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The Air Departure Tax (Scotland) Act 2017 makes provision for the tax and sets out its structure. As the member is aware, we continue to work to find a solution to the issue of the Highlands and Islands exemption. When a solution has been found, Parliament will consider regulations setting out the tax bands and rate amounts.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22720 on 23 April 2019. 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 Scottish Government and UK Government have continued to work together to try to find a solution. Most recently, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on this matter on 15 February 2019.

As part of the agreement for Budget 2019-20, the Scottish Government committed to consult on the principles of a locally determined tourist tax in 2019. I will provide information on the detail and scope of the consultation, along with timings of legislation to parliament in due course and in keeping with normal parliamentary business.

This government is committed to ensuring that students with additional needs have the same opportunities to access education and employment as their peers. Scottish Funding Council (SFC) statistics show that in academic year 2016-17, 17.1% of learning hours at college were delivered to students with disabilities and 93% of disabled students at college went onto further study or work.

Since academic year 2015-16, colleges have access to the SFC’s Access and Inclusion Fund, previously known as Extended Learning Support (this year at £50.5m) to help them achieve equality of outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities.

We expect colleges to use the funds to ensure that all students have an equal chance of successfully completing their program of learning and progressing to work or further study.

Prior to academic year 2015-16, this funding was not a set amount and was allocated to colleges based on a claims system.

The Remedial Agreement has now been published on ScotRail’s website. Link is https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/train_service
_performance_remedial_plan_redacted.pdf

Both ScotRail and I separately provided an update on ScotRail’s Remedial Plan at the Rural Economy Connectivity Committee on 27 March 2019.

The decision on whether or not Speed Awareness Courses should be introduced as an alternative to prosecution in Scotland is a matter for the Lord Advocate.

The Lord Advocate has agreed in principle to Police Scotland proposals to the diversion at source by Police Scotland to Speed Awareness Courses as an alternative to prosecution in appropriate cases. This agreement in principle is subject to approval of the specific arrangements which are to be put in place. A multi-agency working group, including Police Scotland, COPFS, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service, Scottish Government Transport officials and the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, will work together to devise the necessary infrastructure and guidance required to support the introduction of SACs in Scotland. This work will include the identification of potential course providers. The group’s conclusions will be reported to the Lord Advocate for his consideration in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22025 on‎ 21 March 2019. 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 Scottish Government has a strong and consistent commitment to international cultural engagement. There are a number of initiatives and programmes that support this cultural ambition:

EXPO

The Scottish Government’s Festivals EXPO Fund continues to provide an important opportunity to maximise the opportunities the supported festivals provide for the international promotion of Scottish artists of the highest quality. With EXPO funding, they raise the international profile and exposure of the creativity of Scotland, through ambitious projects involving Scottish artists and thinkers. Since 2008 the EXPO fund has provided the members of Festivals Edinburgh with over £23m in funding, almost all of which contributes to showcasing Scottish culture abroad or bringing international collaborations here.

In addition, Festivals Edinburgh and Creative Scotland operate the international Momentum delegate programme that sees influential cultural visitors come to Scotland every August to develop an exchange with alternating countries. 2018 marked the 8th edition of the programme, and hosted a total of 151 participants from 22 countries/regions.

Platform for Excellence

The Scottish Government’s newest partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh, that began in November last year, is designed to ensure our festivals remain the best in the world, by providing £15 million over the next five years for a range of creative and community projects which will renew the Festivals’ ambition, international reach and purpose.

Culture Strategy

The Scottish Government is developing a Culture Strategy that will set out a vision and priorities for the future development of culture in Scotland, both at home and abroad.

Creative Scotland

One of Creative Scotland’s ambitions is for Scotland to be a distinctive creative nation connected to the world. To help deliver this deliver this ambition Creative Scotland supports work across four strategic strands covering all art forms. These strands are:

• Import: Scotland’s communities and local economies experience the benefits of embracing high quality international experiences.
• Export: widening trade for Scotland’s creative businesses maximising the potential of international markets.
• Cultural exchange: artists and creative practitioners have opportunities to deepen their practice through international dialogue, exchange and collaboration, widening knowledge, insight and innovation.
• Cultural diplomacy: strengthen international relationships promoting Scotland as an important global centre for the arts, screen and creative industries with a richly diverse culture.

Historic Environment Scotland

Historic Environment Scotland (HES), as Scotland’s lead public body on the Historic Environment, are developing their international strategy to aid their exposure and work overseas. The strategy notes HES’s ambitions to become a recognised international centre of expertise, promoting the value of Scotland’s internationally significant heritage.

HES oversee the management of Scotland’s six World Heritage Sites and collaborate with specialists across the globe to assist in the conservation of historic sites both within Scotland and internationally. HES’s expertise and innovative work in scanning, digitisation and archives is sought after and admired across the world. The Scottish Ten project in 2009 saw a team of experts from Historic Environment Scotland and the Glasgow School of Art digitally document Scotland’s then five World Heritage Sites and a further five international heritage sites to create accurate 3D data to help with their conservation and management, their interpretation and virtual access. This technology has had marked implications for the conservation of the sites involved and similar technology is being used at sites around the world.

HES’s work on climate change adaptation, environmental assessments, community engagement and conservation methods lead them to routinely exchange and lead research with international partners.

National Collections

National Galleries of Scotland is contributing via its touring and innovative programme of exhibitions to enhancing Scotland’s International engagement by establishing strong collaborative partnership workings with other museums and galleries around the world. For example by developing partnerships in Europe, North America with the help of the Americans Patrons, and in the Far East and Australasia. Many partnerships are developed through education activities and others are developed with other cultural institutions abroad through loans and exhibitions programmes.

National Museums Scotland is committed to raising its profile by consolidating links with otherinternational institutions and exploring opportunities with other countries as set out in its International Strategy and approaches to international working. Actions are progressing well with regard to the three priority countries identified in the NMS International Strategy Group plan: the United States, India and China.

The National Library of Scotland’s international engagement is based mainly around its extensive collections and staff professional skills and expertise and exhibition loans. The Library promotes Scottish Literature to an international audience through its website and online services. Its digital copies of the works of Scottish authors are viewed around the world. The Library has material in 490 languages.

The National Performing Companies International Touring Fund

The National Performing Companies support the Scottish Government’s policy aim of Scotland being ‘renowned at home and abroad as a creative nation, with a rich heritage, contributing to the world as a modern dynamic country’ making a significant contribution to cultural life in Scotland and regularly producing work internationally.

Each Company is eligible to apply to the dedicated International Touring Fund. This Fund is used to support the Companies’ performing activities overseas, with priority given for tours to areas of significance to the Scottish Government. In 2017-18 requests from the companies totaled £547,500 for the Touring Fund of £350,000.

Scotland is Now

Our cultural sector is also able to draw support from Scotland Is Now, which is a bold new narrative projecting Scotland as the progressive, pioneering and dynamic nation it is. It brings together the collective efforts of the Scottish Government, VisitScotland and SE/Scottish Development International to reach out internationally and tell the story of what Scotland is doing now, encouraging people to live & work, study, visit and do business in Scotland, across all sectors including creative industries.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22025 on 21 March 2019. 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 .

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-22025 on 21 March 2019. 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 .