Chamber and committees

The Islands Green Recovery Programme, announced in the Programme for Government is a new £2 million programme for locally-led green projects designed to help support island communities economic recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. This forms part of the £230 million Stimulus Package announced on 16 June to help Scotland’s economy respond to the pandemic.

Please find the link to the recent news release for the recovery programme (13 Sept 2020) here: https://www.gov.scot/news/building-resilience-for-island-communities/

This Government set out its approach in the Stability and Simplicity consultation to provide Scottish farmers, crofters, foresters, rural businesses and rural communities a period of stability, by retaining the majority of CAP schemes until 2024. I was clear after the passing of stage 3 of the Scottish Agriculture bill that LFASS would be one of the schemes continuing in 2021. It is therefore crucial that the UK Government provides a clear statement on future funding and honour the promises made during the 2016 EU referendum so that plans can be progressed for those CAP schemes in 2021.

For the 2020 scheme year LFASS has been retained with payments set to be at 40% (or 25/ha) of the 2018 payment rates and will be paid in spring 2021. Unfortunately we are unable to circumvent EU rules and reinstate payments to 2018 levels for the 2020 scheme year. Around 1,400 farmers and crofters who receive the minimum LFASS payment of £385, are not impacted. In addition, the Upland Uplift part of convergence payments supports farming and crofting in our marginal uplands, hill farms and island areas. Options are being considered for year 2 payments.

Financial support to those farming and crofting in our most fragile and remote areas is a priority for the Scottish Government. It is the intention that LFASS payments will be paid in Spring 2021 to those who submitted an eligible claim earlier this year. I am clear that maintaining business cash flow and providing support into rural areas is vital to help farmers and crofters through the unprecedented and difficult times caused by Covid 19 and the continued uncertainties of Brexit.

At present, we are advising that no more than 20 people should attend a marriage ceremony or civil partnership registration, provided they can be accommodated safely with physical distancing in the chosen venue. Receptions and celebratory events related to a marriage or civil partnership, along with any other celebratory events, remain subject to the restrictions on gatherings in the Health Protection Regulations and in guidance. These will be reviewed again on 10 September.

Our position will continue to be kept under careful review and we will continue to consider ways to permit marriage ceremonies and civil partnership registrations to take place safely. Any further changes to the current limit on numbers will depend on public health advice.

The Transitional Support Fund will open for applications on 3 September, and information as to how eligible childcare providers can apply for a grant will be available from: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-
support-to-childcare-sector/pages/transitional-support-fund-for-childcare-providers/ .

There will be a single standard secure online application form to ensure the application process is as straightforward as possible. This approach will make it easier for childcare providers to apply for the grant, including those providers with multiple settings spread over different local authorities. It will avoid local authorities having to develop their own application process and workflows.

The Scottish proximity tracing app is currently being developed and will be available from App stores this Autumn. The App will enhance NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect system and use Bluetooth technology in smartphones to support contact tracing. The App is free and will be built on the decentralised model using the joint Apple-Google technology. It is completely anonymised, voluntary to download and is for anyone who is aged 16 and over.

Detailed information on the design, development and purpose of the App will be made available prior to launch at: www.testandprotect.nhs.scot . In addition, we will also publish a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), an ethic’s sheet and Equality Impact Assessment, which takes into account Human Rights, ahead of national roll-out.

The Scottish Government condemns all acts of vandalism. Vandalism is a crime regardless of the motivations for it, or the targets the vandalism is aimed at. Protection of monuments is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Government fully supports them to take appropriate action to both ensure that statues are protected and that those involved in vandalism are brought to justice. There is already legislation in place to deal with the vandalism and desecration of statutes and memorials, including war memorials, and the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce new legislation specifically relating to the vandalism of war memorials at this time.

Information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) business support fund grants including the number of grant applications made and grants awarded by each local authority is available online and can be accessed via this link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-support-fund-grant-statistics/ .

The fund closed to new applications on 10 July, and we will continue to publish updated statistics when additional information is available.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31190 on 26 August 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.