Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance and multiple benefits of appropriate tree planting and development of green spaces and we are working hard with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, to encourage and support these activities.

In terms of planning, measures in this area include The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019, which requires planning authorities to prepare and publish a ‘forestry and woodland strategy’ setting out the planning authority’s proposals in their area as to the development of forestry and woodlands, including the expansion of woodlands of a range of types to provide multiple benefits to the physical, cultural, economic, social and environmental characteristics of the area.

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) also states that ‘Planning should protect, enhance and promote green infrastructure, including open space and green networks, as an integral component of successful placemaking.’ SPP sets out that local authorities’ local development plans should seek to enhance existing and promote the creation of new green infrastructure.

Enabling redevelopment of vacant and derelict land has been identified as a key consideration and more information about this will feature in a draft National Planning Framework (NPF4), which will be laid in parliament in autumn 2021.

There are a number of measures in place to support local authorities in the planting of trees and development of green spaces. This year we opened our new £50m low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme to applications from all Scottish local authorities and Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company. It will help unblock the reuse of persistent vacant and derelict land, especially in disadvantaged areas, and bring forward opportunities for new green infrastructure, as part of place based approaches to regeneration and support to a just transition to net zero.

We are also investing in the quality of our greenspaces with the development of the Central Scotland Green Network, Europe’s largest greenspace project. Through this fund we have invested more than £7 million since 2010 in projects that are promoting active travel, woodland planting, community growing and restoring land.

The Scottish Government recently launched the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), which included £5 million going to Local Authorities to support new or existing projects that will help address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. These may well include tree planting and development of green spaces.

In the Programme for Government 2020-21, we announced our intention to pilot Miyawaki forests, which are also known as ‘tiny’ or ‘wee’ forests. These are small densely planted, fast growing woodlands largely planted in urban areas. The Scottish Government, alongside NatureScot, are currently exploring options for delivery, which will involve Local Delivery Partners, such as local authorities.

Scottish Forestry also offer grants to tenants and occupiers of local authority land who have a tenancy or occupancy agreement for 20 years or more to plant trees where the local authority has no plans to do so on the same area. Scottish Forestry also provide grants for creating a management plan for woodlands in and around towns (WIAT), and supports communities active on local authority land through the Forestry Development Fund.

As a result of declining numbers of female high secure patients in Scotland, the decision was taken to close the female facility at The State Hospital in 2009. However, both the Independent Review into the Delivery of Forensic Mental Health Services and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment have called for a female high secure service in Scotland to be reinstated.

Our formal response to the Independent Review will be published soon and we continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure female high secure provision is available for Scotland and that women’s pathways in forensic mental health services are improved.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

1. It is anticipated that the replacement for HMP Barlinnie (HMP Glasgow) will be completed in 2026.

2. HMP Glasgow is estimated to open during 2026. A Planning Permission in Principle application was submitted to Glasgow City Council in December 2019 who subsequently approved the application and issued the planning decision notice, in August 2020. Full details of the application are publicly available on Glasgow City Council’s Planning Portal.

The Scottish Government has consistently called for the furlough scheme to remain in place for as long as it is needed to support businesses as we move through recovery. The UK Government should make it clear to businesses and workers, well in advance of the furlough scheme ending, what further assistance will be in place to support jobs and necessary labour market transitions in sectors that are most deeply impacted by Covid. Provisional figures from HMRC show at 31st May, 173,100 jobs (7% of eligible jobs) in Scotland were being supported by the Job Retention Scheme. This is a slightly lower than the UK (8%) and a fall of 102,600 from April when 11% of eligible employments in Scotland were on the scheme.

Whilst these figures show those on furlough are reducing, there is still a significant number of jobs which continue to be supported by this scheme. The Scottish Government is doing all it can to protect Scotland’s economy and ensure that as many people as possible on furlough keep their jobs. Our ambitious 10 year National Strategy will drive Scotland’s economic transformation, helping the country recover from COVID-19 and transition to a net zero economy, prioritising investment in the industries of the future and delivering new, good and green jobs.

The Scottish Government has worked closely with Glasgow City Council on operational plans for Fan Zone to ensure public safety. While clinical advice has cautioned against mandatory testing and checking on arrival, which may impact attendee flow and risk increased mixing, attendees are encouraged to test before and after the event, with test kits posted out to ticket holders.

Based on available data, the number of cases associated with the Fan Zone was particularly low.

Testing alone will not stop Covid transmission, this is why it is used as part of a package of measures to reduce risks. We will continue to encourage people to test before and after all future events and will consider whether this merits further exploration for future similar events.

We know that high quality early learning and childcare (ELC) can make a huge difference to children’s lives, particularly those experiencing the most disadvantage. That is why we target funded ELC to two year olds who are most likely to benefit from early access. This includes children who have experienced care themselves or have a parent who has, and children whose family receive a ‘qualifying benefit’, (including out of work benefits or income-related benefits).

We estimate this eligible group equates to around a quarter of the total two year old population. Within this group there will be children who require additional support for learning and the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (‘the 2004 Act’) extends to children in funded ELC. The 2004 Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their children. More information on how the 2004 Act supports children in funded ELC can be found in the refreshed Statutory Guidance here: Early learning and childcare: statutory guidance - July 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

In addition to the increased number of funded hours of ELC (rising from 600 to up to 1140 hours a year from August 2021) local authorities have discretion to offer funded or subsidised ELC that goes beyond the existing legal entitlement. Local authorities can and do use this discretion to accept referrals from health visitors and other agencies for children who they believe will benefit from this provision who may not meet the statutory criteria for a 2 year old place.

The Scottish Government has also committed to expanding funded early years education to all 1 and 2 year olds, starting with children from low-income families in this Parliamentary session. As we develop future policy we will continue to consider the best way to support our youngest children with additional support needs.

We want event organisers to be able to plan future activity with confidence, but we must continue to move very carefully to ensure continued suppression of COVID-19. The First Minister’s statement on 13 July confirmed that the size of events and stadia attendances will increase outdoors to 2,000 seated and 1,000 standing, and indoors to 400.

If event organisers want to organise an event when in Level 0 in excess of the relevant capacity limits, they must apply for approval to the relevant local authority.

This requires Event organisers to apply in line with the requirements of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 as amended and provide the Local Authority with an application in writing (can be email) along with the minimum of:

• A description of the type of event (or events) proposed,
• An event plan for the event (or events) proposed, and
• A risk assessment for the event (or events) proposed, including what measures are proposed relating to the prevention or minimisation of the risk of the incidence and spread of coronavirus arising from the event (or events).

It is a matter for local authorities to consider/assess individual applications having considered particular circumstances of the current regulations and latest guidance.

Throughout the pandemic our approach and principles are set out in our Framework for Decision Making, based on clinical evidence, expert advice, and a balanced assessment of the risks. The Scottish Government, the Chief Medical Officer's Advisory Group and SAGE have used scientific evidence on transmission coupled with the social and economic benefits, which Ministers have then used to make decisions.

EURO 2020 was a flagship event approved by the Scottish Government through an events gateway process. Flagship events are internationally significant events which maintain Scotland’s longer-term profile as a host of major events, with an eye to recovery from the pandemic, and with appropriate Covid-19 mitigations in place which were supported by months of very detailed planning.

All viruses naturally mutate over time and therefore it is important that we spot any changes quickly to understand the potential risk any variant may pose. We already have a comprehensive surveillance infrastructure in place, harnessing genomic sequencing and collaboration across scientific bodies to continually assess the risk of new variants emerging. Variants are declared to be under investigation or of concern independently for the entire UK and risk assessments and technical briefings are made available. The public health agencies do not hesitate to designate a new VUI or VOC when the evidence demonstrates this, and our surveillance is working effectively.