Chamber and committees

Network Rail is developing proposals for a range of interventions as part of a comprehensive programme for the East Coast Main Line rail corridor that will enhance capacity and meet forecast demand. Work has already started on the construction of an additional platform at Dunbar station which will relieve a significant capacity constraint on the East Coast Main Line and the expectation is other interventions under consideration would be commissioned for delivery in the next rail control period from 2019-24 and our desire to do it early in CP6.

We continue to press the UK Government for a fair rail funding deal for Scotland for the next control period. The current offer is below (by £600 million) early industry estimates for renewing and enhancing the rail network to meet future demands. This will undoubtedly impact on our future rail enhancements.

Reston and East Linton stations are a key element of the comprehensive programme for the East Coast Main Line rail corridor which Network Rail is currently developing proposals for. It is expected that Reston and East Linton will be delivered within the next railway control period 6, which runs from 2019-24 and our desire to do it early in CP6.

We continue to press the UK Government for a fair rail funding deal for Scotland for control period 6. The current offer is below (by £600 million) early industry estimates for renewing and enhancing the network to meet future demands for rail travel. This will undoubtedly impact on our future rail enhancements.

As set out in A Land Use Strategy for Scotland 2016-2021 measures and approaches were being developed for inclusion in the Third Report on Policies and Proposals (RPP3) document which is now known as the Climate Change Plan. The draft of this document was published in January 2017 and demonstrates how the Scottish Government is committed to working closely with the agriculture sector as we look to move towards low carbon farming. The Climate Change Plan (CCP) is currently being finalised and is scheduled for publication early in 2018.

The agriculture chapter of the CCP will include a mixture of policies, proposals and milestones all aimed at achieving GHG emissions reductions within the sector.

We fund Disability Equality Scotland (DES) which works in the Scottish Borders. Our funding to DES supports Tweeddale Access Panel, which works toward achieving equality for disabled people and creating an accessible environment for all. Tweeddale Access Panel provide the vital, frontline access and inclusion support on which so many disabled people in the Scottish Borders rely.

In Policy 7 of the Land Use Strategy for Scotland 2016-2021 we proposed establishing a limited life expert group to assist with developing guidance in relation to regional partnerships, in recognition of the fact that further work was required to clarify a range of issues relating to them before they were established. We are currently considering possible approaches to securing this expert advice.

We are making progress on the policies and proposals put forward in the Land Use Strategy for Scotland 2016-2021, such as the publication of the Scoping an Upland Vision report from SNH on 31 July 2017 and the publication of the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement on 28 September 2017. There has been a delay in publishing the reporting framework. In light of the EU referendum result, the Scottish Government is working on future strategic policy for the environment and for agriculture, and we will look to integrate this work with the further steps on the Land Use Strategy.

In terms of resources, it is not possible to identify a specific number of full-time equivalent staff contributing to the delivery of the Land Use Strategy for Scotland 2016-2020. The cross-portfolio nature of the objectives mean that a wide range of officials contribute to them, from various policy areas such as land reform, agriculture, climate change, planning and environment.

We recognise the important protection the flu vaccine can offer.

Every year the Scottish Government invests in a national marketing campaign to promote the flu vaccine and to encourage uptake amongst those who are eligible. This year's campaign highlights the importance of the flu vaccine and challenges perceptions of the risks and consequences of flu amongst different eligible groups.

The national campaign this year is taking a multi-channel approach that includes television, radio and newspaper advertising, social media and digital activity, as well as the usual range of leaflets and posters.

We also have ongoing partnership activity providing information and materials to organisations such as health and age charities, supermarkets, community and childcare settings, and large workplaces.

It is important, however, to acknowledge that whilst we actively encourage those eligible to take up the offer of the free flu vaccine – vaccination is not mandatory, and it is a matter for each individual to decide whether or not they wish to receive the vaccine.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work with partners and the Youth Experience Fund will be launched in due course.

Scottish Government officials have engaged with a range of key stakeholders who are delivering cultural opportunities to primary school-aged children to identify and fully understand the range of ways schools engage with culture with a view to identifying how best to enhance existing provision.

Engagement on the development of a cultural youth experience fund has taken place with the National Performing Companies, National Collections, Creative Scotland, Education Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland. There are many innovative programmes engaging with children including the Heritage Education Travel Subsidy which has enabled enhanced educational access to heritage sites for over 200,000 students. The National Collections and National Performing Companies undertake significant education programmes which support cultural engagement in schools, this includes free entry for school groups to National Museums sites and free guided tours for school groups at the National Galleries of Scotland.

In addition, our long-standing investment of £109 million since 2007 in the YMI has made a huge impact helping young people across Scotland access music making opportunities and develop their wider skills and learning. In 2015-16 the YMI provided music-making opportunities for over 265,000 young people in and out of school and helped ensure all young people in primary schools were offered a year’s free music tuition by the time they leave primary school.

Skills development is a key strand of the new Ambition 2030 food and drink industry strategy with the sector forecast to create 27,000 new opportunities over the next 10 years.

A key theme within the industry's new Skills Investment Plan, which is led by Skills Development Scotland (SDS), is exploring how to raise the profile of the sector and attract new entrants. As part of this, a range of actions are in place to highlight the importance of the food and drink sector to Scotland, and also the diverse range of career opportunities. These include:

• The national schools programme A Future in Food, designed to create partnerships between schools and businesses and highlight careers in the sector.

• A Food & Drink Skills Ambassadors Network, who are inspirational role models who work in the industry and engage with pupils, parents, teachers and career influencers to highlight jobs in the sector.

• My World of Work bespoke Food and Drink industry web pages and video case studies of individuals working in the sector

• SDS sponsors the Lantra Learner of the Year Awards; this unique event celebrates the success of young people who are following non-traditional careers in the rural sector e.g. farming, agriculture and aquaculture

• SDS sponsored a Food & Drink Careers Expo in September 2017 organised by College Development Network. A range of stakeholders, partners and industry representatives took part to highlight careers in the sector.

There has also been a consistent uptake of our Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme by the food and drink sector with over 1000 starts in each of the last 5 years. The Scottish Government has set an ambitious target to increase the number of new starts to 30,000 across all sectors by 2020 – many of which will be in the food and drink sector.

We are actively working with employers and industry partners to encourage greater participation on the MA programme, in recognition that bringing new entrants into the sector is vitally important. There are MA frameworks within the food and drink sector for:

• Agriculture

• Aquaculture

• Food and Drink Operations

• Game & Wildlife Management

In response to industry demand a new MA framework is also currently in development to support the Craft Brewing sector.

A new Foundation Apprenticeship in Food & Drink Operations has been developed and will be available to senior pupils in 2018 and discussions are also taking place with industry regarding the development of a new Graduate Level Apprenticeship in Food Science.

In addition, there are a number of Further and Higher Education courses at different institutions in Scotland than can lead to a career in the food and drink sector, with the most relevant being:

• Food & Consumer Sciences BSc, Abertay University

• Food Nutrition & Health BSc, Abertay University

• Brewing and Distilling BSc & MSc, Heriot Watt University

• Food Science & Technology HNC, Perth College/West Lothian College

• Nutrition and Food Science BSc & MSc, Queen Margaret University