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In order to support online remote learning, Education Scotland supports the Glow platform, which provides free access to a range of online tools and services for all school aged learners and teachers in Scotland. The National e-Learning Offer, launched in June 2020, aims to further widen the availability of online learning across live online lessons, recorded learning sessions and supported online learning and teaching materials. Further details on the e-learning offer are available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/national-e-learning-offer/

E-Sgoil is one aspect of the national offer. The e-Sgoil provision includes study support for learners in the senior phase which takes place after the school day. As at end October 2020, just over 1,635 young people from 233 schools across all local authorities in Scotland had signed up and were taking part in two or more sessions. Feedback from learners has been positive, with 85% wishing to see the e-Sgoil provision continuing beyond November and 80% indicating that they would recommend the sessions to a friend.

To widen access the digital devices, the Scottish Government is investing £25m to tackle digital exclusion amongst children and young people. Funding allocations for devices and connectivity have been made to all 32 local authorities who are now in the process of ordering equipment to address local needs. We expect that around 70,000 devices and 18,000 connectivity solutions will be provided to disadvantaged children and young people.

In order to support teachers' skills in online and remote learning, Education Scotland has delivered a wide range of professional development opportunities including webinars and support sessions for teachers and a community of improvement support via the digilearn.scot website.

Since the announcement of the £97m in UK Government consequentials, the following support packages and funds have been allocated:

• £15m Culture Organisation and Venues Recovery Fund
• £5m + £3m Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund
• £3.5m Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund
• £2.5m Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund – in addition to the £10m already announced on 3 July.
• £2.2m Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund
• £3.5m additional funds to Creative Scotland’s Open Fund
• £3m Youth Arts funding package
• £1.5m for the Culture Collective programme
• £10m to Event Scotland, including the £6m Events Industry Support Fund and the £2.75m Events Recovery Fund.
• £21.3m to support our lead public body, Historic Environment Scotland to enable its properties to reopen and protect jobs.
• £5.9m to secure committed grants to heritage organisations.
• £4m to support historic environment sector recovery, including the £2.6 million Historic Environment Recovery Fund (HERF)
• £4m Museums Recovery and Resilience fund for independent museums
• £3.8m to protect jobs and reopen properties at the National Trust for Scotland
• £2.5m to Capital Theatres, V&A Dundee, and Science centres
• £270,000 to help secure the future of New Lanark World Heritage Site.

Along with the £10m for the Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund announced before the UK Government consequentials, this totals £101m out of the £107m for emergency Covid-19 culture and heritage support. We are still in discussion with sectors about the remaining £6m. We will look, for example, at supplementing the funds already announced, once demand is fully understood.

A wide range of evidence was considered in developing the Strategic Framework, and this informed the decision to close cinemas under Level 3 and Level 4.

Evidence from contact tracing, international experience and scientific research suggests that many social, residential and workplace settings have been associated with transmission. High-risk factors associated with transmission of the virus include indoor spaces, where ventilation and physical distancing may be less easy to maintain, and where people come together to spend prolonged periods of time (more than 15 minutes) in close proximity, enabling the virus to spread easily from person to person. Venues which are attended by many people, typically from different households, amplify the risk of transmission. The number of potential transmission events increase much more quickly than the number of people gathering.

Currently, all leisure and entertainment venues are closed in Level 3 to reduce the number of settings where transmission of the virus may occur and in order to place a sufficient ‘brake’ on transmission of the virus. Cinemas have not been considered in isolation, but in the round along with other activities that may increase the risk of transmission and in the context of the aims of Level 3.

Other parts of the UK have closed cinemas entirely as part of recent restrictions. Cinemas are currently closed until 2 December in England. They were closed as part of the ‘firebreak’ in place between 23 October and 9 November in Wales; cinemas were also closed for four weeks under restrictions introduced in Northern Ireland on 16 October. Cinemas have been closed as part of additional restrictions introduced recently in a number of European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Ireland.

The approach and principles that guide the Scottish Government’s decisions about transitioning out of the current lockdown arrangements is published on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-framework-decision-making/pages/8/ . A further paper is scheduled for publication on 20 November; this will provide more information on the rationale behind decisions around the assignment of levels.

The Scottish Government is making available business support through the Strategic Framework Business Fund. Grants of £2,000 or £3,000, depending on rateable value, will be available for businesses required by law to close. Cinemas in Scotland will be able to access these grants.

During the COVID-19 pandemic the Scottish Government provided £3.5 million of support through Screen Scotland, the dedicated public sector agency for the film and television industry in Scotland, to the Independent Cinema Recovery and Resilience fund. This will provide vital support to 30 fixed venue cinemas and 2 touring cinemas in Scotland.

An expert advisory group consisting of industry acoustic experts, trade representatives, local authority environmental health officials and independent acoustic experts is looking at how guidance can be developed to safely manage low level background sound, including music and audio from other devices, in hospitality. This work is ongoing and updates will be provided in due course.

Following the introduction of Scotland’s Strategic Framework, The Scottish Government published updated events sector guidance and updated guidance for performing arts and venues on 5 November setting out the steps that must be taken by venues and event organisers for the operation of Indoor Small seated live events in Level 1. This includes live music events.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33052 on 16 November 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Strategic Framework sets out the Scottish Government's package of business support measures from 2 November. The Strategic Framework Business Fund offers grant support of up to £3,000 for businesses required to close by law, and grants of up to £2,100 for those businesses that remain open but are required by law to modify their operations.

We have also announced a Contingency Fund specifically to support businesses that are not eligible for the closure and hardship grants but that are experiencing disruption as a result of restrictions. We have already allocated a portion of the Contingency Fund to nightclubs and soft play centres and are continuing to consider where the remainder of the Contingency Fund would be most effectively deployed in supporting businesses impacted by restrictions.

The Strategic Framework sets out the package of business support from 2 November providing grants of up to £3,000 for businesses required to close by law, and grants of up to £2,100 for those businesses that remain open but are required by law to modify their operations.

The eligibility of a business depends on where the premises are located and the level of restrictions are in place at any point in time.

The schedules of The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 contain the measures which apply to business for each level, and information is also published on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-strategic-framework-business-fund/pages/eligibility/

We recognise it has been an extremely challenging time for everyone across Scotland and we are grateful to employers and employees in continuing to support Scotland’s efforts in controlling coronavirus. They can do this by continuing to work from home, where this is possible.

Recognising the impact this approach can have, we encourage employers to work with staff representatives on providing appropriate assistance to employees working from home including provision of equipment and reimbursing business costs.

On 19 July 2020, we issued a joint statement with the Scottish Trade Union Congress, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Institute of Directors and Scottish Council for Development and Industry, outlining the shared commitment to putting Fair Work principles at the heart of our economic recovery https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fair-work-statement/ . The statement urged employers to support workers to follow the guidance available and to facilitate flexible working arrangements, including working from home.

On 23 July 2020 we published cross sectoral guidance on working from home to support employers and the self-employed with the continuation of working from home. In developing this guidance we worked with employers, trade unions and key stakeholders to ensure that the guidance was evidence-based, fair, ethical, clear and realistic.

Within this guidance, there is a specific section on pay, expenses and finance which signposts employers to the HMRC guidance which includes information for employers on which expenses can be reimbursed and which are taxable where their employee works from home due to coronavirus. Employers may consider if they wish to make a payment of the flat rate £6 per week/ £26 per month non-taxable allowance for working from home expenses, such as electricity, heating or broadband costs permitted by HMRC guidance. That is of course a matter for individual employers which needs to take account of their own financial situation at the current time.

We also signpost employees to review the HMRC guidance and see if they are eligible to claim for tax relief for additional household costs if they are working from home due to the pandemic and where these costs have not been met by their employer.