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The Kinlochleven hydro-electric power station was built specifically to power the Kinlochleven Aluminium Smelter. Since the smelter closed in 2000 all the electrical power produced at Kinlochleven has been exported to the national grid and no power is dispatched to the Fort William smelter directly. The Kinlochleven power station has no connection to the Scottish Government’s Lochaber guarantee and the Kinlochleven power generation assets are not included within the Government’s Lochaber security package.

As the UK Government’s own recent White Paper on rail acknowledges, the current structure of the industry was supposed to bring ‘greater efficiency and innovation’, but ‘little of this has happened’. Rather, ‘the system does not always encourage the different part of the sector to work together’.

We saw this in Scotland where a lack of co-ordination led to late and over budget delivery of projects, as flagged in our Major Projects Review 2016. We have worked hard with the industry to rectify these issues through the Team Scotland approach, making best use of the limited powers that we have. In putting arrangements in place for ScotRail services beyond March 22, we will use the opportunity to place an emphasis on the integration of rolling stock and train service plans with infrastructure works, improving the efficient whole system delivery of the Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan.

Scottish Ministers continue to believe that a devolved railway, public sector controlled and operated in the service of the public, fully integrated and truly accountable, will deliver better and more efficient services for our people and our communities. As part of the Rail Review, the Scottish Ministers and officials presented a clear case for the full devolution of rail powers. The UK Government has chosen to refuse this reasonable request.

Consideration of potential improvements to all strategic transport infrastructure across the whole of Scotland continues to be undertaken through the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). Through the STPR2 Regional Transport Working Group covering the Edinburgh area, Transport Scotland have ensured there are synergies between this and the ongoing improvements at Sheriffhall, being progressed as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

STPR2 will create the evidence basis for future transport investment decisions by the Scottish Government for the next 20 years. It will set out how the recommended investments will contribute Net Zero, Inclusive Growth and our vision is for a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors.

At the core of STPR2 is the Sustainable Investment Hierarchy. We will aim first to reduce the need to travel unsustainably, make better use of and enhance existing infrastructure, before investing in new capacity. This hierarchy is also central to Infrastructure Investment Plan. It is through this Review, that potential improvements on the A720, in addition to the work at Sheriffhall, will be considered within the appraisal process.

STPR2 will conclude later this year, with publication of recommendations for investment and an appropriate statutory consultation period.

The Saltire Tidal Energy Challenge Fund was launched on 10 February 2019 with a total of up to £10 million available to help accelerate the commercial deployment of tidal energy in Scottish waters.

Following a process of evaluation and due diligence, two projects were supported under the Fund, with total funding of up to £4.945 million being awarded. A total of £4,604,882 has been paid to the two projects to date. The Fund closed for applications on 6 December 2019.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has provided detailed information on this year’s appeals process on its website that includes Frequently Asked Questions, an interactive chatbot and a flowchart of how the process will work this year. Further details are available at: .

In addition, a leaflet is being sent out to every learner in Scotland with details of the process, along with learner support information. If young people have any questions on appeals that are not answered through these resources they can contact SQA’s customer support team at: . Support for young people will continue to be available through the summer.

SQA has previously used podcasts and Question and Answer sessions to engage with young people and are actively looking at these for the appeals service.

There are arrangements in place to allow travellers to travel without pre-payment of the Managed Quarantine Hotel/Testing Package who are claiming Hardship. The Scottish Government have agreed to accept the costs of Scottish residents on Low Income benefits. The list of agreed benefits is:

• Universal Credit
• Child Tax Credit
• Council Tax Reduction
• Working Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Pension Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Carers Allowance

The Scottish Government has worked in collaboratively with Public Sector and Third Sector colleagues to produce a number of assets as part of the marketing and communications strategy for the COVID-19 vaccination programme, some of which are outlined below:

1. In partnership with BEMIS and the Ethnic Minority National Resilience Network (EMNRN) we have gathered feedback from ME organisations to shape inclusive communications, which has influenced messaging and available formats. For example, we have used the insight to create a ‘Vaccine Explainer Video’ which provides key facts about the Covid vaccines for those who may be hesitant, or for those more likely to have been exposed to myths/misinformation. This video is currently being produced in BSL and in multiple community languages.

2. Key campaign information leaflets about the vaccine have been translated in various languages and accessible formats for inclusion on NHS Inform vaccine content for distribution via stakeholders.

3. Translated versions of the Roll Up Your Sleeves TV Campaign videos were produced in 7 community languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi, Polish, Romanian, Urdu and Punjabi), with further translations development for the campaign targeting 18-49 year olds.

4. Translated versions of the ‘What to Expect at a Vaccination Site’ Walkthrough Video was created in partnership with PHS and MECOPP, with development including considerations to accessible wording and content.

5. A Ramadan Film was created in April 2021 in partnership with the British Islamic Medical Association – This video was to reassure Muslims who were concerned about getting the vaccine while fasting.

6. A Stakeholder Toolkit specifically created for ME communities for Phase 3 of Roll Up Your Sleeves was launched in April 2021 to all relevant stakeholders. The toolkit included social media posts which signposted to the language-specific pages PHS created.

7. A Myth Busting Film fronted by Dr Punam Krishan was launched in May 2021 and was reviewed by ME groups to ensure accessible wording/content and translated into 10 community languages. It addresses concerns about the vaccine such as not containing pork or animal origin and that it won’t alter DNA. This was shared on Dr Krishan’s IGTV, through SG channels and shared via PHS and NHS Boards.

Other examples of initiatives can be found in the Vaccine Deployment Plan:

We are committed to learning lessons on every aspect of the response to Covid-19 and are currently exploring the interplay between the UK inquiry and any Scottish inquiry. We will update Parliament on plans as soon as possible.

Information on arrivals into the UK are published by the Home Office and can be found here:

All travellers have to take a COVID-19 test within 72hrs of their departure; evidence has to presented to the carrier prior to boarding the aircraft at their port of origin. To be allowed to enter the country, all travellers need to be in possession of the relevant managed quarantine or test package dependent on which country they have come from or transited through. This is checked at the UK border.

The Scottish Government welcomes the work of the European Stroke Organisation and we agree that it is vital to ensure improvements are made to stroke pathways and services, including prevention, treatment and care.

Through our Programme for Government commitments and the Stroke Improvement Plan, we are already reflecting the aims of the European Stroke Organisation’s appeal targets.

We will continue to implement our Stroke Improvement Plan which sets out our priorities for improving diagnosis, treatment and care for those affected by stroke alongside the ongoing work to deliver the Programme for Government stroke commitments. We are expecting a report on progressive stroke services by the end of December 2021. This will set the intention for our future actions to improve care for people with stroke.