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The Scottish Government has committed to developing a £5 million ‘Islands Bond’ offering 100 bonds of up to £50,000 to young people and families to stay in or to move to islands currently threatened by depopulation. In line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and the introduction of Island Community Impact Assessments, we know the importance of consulting with Island Communities and speaking to the people who are likely to be affected by any new policy, strategy or service before they are implemented. The Islands Bond is still in development and at this stage we do not have exact dates for when the consultation around this will be carried out. However, an Islands Community Impact Assessment will be completed in respect of this new policy and as part of that process, consultation will be undertaken with island communities, local authorities and key stakeholders.

The process to recruit a new Chief Executive for Scottish Enterprise is continuing. An appointment is expected shortly.

The Scottish Government is currently considering the recommendations of the farmer-led groups set up in the last parliament concerning future financial support for farmers. These included recommendations to improve animal health and welfare. The Scottish government is committed to working with farmers, crofters and others as we take this work forward.

All projects in the Learning Estate Investment Programme have been in the design and development phase when they have been announced as part of the programme. The intention would be that this continues to be the case.

The outline business case for the public energy company will be published once the new administration has had an opportunity to consider its conclusions and recent changes with the GB energy market.

The Scottish Government takes the welfare of all animals very seriously; and provision is made for the keepers of all animals to provide for their welfare under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

The Scottish Government is aware of calls for the phasing out of enriched cages for laying hens and farrowing crates for sows across Europe and will consider these carefully.

The £1.8bn Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme is now complete, and delivered 117 new or refurbished schools across the country. Our current school building scheme - the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme - aims to build on the success of the Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme.

Officials are preparing options for Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme which will be considered by Ministers. We hope to make an announcement on the timescale for Phase 3 later this year.

The Scottish Government recognises the cost of buying a school uniform can be considerable for many families. In 2018, in partnership with local authorities, we introduced the national minimum school clothing grant of £100 for all eligible children and young people.

We are committed to developing guidance to ensure consistency on school uniform policies across all of Scotland, ending expensive insistence on exclusive suppliers and to support the automation of school clothing grants in every local authority area in order to remove barriers to application and to boost uptake. We will work with our partners in local government on the development of guidance and on measures to support the automation of school clothing grants during 2021-22.

The Scottish Government continues to be guided by the science and independent advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The Scottish Government vaccination programme adheres to strict medical guidance and JCVI advice and at present although this situation is constantly reviewed; the MHRA has not authorised any vaccines for those aged under 16 years old, across the Four Nations.

If there is a change for under 16 year old then the vaccination process will be in accordance JCVI advice and supply of authorised vaccines.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age.

The Scottish Government greatly values the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic. They have been at the frontline of this public health response, and we are so grateful for the work they have undertaken.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions are guided by the independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

We are adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from COVID-19 and is estimated to address over 90 per cent of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is important that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost.