Chamber and committees

This funding has been allocated to institutions through the Scottish Funding Council for the 2021-22 academic year. Scholarships will be considered by universities for citizens or permanent residents of an EU or EEA country, and have a conditional or unconditional offer of a place at a Scottish university or college, on an eligible course.

All institutions must have a fair and robust assessment selection and award process in place. They will consider students for full time courses, in any subject area at the following levels:

• University - Masters/Taught Postgraduate (TPG) level.
• College - Higher National (HN) level, i.e. Higher National Certificate (HNC) or Higher National Diploma (HND).

Full eligibility criteria can be viewed on the SFC website.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of mobile and broadband connectivity for almost all aspects of everyday life which is why we are working closely with BT, Ofcom, UK Government and other network operators to ensure the migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital based services is as seamless as possible.

It is important to note that resilience of the Communications Sector, which includes telecommunications and internet, is reserved and therefore the responsibility of the UK Government

It is also important to note that the move to digital based services is an industry-led decision and process. This decision to upgrade the legacy PSTN network is driven by the increased difficulty in maintaining the current network, due to reduced availability of replacement parts and the reduction of expertise in aging analogue systems.

The telecoms regulator (Ofcom) have imposed a regulatory obligation on communications providers in General Condition A3 to take all necessary measures to ensure uninterrupted access to emergency organisations for their customers.

Through the Scottish 4G Infill programme, we are investing £28.75 million in future-proofed infrastructure to improve access to 4G services for some of Scotland’s rural and island communities. The programme is targeting total notspots, areas where there is no outdoor coverage on any 4G network.

At present, the Scottish 4G Infill Programme is providing future-proofed, 4G mobile infrastructure at 25 locations across Scotland, from New Luce in Dumfries and Galloway to Reawick on Shetland. Up to 55 sites will be live and providing service by the end of the programme in 2023.

During Storm Arwen, telecoms operators were quick to respond, deploying emergency response teams that provided mitigating measures such as backup generators to affected sites.

Local Resilience Partnerships also provided welfare centres and offered Wi-Fi and mobile phone charging facilities where possible.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a Review into the response to Storm Arwen which aims to learn lessons and improve the response to power outages and associated impacts like those experienced in November 2021.

We will continue to press the UK Government and the regulator (Ofcom) for assurance that increasing resilience of the telecoms network in Scotland is a priority.

The main consideration was the suitability of a candidate for the role of Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Rail Holdings, including relevant previous senior level experience of the UK rail industry and the mobilisation of Government controlled rail operations.

Steel production in Scotland had effectively ceased at the time. Our intervention enabled production to recommence and to get skilled Steel workers back to work.

The Scottish Government and TATA Steel do not have any claim on the land upon which the Dalzell steelworks are situated.

The Scottish Government owned the Dalzell and Clydebridge steelworks momentarily in 2016 before the same were immediately sold to Liberty House.

The Scottish Government welcomed the Commissioner’s latest progress report which demonstrates that we continue to make good progress in delivering the recommendations made by the previous Veterans Commissioner. I am delighted that, of the recommendations against which an assessment was provided, there are now no outstanding ‘red’ recommendations and only seven ‘amber’. The majority of the remaining ambers are from the 2018 paper on veterans’ health.

The Armed Forces Personnel & Veterans Health Joint Group brings together NHS Champions, representatives of the Serving community, veterans organisations, Scottish Government officials and other stakeholders. It is a key vehicle through which the Commissioner’s recommendations are delivered and its current priorities to address the outstanding recommendations include establishing a network for Veterans who have suffered Service-related injuries. This involves engaging extensively with key stakeholders and colleagues in NHS England to learn from the set-up of their Veterans Trauma Network, while recognising the distinct differences in the Health Board structure in Scotland. The Group is also connected to the implementation of the principles that underpin the Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan which ensure that the Armed Forces and Veterans community can access mental health and wellbeing services throughout Scotland.

We are also aware of the interlinked nature of the inequalities that veterans can face and these sit at the heart of the Joint Group's varied priorities. We recognise the positive role that employment has on mental wellbeing and broader socio-economic and health inequalities and we continue to work with partners to develop resources to support veterans to gain employment within the NHS and promote the NHS as a post-Service career.

We will continue to prioritise the delivery of the outstanding recommendations and look forward to contributing to the Commissioner’s next progress report later this year, which we expect will include his most recent recommendations on Employment, Skills and Learning and Housing, plus any recommendations made in his upcoming paper on Health.

Our guidance for schools is informed by expert advice from bodies including SAGE and the Health and Safety Executive, which indicates that air cleaning/filtration devices, such as HEPA filters, should never be used as a substitute for efforts to improve ventilation. For example, the Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on air cleaning/filtration devices states: “ These units are not a substitute for ventilation. You should prioritise any areas identified as poorly ventilated for improvement in other ways before you think about using an air cleaning device.”

The Scottish Government keeps its guidance under regular review in light of the latest expert advice, and will consider any necessary updates as research and evidence evolve.

We know minority ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. In June 2020, the government established an Expert Reference Group on COVID-19 and Ethnicity to provide recommendations on how we could better respond to the needs of minority ethnic people in Scotland. The implementation of these recommendations forms the core of our Immediate Priorities Plan for Race Equality in Scotland 2021-2023 with actions across health and social care, education, fair work, housing, and child poverty.

Through our Immediate Priorities Fund, we supported the development of the Ethnic Minority Resilience Network to support individuals, families, young people and organisations address immediate pandemic-related issues. We also provided emergency support funding, including over £312,000 to provide culturally appropriate food and support services.

The Scottish Government’s guidance on reducing risks in schools, which is published on the Scottish Government website, sets out the advice that local authorities should have regard to when undertaking CO2 monitoring in schools. This includes guidelines as to the actions that should be considered when CO2 readings are at certain levels.

The Scottish Government has not supplied local authorities with a detailed methodology on the use of specific models of CO2 monitors in schools. This is because, drawing on £10m of Scottish Government funding, a variety of fixed and mobile CO2 monitors have been procured by local authorities for deployment to their schools, in order to support local strategies and enable rapid procurement and assessment. Our guidance makes clear that relevant local authority teams should provide clear advice on the appropriate use of CO2 monitors in their schools.