Chamber and committees

The significant work already underway in relation to this issue in Scotland, as outlined in S6W-00743, is a broader approach than suggested by the Ofsted review. The ongoing work across schools as well as the further and higher education sectors is designed to help tackle sexual harassment and gender based violence. This is part of our wider Equally Safe work to eradicate violence against women and girls.

The Everyone’s Invited suggested approach of ensuring all schools are enabled to prevent and respond effectively to sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviours is the correct approach, and one which the Scottish Government has been pursuing for some time.

Live entertainment can take place in general hospitality from Level 0 where physical distancing in indoor public spaces is standardised at 1 metre. If live entertainment is provided in dedicated events spaces in hospitality, such as a function hall or conference room, then this can be planned under events and or performing arts guidance . Live entertainment must still only be offered in line with a premises’ licensing conditions and, where necessary, engagement with the local authority. More details can be found in the tourism and hospitality sector guidance .

If we continue to move in the right direction following our review on 19 July, we intend to move beyond Level 0 from 9 August and lift the Levels system of restrictions and remaining physical distancing measures. Nightclubs should be able to reopen from this date if the evidence supports it at the next review point.

The Building Standards Futures Board was established in 2019 to provide guidance and direction on the development and implementation of recommendations made by the Compliance and Enforcement and Fire Safety Review Panels.

The Futures Board covers a number of work streams, one of which (Compliance Plan Approach) aims to reduce the risk of non-compliance with the building regulations for all building types including new-build residential developments.

Scottish Government has recently strengthened guidance on the roles and responsibilities of any person undertaking new building work. The Building Standards Procedural Handbook, published on 1 October 2019, emphasises the importance of regular and effective communication and partnership working to improve compliance with building regulations. It also recommends the use of more formal customer agreements and pre-warrant discussions between the applicant and verifier to discuss all the key aspects of design, and the importance of carrying out safety checks on critical design elements during construction.

We intend to consult on further proposals to strengthen the building standards system and reduce the risk of non-compliance in late summer/autumn 2021.

In Scotland, the height and weight of children entering Primary 1 is collated annually and children are assigned to healthy and unhealthy weight categories based on their body mass index (BMI), in line with an outcome of the 2018 Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan. These measurements were paused in school year 2020/21 due to disruption caused by the pandemic. In April this year we wrote to NHS Boards asking them to resume planning for this measurement to begin again in the new school term for academic year 2021-22.

These funding allocations are subject to agreement by COSLA Leaders and will be confirmed shortly. This information will be published on the Scottish Government when it is available at the following link: https://www.gov.scot/policies/schools/teachers/

The Scottish Government only collects school pupil attendance and absence information every 2 years, so no data is available for 2017-18. In addition, the structure and format of data gathered in 2018-19, as well as some partial data gathered in 2019-20 (due to the Covid pandemic) does not enable the necessary analysis to be undertaken to answer this question.

For the 2020-21 school year, the Scottish Government does have daily attendance and absence data that would enable such analysis to be undertaken. However, this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

However, information we do have in relation to school pupil attendance and absence can be found here

Summary statistics for schools in Scotland no. 10: 2019 edition - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Covid19ELCandHubs | Tableau Public

COVID19 - Schools and Childcare Information 2021 | Tableau Public

Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): trends in daily data - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

COVID-19 Education Recovery Group: children and young people infographic - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

This information includes the attendance and absence rates over the course of the entire 2020-21 school year (when schools were open for all pupils to return from specific stages).

It shows that attendance generally started at around 95% when schools fully reopened after a lockdown (i.e. August 2020 and April 2021).

On any given day, more children and young people were not in school due to non-Covid reasons, and that most pupils not in school due to Covid-related reasons was due to pupils being required to self-isolate. The actual number of pupils who were absent due to having tested positive for Covid (or displaying Covid symptoms) was generally under 1,000 pupils (out of approximately 700,000 pupils) on any given day over the course of the entire 2020-21 school year.

No. Absence rates for pupils were never 50% or greater when schools were fully open for all pupils during the 2020/21 school year.

The Scottish Government have published information in relation to school pupil attendance and absence throughout the 2020/21 school year, which can be found here:

COVID19 - Schools and Childcare Information 2021 | Tableau Public

Coronavirus (COVID-19): daily data for Scotland - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): trends in daily data - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

COVID-19 Education Recovery Group: children and young people infographic - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Information on how many disabled interns each NHS Board has hired in each of the last three years is not centrally held.

Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025, in line with recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. By working to achieve our ambitious waste and recycling targets, we can ensure a transition to a fully circular economy and help to achieve our net zero commitments.

The implementation of the ban was delayed to 2025 to allow local authorities and the wider waste sector the necessary time to ensure full readiness and avoid unintended negative economic impacts, as highlighted by the Waste Markets Study (2019) . We are working to provide a centrally supported procurement solution to help local authorities secure alternative solutions to comply with the forthcoming ban. In addition, we will continue to engage with the commercial sector to support their preparation and input in to the delivery of the ban.

We recognise that the actions needed to become net zero by 2045 will transform all sectors of our economy and society. The Scottish Government is committed to a just transition, which is about ensuring that, as we reduce our emissions and respond to a changing climate, that journey is fair and creates a better future for everyone – regardless of where they live, what they do, and who they are. We are working with industry and businesses to maximise the opportunities and realise the benefits of a circular economy, identifying where there are opportunities to make transformational changes. We will ensure our transition to net-zero creates new opportunities for people across the country. For example, we are investing £100 million in the Green Jobs Fund which will provide support to businesses (and their supply chains) to help them better transition to a low carbon economy. In so doing, the Green Jobs Fund will boost green employment and create opportunities for individuals to retrain and upskill in new and high-growth areas.

The Young Person’s Guarantee – Implementation Progress Report was published on 28 July and outlines the progress made against each of the initial recommendations within Youth Guarantee - No-one Left Behind: initial report, published on 2 September 2020. The progress report also provides an outline of the next steps against the commitments made in the supporting Activity Plan and is accompanied by the Key Performance Indicators, which are part of the broader Measurement and Evaluation Framework underpinning the Young Person’s Guarantee. The Framework will support our understanding of the impact of the Young Person’s Guarantee across a range of economic, education and equalities outcomes, enabling the targeting of future resource and to ensure that no young person is left behind.

As Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training, I will be leading this work, alongside Sandy Begbie, partners and stakeholders to continue to build on progress to tackle youth unemployment and to improve the life chances of young people. This includes the delivery of relevant manifesto commitments contained within First Steps , which are to:

• Appoint a Minister specifically tasked with supporting youth employment;
• Invest £45 million through local partnerships to provide training and employer recruitment incentives;
• Fund colleges to deliver around 5,000 more short, industry-focussed courses to help young people train for jobs in key industries;
• Roll-out new school coordinators across the country to support young people access education, work, or training; and,
• Establish a new graduate internship scheme and increase places on volunteering and third sector programmes.