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The National Centre for Resilience (NCR) whilst an independent body is fully funded by the Scottish Government, and works closely with it. In the past its remit had focused on natural hazards, but early in the pandemic it adapted its efforts into health resilience - bringing to bear its existing work on recovery to the particulars of the emerging threat.

The NCR was already working with the Scottish Government’s Resilience Development Service (ScoRDS) on recovery as the pandemic began. In collaboration with ScoRDS it had held a series of national workshops where policymakers, practitioners, and academics shared their experiences and the challenges faced when supporting communities through recovery from significant disruptive events. An initial findings paper was published. That laid very firm groundworks for recovery across sectors, and has also placed the NCR in an excellent position to continue to support those sectors.

Building immediately on this work, and following participation in the Scotland responders’ Covid lessons group in the summer of 2020, the NCR identified a need to help responders understand an evidence-based approach in order to not only recover, but to build back better. It used its networks to connect with the third sector responders and SG policy teams, to gain a clear understanding of new issues arising, and also how existing challenges were being amplified by the pandemic.

As a result, a series of symposiums were hosted - bringing together senior leaders in response organisations, academia, and policy teams in order to engage and identify cross sector ways to help find and deliver practical solutions, to improve and mitigate reported issues. Full reports on these symposiums were shared with all participants and have been published on the NCR website.

The NCR has also conducted literature reviews, looking at areas such as mutual aid and the role of the third sector through the lens of the pandemic, as well as mapping changes in policy in Scotland over the last ten years. Reports on these reviews will be published on the NCR website. Its staff and researchers continue to engage in a spectrum of activity across Scotland and the UK in support of the recovery from the pandemic, but also to understand how the pandemic has affected other aspects of resilience.

The Chair of the NCR Steering Group has also been invited to attend the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Post Covid Future Commission's Resilience Roundtable event on 19 January.

In summary, the NCR has been building its understanding and knowledge of the effect of the pandemic on its relevant audiences, as part of its ongoing strategic objectives. It has been seeking ways to collaborate and work together across sectors in order to provide robust evidence to inform policy. It has fostered ways to provide a gateway to networks of academics for government and responders, and it has identified the challenges and barriers that need to be addressed to promote and adopt the concept of evidence-based transformational change, in order to build back better across the wider resilience sector.

On the 3rd of November, and in response to an increase in risk to poultry of highly pathogenic avian influenza linked with increasing numbers of wild birds testing positive for the disease, the Scottish Government, along with Defra, DAERA and the Welsh Government, acted swiftly to declare an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the whole of the UK. This declaration legally required keepers to apply strict biosecurity measures in order to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease. These measures were further enhanced on 29 November, requiring all bird keepers to house their birds or otherwise keep them separate from wild birds.

When outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed, such as those in Angus or Dumfries and Galloway, a 3 km Protection Zone and 10 km Surveillance Zone are declared around the infected premise. Within these zones, movement restrictions are applied on poultry, other captive birds, carcasses, eggs, and a range of poultry product and associated equipment, all aimed at halting the spread of the disease. A full epidemiological investigation is carried out in every case to identify the source of the virus and any potential onward transmission routes.

The Scottish Government continues to work closely with other UK administrations and its operational partners to put out communications to keepers ensuring they are aware of the risk and to promote compliance with the Avian Influenza prevention zone biosecurity measures. Whether keepers have just a few birds or thousands they must take action now to protect their birds from this highly infectious disease.

Future transport investment by the Scottish Government will be set out in the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2).

The South West Scotland Transport Study, which included Dumfries and Galloway, cited improving rest area provision for all road users, including hauliers, as one of its 23 recommendations.

Development of a strategy for improving rest and welfare facilities for hauliers across Scotland is a recommendation from Phase 1 of STPR2, published in February 2021. Transport Scotland will scope out a study to undertake baseline review, identify locations, options for intervention, consultation and develop business cases for investment.

The current priority for STPR2 is finalising the Phase 2 appraisal and reporting which builds upon Phase 1. Work on scoping, planning and procurement of this study has just commenced with work due to progress in earnest following publication of Phase 2.

We intend to publish the STPR2 Phase 2 recommendations this winter, thereafter decisions on priorities will be agreed with Ministers.

Yes. Following the discussions with stakeholders to agree evaluation process to assess bids for National Park status, a call will be made for candidate areas.

To be eligible for National Park Status, under the provisions of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 the area must meet the following 4 Aims:

(a) to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area,

(b) to promote sustainable use of the natural resources of the area,

(c) to promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public, and

(d) to promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities

In addition, the Act specifies 3 Conditions which are to be met before a National Park can be designated:

(a) that the area is of outstanding national importance because of its natural heritage or the combination of its natural and cultural heritage,

(b) that the area has a distinctive character and a coherent identity, and

(c) that designating the area as a National Park would meet the special needs of the area and would be the best means of ensuring that the National Park aims are collectively achieved in relation to the area in a co-ordinated way

Satisfying the Aims and Conditions of National Park will be the first step in identifying the area or areas to be taken forward. Further criterion will be required to evaluate the list of candidate areas. The first step in the process will be to develop and publicise this initial evaluation process.

Under Section 2(3) of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, a proposal for a new National Park must identify the area to be designated and the proposed functions of the new National Park Authority. We are aware that several areas may be interested in National Park status, so a fair and transparent bidding and evaluation process will be put in place to identify the area or areas which will be put forward to obtain National Park status and allow the statutory process to begin. We will shortly provide further information on this initial bidding and evaluation process, but given the complex and important nature of the work, we do not think it will be completed by Spring 2022.

The provisions of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 enable the Scottish Ministers to make a formal proposal to establish a new National Park. We are aware that there are several areas which may be interested in obtaining National Park status. There is therefore a need to have an initial non-statutory evaluation process to determine what area or areas should be subject to a formal proposal. This evaluation process will be fair and transparent and stakeholders will be closely involved in developing it.

Further, section 3 of the Act allows the Scottish Ministers to require NatureScot, or another public body with relevant expertise, to report to Ministers on a proposal for a National Park. The reporter appointed under section 3, as part of preparing the report, must consult with every local authority and community council whose area (or part of whose area) is within the area to which the proposal relates, persons the reporter considers are representative of the interests of local residents and businesses, any other persons as the reporter thinks fit.