Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government has put a range of measures in place to address the risk of future pandemics. These are informed by learning from experience of the Covid-19 Pandemic about the need to respond differently to non flu pandemics. We continue to maintain stockpiles of PPE and medicines to address a pandemic threat and we are also working with 4 Nations partners to review the countermeasures and capabilities required to address future pandemic threats and ensure our resilience measures remain robust. In Scotland, we have established the Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness to bring together scientists and technical experts to advise the Scottish Government on the future risks from pandemics and how we can be as prepared as it is possible to be for these.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-19456 on 24 July 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 has no direct role in the provision of student accommodation, whether managed by universities, colleges or private sector organisations.

Colleges operate independently of government and there is therefore very little scope for the Scottish Government to intervene in the operational businesses of colleges.

The Scottish Government has commissioned a review of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector to consider how supply, affordability and standards can be improved. The review which is being led by a cross-sectoral expert group and informed by independent research, has now concluded and we will receive the recommendations of the Review Steering Group shortly.

The consultation responses have been analysed and the Scottish Government published a consultation analysis and government response to the consultation prior to the draft SSI being laid before parliament, which will occur by 1 October 2023.

The consultation analysis can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210758

The government response can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781835210925

We have committed to investing £97.5m over a five year period from 2021-22 to 2025-26 to support The Scottish Ambulance Services fleet replacement programme, which includes dedicated funding to support the introduction of over 250 electric vehicles.

Transport Scotland's Switched on Fleets programme has also invested just under £8.4m to support the decarbonisation of vehicles and install associated infrastructure.

Ministers and Officials follow the Scottish Government’s travel policies when travelling on official business. The policy for air travel is outlined below. Section 5 of the policy relates to private air travel.

Travelling by air - Colleagues can book flights for long distances, but should choose greener forms of transport, for example bus or rail, for shorter journeys.

Things to consider before booking flights - Before booking flights you should be aware that:

• mainland UK flights need to be approved at director level
• economy class should be used for journeys of 10 hours or less
• business class is only permitted if the flying time on a specific flight is more than 10 hours one-way, unless otherwise agreed
• always try to book well ahead of the planned trip to enable the travel agent to find competitively-priced tickets

To maximise negotiated fares/services available to the SG all official air travel must be booked through the SG’s Travel Agent. This should include travel required in emergencies as the SG’s Travel Agent operates an out of hours service.

1. Class of Travel -The class of air travel is governed by the airline’s fare structures on the various routes, the level of the officer travelling, and the duration of the flight. The following information sets out entitlements. Countersigning Officers may however exercise discretion.

Fare Structure Available on Flight Level of entitlement

Economy All staff

Business Senior Civil Service – however economy is encouraged

First Senior Civil Service in exceptional circumstances with prior approval of Director General.

2. Domestic flights - Air travel within the mainland United Kingdom should only be made with Director level (or above) approval.

The SG wishes to show leadership in getting best value for money, and prudent use of the public purse. Economy Class must be used in all circumstances where this is available, unless the Countersigning Officer is willing to sanction a higher level of ticket in accordance with the exception:

Where a member of staff, who is not a Senior Civil Servant, necessarily travels for official reasons, in company with a person who is not a United Kingdom civil servant, and who is travelling in a higher class.

Last minute bookings should be avoided. In exceptional circumstances, or where the Director is not available, retrospective Director level approval can be sought. However, before bookings are made you should discuss it with your line manager and inform your Director’s office of your intentions.

3. Travel to London -The presumed method of travel for staff going to London on official business is rail. Staff who intend to fly to London must obtain Director level authorisation. The SG’s Travel Agent can provide more detailed information on fares and ticket types.

4. Overseas travel -When travelling on official business staff should travel economy on any individual flight when the flying time (one way) is less than 10 hours.

Business class travel is only permitted when:

the flying time (one way) for that flight is more than 10 hours, or

the Countersigning Officer is willing to sanction a higher level of ticket in accordance with exception noted in part 2.

5. Charter flights - Special regulations apply in connection with the charter of air transport. The SG’s Travel Agent must be consulted in all cases where it is proposed to use that method of travel. The exception is if the aircraft is chartered by another government department.

International waste export legislation is a reserved matter for the UK Government. However we are working with the UK Government to support the delivery of its existing commitment to ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, while urging it to go further and consider banning the export of plastic waste from the UK to all countries.

I meet local authority representatives on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues which I am responsible for as the Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning. The Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council 2023 raised third party rights of appeal with me at a meeting on 11 May. Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council officials met on 30 May 2023 to discuss planning appeal procedures – the matter of third party rights of appeal was briefly raised during that discussion.

Under the Equality Act 2010, which is reserved to the UK Parliament, employers are required to make reasonable adjustments if health conditions are or are likely to be long lasting and have an impact on an employee’s daily life. This may apply in the case of thyroid disease, however this would depend on the circumstances surrounding each individual case.

The Scottish Government currently invests in a range of initiatives to support people with health conditions to sustain or return to work, including through the NHS delivered Working Health Services Scotland and the Public Health Scotland led Healthy Working Lives resource. They provide advice and support on work related physical and mental health promotion and ill health prevention, return to work practices and workplace safety for employers.

We also recognise that improving access to flexible working is an important means to help people balance work and health conditions, without dropping out of the workplace with the loss of income, experience and skills that this entails. To that end, we have provided a total of £222,000 in 2022-23 to flexible working experts, Flexibility Works to promote flexible working and support employers across Scotland to adopt flexible and family friendly workplaces. A further £86,000 has been committed so far this financial year.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that we are able to manage more of our own waste within Scotland. This includes making direct investments through our Recycling Improvement Fund to support greater quantity and quality of recyclate collected. To date, £53 million has been invested via the Fund, expanding domestic recycling provision and facilities. We are also supporting the UK Government to deliver its existing commitment to ban plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries, and calling for this to be extended to all countries.

In addition, to increase transparency and strengthen public confidence in local recycling services and where their recycling goes, the Circular Economy Bill intends to take powers to place a statutory duty upon collecting local authorities to report on the final end destinations of recycling collected.