Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government will consult this year on the principles of a locally determined tourist tax, prior to introducing legislation that would allow local authorities to introduce such a tax if they consider it appropriate for local circumstances. We recognise the need to ensure a local authority choosing to use this discretionary power will not undermine the provision of accommodation for homeless people and will seek views on this in our consultation.

The Scottish Government works closely with Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) to deliver Scotland's ambitious waste related targets and ZWS is a Wealth to Waste Commitment partner.

The Scottish business community has a key role to play in preventing waste and promoting a more circular economy. The Waste to Wealth campaign is an excellent opportunity for Scottish businesses to build on existing work and identify new and innovative techniques to help tackle waste.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published its Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 degrees on 8 October 2018. On 15 October 2018 the Scottish Government, along with the UK and Welsh governments, wrote to the Committee on Climate Change to request advice on emission reduction targets in light of that report. This advice is expected on 2 May 2019.

The IPCC report concludes that to prevent warming of more than 1.5 degrees, globally CO2 needs to fall by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. The Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill proposes targets that will deliver both these aims for Scotland.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing the most ambitious targets that are credible and responsible, and if the Committee on Climate Change advise that we can raise the ambition of any of our long-term targets then we will amend the Climate Change Bill accordingly.

The SPCB is committed to minimising waste and we are a Zero Waste Scotland Resource Efficiency Ambassador. We are familiar with the Business In The Community’s (BITC) Waste to Wealth campaign and have engaged in early discussions with them which we propose to continue. We will also be attending the Waste to Wealth event being held in Edinburgh on 15 May.

The Scottish Government welcomes the reference in the Health Improvement Scotland report increasing participation in the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme. This is a key objective for the Scottish Government and we are continuing to carry out a range of work to encourage women to attend their screening appointments. This includes a series of national marketing campaigns – the most recent of which particularly targeted younger women, where we know uptake is lower. My officials will explore the opportunities to engage with Young Scot to consider how we can build on this work.

We are also investing up to £5m of funding from the Cancer Strategy 'Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action' 2016 in our screening programmes, including cervical screening, to reduce inequalities and encourage participation, especially amongst those least likely to participate.

The Scottish Government is committed to addressing all types of childhood adversity, and this is anchored in our long-standing, national approach of Getting it right for every child.

Under the Getting it right for every child approach, services working with children and young people should consider and assess wellbeing needs based on eight indicators of wellbeing: Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included (known as SHANARRI).When considering the wellbeing of the child or young person, this will include looking at the risks and effects of adversity on them and any necessary action.

The updated GIRFEC policy statement, and child protection guidance, together with the suite of supporting materials and guidance, will promote improved practice related to record keeping. This will focus on developing and recording a better, more holistic understanding of the evolving circumstances in a child's life. Good record keeping practice will not only identify and record any Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) but will help with early identification of risk factors to aid with prevention and support. Planning within the GIRFEC approach will provide the framework for necessary action from services to address any wellbeing needs arising as a consequence of ACEs and support and promote that child's wellbeing. We anticipate that the updated GIRFEC policy will be published in late 2019.

The term adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was originally developed in the US in the 1990s in a survey of childhood adversity, current health status and behaviours. This question set has been adapted for use in many subsequent surveys across different countries to establish the prevalence of ACEs. Such ACE prevalence studies have been undertaken with adult populations to retrospectively ask them about experiences that occurred between 0 to 18 years, usually focusing on 10 commonly measured adversities, including: being the victim of abuse (physical, sexual and/or emotional) or neglect (physical and emotional), having separated parents, and growing-up in a household in which there are adults experiencing alcohol and drug use problems, mental health conditions, domestic violence or imprisonment.

In line with such ACE prevalence studies in other countries, the Scottish Government has incorporated questions about these adversities into the 2019 Scottish Health Survey undertaken with adults. The survey findings will establish the prevalence of ACEs amongst the Scottish adult population and the links with health outcomes and behaviours.

As well as these ten commonly measured ACEs, there are a range of other types of childhood adversity that can also negatively impact on children’s healthy development. These include bereavement, bullying, poverty, community adversities (e.g. area deprivation, neighbourhood violence) and other adversities. The Scottish Government is committed to addressing all types of childhood adversity, and this is anchored in our long-standing, national approach of Getting it right for every child.

In terms of understanding the prevalence of ACEs in the current population of children and young people, information is available from the Growing up in Scotland (GUS) study. GUS tracks the lives of 2 cohorts of approximately 10,000 children from across Scotland and collects information on a range of adversities, including: parental separation, childhood bereavement, maternal health problems, mental disorder in the family, domestic violence and parental imprisonment. This information from GUS will also be complemented by the new Health and Wellbeing Census which will ask some questions about childhood adversities appropriate for the age and stage of the pupil. It is anticipated that the Census will be operational in 2020.

The Scottish Government is clear that home economics plays a key role in providing children and young people with the skills, knowledge and experience they need to make positive health choices and live longer, healthier lives.

Through Curriculum for Excellence, every child and young person in Scotland is entitled to a broad general education which includes learning about food and health. This learning can be delivered through a variety of classes including maths, home economics and science and can include activities like a visit from a chef or a visit to a farm. This helps to ensure that pupils develop a full understanding of food issues in their widest sense. For example, as well as learning how to cook, food education encompasses things like food choices, advertising and culture and the impact these have on overall health.

Our policy document ‘Better Eating, Better Learning’ asks pupils, parents, teachers, caterers and wider community to renew their commitment to school food provision and food education in school by working more closely together to prioritise health promotion in their school. This will help to ensure we are providing consistent messages to children and young people as they learn how to take responsibility for their health.

In December 2017 we published the Race Equality Action Plan outlining more than 120 actions we will take over the course of this Parliament to secure better outcomes for minority ethnic communities in Scotland. One of the commitments made is to mark the International Decade for People of African Descent over 2018-2019 with an innovative programme of events.

We have noted the publication of the report by Glasgow University, “Slavery, Abolition and the University of Glasgow”, and the interesting approach it takes to quantifying and addressing the historic implications of slavery for the institution. While we have no plans to directly replicate this for the whole of Scotland, we will consider how the report, and the approach it sets out, can inform our plans for the International Decade as we take these forward.