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In February I informed Parliament that since its launch, the Young Person’s Guarantee has created around 18,000 additional or enhanced opportunities for people aged between 16 and 24 to help them into work, education or training.

Building on this early success and our on-going significant investment in education, employability and skills, we have committed an additional £70 million for the Guarantee in 2021-22. I am pleased to announce our initial allocations for the‎ £70 million are:

• An additional £45 million for local partnerships, in line with our partnership working agreement with Local Government. This resource will be used flexibly to provide a range of support from training, to employer recruitment incentives and locally tailored wrap around support for DWP programmes like Kickstart.
• A further £10 million of direct investment for colleges to deliver around 5,000 shorter, industry-focussed courses.
• £10 million for the Developing the Young Workforce to complete the roll-out of the new school coordinators, recommended by the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board Sub-Group and to support our employer engagement and communications activity; and
• £5 million for other initiatives including a new graduate internship scheme, increased volunteering capacity and enhancing third sector programmes, such as Inspiring Scotland’s Our Futures Now and Discovering your Potential.

This funding will build on existing local structures and networks to strengthen our support to young people. Our focus on local partnerships will ensure that the funding is able to respond to the diverse needs of Scotland’s local economies and meet the needs of young people. It will do so in a way that recognises the significant challenges facing young people and the changes anticipated within the labour market, such as the phasing out of furlough support.

It will create additional employment, education, apprenticeship, training and formal volunteering opportunities whilst also providing wrap around support to ensure young people are able to progress into sustainable and fair employment.

A central aspect of this investment is working with employers to create more jobs for young people. As part of our activity to implement the recommendations from Sandy Begbie’s initial report in this regard, Scottish and Local Government have agreed and published a new national Employer Recruitment Incentive (ERIs) framework. This framework will provide consistency across the country and set the national minimum standards for new ERIs starting from 1 April 2021.

Amending Regulations were made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 today.

These Regulations legislate for the relaxation of restrictions announced by the First Minister on Tuesday, 9 March. They amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 to remove a number of restrictions on socialising, sport and exercise in order to provide individuals with greater opportunities for social, recreational and sporting activity outdoors. These changes come into force on Friday, 12 March.

The Regulations also permit activity for election purposes or to observe an election in Level 4 areas from 15 March ahead of the Scottish Parliament Election in May 2021.

The Regulations have been published at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/136/contents/made .

Today I am announcing up to £61.4 million in further funding to support bus operators maintain services between 1 April and 27 June 2021. This is in addition to up to £191.3 million that the Scottish Government has made available to support bus services since June 2020. This funding is subject to regular reconciliation to ensure we are not over or under paying operators and actual spend in 2020-21 is forecast at £144.5 million. Funding only covers the gap between additional operational costs due to Covid-19 and the loss of fare revenue due to physical distancing and reduced demand.

Amending Regulations were made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Directions by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 today.

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 to remove provisions relating to holiday gatherings as they have now served their purpose. The provisions regarding end of term households are adjusted so they remain fit for purpose now that term two has begun. These regulations also remove the requirement for child contact centres to close in Level 4 areas. These Regulations also adjust the definition of professional sportsperson and to clarify that only those persons and performers can access indoor fitness facilities such as gyms. The Regulations also ease the restrictions on libraries to ensure they can open for the purpose of providing free computer and internet access, where an appointment has been booked.

Finally, these Regulations extend the expiry date of The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 and The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Directions by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 to 30 September 2021.

The Regulations have been published at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/117/contents/made .

We understand the distress that this pandemic has caused for people living in care homes and their loved ones. Care home staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support continued contact between residents and their loved ones but these restrictions have been hugely challenging for residents, as well as for care home staff and colleagues.

With a wide range of protections now in place that must be maintained and rigorously sustained, we can now mitigate the risk to enable safe, indoor visiting from early March so that everyone living in adult care homes, no matter their age, health, or otherwise, can have meaningful contact with their families and loves ones.

The most recent of these protections is the COVID vaccine with more than 99.9% of older care home residents and 95% of staff in those homes now vaccinated with first dose. Vaccination sits alongside other protections including infection prevention and control measures; testing policy prior to hospital discharge; testing policy for community admission; PPE (adequate, available and proper used) testing (all staff, others, designated visitors). Additionally, the national picture of coronavirus outbreaks in care homes is improving. NRS data shows that deaths from coronavirus in care homes have fallen by 62% in the last three weeks. These protections combined with an improving picture means that we are now able to support meaningful indoor visiting.

Today I have published updated care home visiting guidance ‘Open with Care’ to support the return of indoor visiting and ensure that there is meaningful contact between care home residents and their loved ones. The revised guidance recommends that all care homes should support residents to have up to two designated visitors each with one visit a week for each visitor from early March. There will be some care homes that need to put in additional work to satisfy themselves they meet all the safety measures - in these cases direct support will be provided by national and local partners.

Care homes can access support from local oversight teams who have provided ongoing advice and support throughout the pandemic. The Scottish Government is providing funding for reasonable additional costs incurred as a result of the pandemic, including staffing and non-staffing costs associated with facilitating safe visiting in care homes. This is in line with the financial support for social care providers guidance, published in December 2020.

Scottish Government also provides funding and support for the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) (extended to June 2021 and under ongoing review) as well as care home testing.

The guidance has been developed by the Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Medical Officer’s Clinical and Professional Advisory group for Social Care in consultation with relatives of care home residents, care home providers, Scottish Care, Directors of Public Health, Health and Social Care Partnerships and a range of other partners.

Everyone, including visitors, has a responsibility to ensure that visits take place as safely as possible by continuing to follow safety advice. While visiting may sometimes still be restricted, for example in the event of an outbreak at a care home, the expectation will now be that homes will facilitate regular weekly contact as long as certain safety conditions are met. We will then work to continue to gradually increase the frequency and duration of contact. Essential visits in cases where there is distress, urgency or a need to prevent decline should continue to be supported by all care homes compassionately and generously under this guidance.

This is a welcome step forward for residents and their loved ones as well as for care home staff.

The Scottish Government will continue working with care home providers, partners and relatives to support implementation of the guidance. National and local monitoring will take place from the point the guidance is published and support will be in place for providers to help them open with care.

The updated guidance can be found here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-adult-care-homes-visiting-guidance/ .

We also appreciate that for almost everyone, reconnecting will be an emotional time. Dedicated advice for care home residents, their friends and relatives will be available on www.nhsinform.scot/openwithcare from today. This summarises the new guidance and the safeguards in place to have meaningful contact as safely as possible.

Amending Regulations were made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 today. These Regulations provide that driving lessons and tests may be provided for, or undertaken by certain limited categories of workers in a Level 4 area. Those workers are the police and fire services and employees of bus companies where the company has delegated authority from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to provide employee driving tests.

The Regulations have been published at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/86/contents/made .

As part of the Winter Plan for Social Protection, Scottish Ministers announced a one-off COVID Winter Hardship Payment of £100 for each child receiving Free School Meals, on the basis of low income, prior to the winter holidays.

As of 5 February local authorities have reported that payments have been made to 144,128 eligible children and young people, totalling over £14.41 million. Scottish Ministers will meet the cost of these payments in full and have also provided £400,000 of administration funding to councils to support delivery. This payment is in addition to continued Free School Meal provision delivered during the October, Christmas and February holidays, backed by £6.95 million of investment.

Scottish Ministers have also committed £12.898 million to councils to continue the provision of Free School Meals, for children eligible on the basis of low income, during the period of online learning in January and February.

Further funding of £4.29 million has also been made available to continue Free School Meal alternate provision over the Easter 2021 break – ensuring that eligible children and young people continue to be supported.

Following the allocation of £1.1 billion to support additional COVID-19 costs in 2020-21 that was announced on 29 September 2020, the Scottish Government is providing further funding of £491 million to NHS Boards and Integration Authorities. This takes our total level of support to £1.7 billion, and ensures that our frontline services continue to have the funding that they require throughout this pandemic.

Details of the funding allocation to NHS Boards and Integration Authorities are set out in the following table:

Amending Regulations were made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 today. These Regulations move Na h-Eileanan Siar from Level 3 to Level 4 as a result of the latest information.

The Regulations have been published at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/54/contents/made.

Amending Regulations were made to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 and the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Directions by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 today.

These Regulations amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 to provide that premises which are required to close to the public or operate in restricted ways in Level 3 and 4 areas may be used for purposes connected to an election if they are suitable premises which a returning officer or electoral registration officer has requested the use of in connection with the carrying out of any of their functions.

These Regulations adjust the restrictions on drive-in and drive-through events to make clear that they are not permitted in Level 3 and Level 4 areas.

These Regulations adjust to examples of a reasonable excuse to enter a Level 4 area to bring the marriage, civil partnership and funerals excuses into line with the excuses to leave home for those living in a Level 4 area.

Finally, these Regulations extend the expiry date of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Directions by Local Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 from 31 January 2021 to 31 March 2021. This changes brings the expiry into line with the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

The Regulations have been published at https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/49/made .