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The Scottish Government will consider the nature of any duty on UK Government Ministers that may arise as a result of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill and recommendations of the Scottish Animal Welfare Committee before making any plans in this area.

Officials are preparing options for Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme which will be considered by Ministers. We hope to make an announcement on the timescale for Phase 3 later this year.

As part of the project selection process for the Learning Estate Investment Programme, local authorities put forward their priority school projects for consideration as part of the programme.

As agreed with COSLA leaders, the main premise of the programme is to address those schools that are in poor or bad condition, on a like for like basis. New schools in relation to growth can form part of the programme, if put forward as priorities by local authorities.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that the risk increases exponentially with age.

The Scottish Government greatly values the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic. They have been at the frontline of this public health response, and we are so grateful for the work they have undertaken.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions are guided by the independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

We are adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from COVID-19 and is estimated to address over 90 per cent of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is important that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost.

We remain committed to finalising the Fuel Poverty Strategy later this year and an update on the resumption of work to produce it was sent to the Convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee on 22 March 2021. Further information on the work to develop the draft strategy and also on the appointment of the statutory Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel will be provided in due course.

The Scottish Government provided Openreach with a finalised speed and coverage template (or SCT) for the R100 North lot contract at the end of March 2021 as outlined in response to S5W-36133 on 23 March 2021. The remodelling exercise to finalise their coverage footprint is ongoing and will be subject to rigorous review through Scottish Government governance and assurance structures, and those of Building Digital UK (BDUK). The full picture across the R100 North lot contract area is expected to be available by Summer 2021.

Survey vessels have begun detailed survey work in preparation for the deployment of 16 new subsea cables.

The roll-out of R100 build in the North lot – and the associated survey work – will be completed in phases, and build plans will be reflected in our online checker at scotlandsuperfast.com.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

The Scottish Government has committed to developing a £5 million ‘Islands Bond’ offering 100 bonds of up to £50,000 to young people and families to stay in or to move to islands currently threatened by depopulation. In line with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 and the introduction of Island Community Impact Assessments, we know the importance of consulting with Island Communities and speaking to the people who are likely to be affected by any new policy, strategy or service before they are implemented. The Islands Bond is still in development and at this stage we do not have exact dates for when the consultation around this will be carried out. However, an Islands Community Impact Assessment will be completed in respect of this new policy and as part of that process, consultation will be undertaken with island communities, local authorities and key stakeholders.

The Scottish National Investment Bank opened for business in November 2020 and has since committed £52.5 million in investments.

To date £22.9 million has been drawn and invested in both debt and equity investments that align with the Bank’s missions.

The Bank will also publish annual accounts each year which will include information on how much it has invested during the financial year. Details of the Bank’s existing investments are published on the portfolio page on the Bank’s website: www.thebank.scot/our-portfolio/ as will details of future investments.

The Scottish Government is working with a range of key sector stakeholders and local authorities to meet this commitment and make payments at the earliest opportunity within the first 100 days of the administration.

Our commitment to becoming a net-zero society by 2045 is unwavering. In 2019, the whole-life carbon impact of Scotland’s household waste reached its lowest level since official recording began.

To further accelerate progress, Scottish Ministers are fully committed to ending the practice of sending biodegradable municipal waste to landfill by 2025. This is in line with recommendations previously made by the Committee on Climate Change.

We still need capacity to dispose of residual waste, which cannot be reused or recycled, while we make the transition to a circular economy in Scotland. However, we have committed to review the role that incineration plays in Scotland’s waste hierarchy.

In Scotland, it is illegal to incinerate materials that have been separately collected and are capable of being recycled, and waste incineration is strictly regulated in line with EU standards under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations.