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The current licence to operate, between Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Exhibition Campus (SEC) for the NHS Louisa Jordan Hospital, established to support Scotland’s response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is due to end on 31 March 2021 and will not be extended. The Mass Vaccination Centre which is currently operating in NHS Louisa Jordan will be relocated to The SSE Hydro with no gaps in provision. More information can be found in the Scottish Government Press Release dated 18 March 2021

https://www.gov.scot/news/nhs-louisa-jordan-to-close/

In sexual offence cases, there can be a legal right of anonymity for sexual offence complainers, but this requires a decision by a court to be made to protect a person's identity in a given case. Separate from this, there is a long-standing non-statutory protocol operated by the media not to name complainers in sexual offence cases.

Lady Dorrian's independent review on the management of sexual offence cases was published on 18 March 2021. The review recommends that complainer anonymity in rape or other sexual offence cases is put on a statutory footing. We will give the report and its recommendations careful consideration as we look to build on actions already taken to improve the support provided to all participants in sexual offence cases and to promote efficient case management. Decisions on implementation of the report will be a matter for the incoming Administration.

The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Framework 2018 is clear that action is needed to inform consumers about the health impacts of alcohol consumption and the UK Chief Medical Officers’ lower-risk maximum drinking guidelines.

We delivered the Count 14 marketing campaign over two phases in 2019 and 2020. This aims to increase awareness of the 14 unit weekly lower-risk guidelines and translate 14 units into specific alcoholic drinks. The campaign included TV, radio, print and digital advertising as well a roadshow in local supermarkets and a range of partnerships.

A campaign evaluation report summarising the findings of independent pre and post tracker surveys was published on 22 March 2021: Alcohol - count 14 campaign: evaluation report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . The findings demonstrate that the Count 14 campaign has made a positive impact on increasing awareness and understanding of the UK CMOs’ low-risk drinking guidelines in Scotland. For example, among all of those surveyed, awareness of the 14 unit limit increased from 17% pre-Count 14 activity to 32% after both phases. We will consider future national marketing and health messaging on alcohol consumption in light of these findings.

Product labels and packaging are an important source of information for consumers. A report published in 2020 by the Alcohol Health Alliance, based on 2019 data, found that more than 70% of the labels reviewed did not include the official, up-to date lower-risk drinking guidelines at the time of data collection: DRINKING-IN-THE-DARK.pdf (ahauk.org) .

As indicated in the Alcohol Framework, we will consider whether a legislative approach is required to improving health information on products. The Scottish Government, along with the Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, are discussing with the UK Government their plans for calorie labelling on alcohol products in England, in order to explore options for approaching alcohol labelling requirements on a four-nations basis.

The Scottish Government has not investigated or undertaken any feasibility work for a fixed link (bridge, sea crossing or tunnel) between Scotland and Northern Ireland and has no current plans to do so.

Transport Scotland officials have had limited discussions with the UK Government regarding the publication of the interim report of their Union Connectivity Review (UCR). On 26 November 2020 I spoke to Sir Peter Hendy, who is leading the UCR, to discuss this work. Subsequently, on 9 March 2021, I (separately) spoke with the UK Government as well as with Sir Peter Hendy, and relevant officials from the Department for Transport – the matter was discussed in that context on each occasion. I have also had various discussions with Nichola Mallon, Minister for Infrastructure in the Northern Ireland Assembly, on the UCR, some of which have made reference to a potential fixed link – on 6 March 2020 we both wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport setting out joint views on the matter.

We seek to engage constructively with the UK Government, however, not in a way that undermines the devolution settlement. The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) is ongoing and is the method by which the Scottish Government will assess how best to influence the demand for travel, how to better maintain and make best use of existing transport assets, what new capacity is needed, and what may or may not need to be built. This work will appraise potential transport interventions and make recommendations for investment in transport in Scotland over the next 20 years – a fixed link to NI has not been identified as a priority throughout the course of STPR2.

The Scottish Government does not hold data about how many businesses have been ineligible for any form of assistance from its COVID-19 support schemes.

The Scottish Government has engaged with animal welfare groups as new firework regulations have been progressed through secondary legislation. A meeting took place on 17 December 2020 with the Scottish SPCA to discuss the measures that were being introduced. The Scottish SPCA indicated support for the new regulations and the impact they will have on animal welfare.

The Scottish SPCA and British Veterinary Association were also represented on the Firework Review Group. Animal welfare concerns were a key area of consideration for the Group, including the impact fireworks use has on pets, wildlife and livestock. Both organisations supported the Group’s final recommendations for change in how fireworks are sold and used in Scotland.

Further positive change will be progressed through in how fireworks are sold and used in Scotland, subject to the outcome of the upcoming Scottish Parliament elections. This will contribute towards a fundamental shift in the relationship that Scotland has with fireworks, as recommended by the Firework Review Group, and reduce the negative impact experienced by animals, individuals and communities due to fireworks.

The regulations laid in Parliament on 19 February 2021 are an important first step and will, along with a package of measures focussing on awareness raising and prevention, allow tangible change to be in place for autumn 2021.

We recognise the financial challenges being experienced by businesses in the construction sector, particularly smaller firms and tradespeople whose business relies on doing work in domestic premises. The limited funding made available to us to support businesses means that we are simply unable to support all sectors experiencing disruption as a result of restrictions. We therefore have no plans at present to provide direct financial support to small building and construction firms.

I would, however, encourage businesses in this sector and whose trade has been impacted by the pandemic to access the UK Government's Self Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which will support them in meeting staffing costs and addressing salary shortfalls. We continue to do all we can to support the sector through these difficult times through the Construction Leadership Forum and our Construction Recovery Plan.

Under Scotland’s green port model, green port operators and eligible businesses operating within a green port area will be required to adopt the full Fair Work First criteria and commit to becoming a Scottish Business Pledge signatory. The Scottish Business Pledge asks members to commit to:

• Three core (mandatory) elements: Payment of the Real Living Wage; No inappropriate use of Zero Hours Contracts; Action to address Gender pay Gap; and,
• Any 5 of the following 7 elements according to their particular sector: Investing in a Skilled and Diverse Workforce; Workforce Engagement; Environmental Impact; Prompt Payment; Innovation; Internationalisation; Playing an active role in the Community.

We are confident that our green port model reflects the Scottish economic policy context, with its central focus on worker’s rights; protection of the environment, and driving inclusive and sustainable growth.

The Scottish Business Pledge and its criteria is under constant review.