full-time as a first degree are entitled to the standard undergraduate student support package for their full period of study. This means their tuition fees are paid by the Scottish Government through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) – plus they can apply to SAAS for loans and bursaries to help with living costs dependent on their individual circumstances.

The only bursary specifically for Medical Students is a £4,000 per annum optional ‘return of service’ bursary offered to those who secure a place on ScotGEM – which is a graduate-entry undergraduate medical programme. If the bursary is accepted in all 4 years of study, amounting to £16,000 overall, the student would be expected to remain and work within NHS Scotland for 4 years following graduation.

Meetings of the Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group have taken place on 10 December 2020, 18 February 2021 and 19 August 2021. All minutes, once approved by the Group are publicly available on the Scottish Government website Oil and Gas and Energy Transition Strategic Leadership Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)