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The Council of Economic Advisers has met virtually on a number of occasions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Members calls with officials took place on 8 June 2020, 1 September 2020 and 11 December 2020. A full meeting was held on 29 October 2020 with the attendance of the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. A further full meeting of the Council was held on 4 March 2021, with the attendance of the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture. Minutes of these meetings will be published on the Scottish Government website.

Arrangements are being put in place to establish the new Council for Economic Transformation, which will shape and drive our 10 year National Strategy for Economic Transformation. We have already publicly committed to do this within the our first 100 days and we will update with regard to progress, including how it interacts with other advisory groups such as the Council for Economic Advisers, shortly.

Ben Macpherson MSP, as Minister for Rural Affairs and Natural Environment, met with the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTTNPA) via Microsoft Teams on 17 February 2021. This was a meeting with the Convener (James Stuart) and Chief Executive Officer (Gordon Watson) of the LLTTNPA. The agenda covered; LLTTNPA’s background to strategic priorities, green recovery and the park authority’s future plans.

As part of this Government’s manifesto commitment, all NHS dental charges will be removed in the lifetime of this Parliament.

Currently, those in the most financial need receive their NHS dental treatment free of charge, whilst those on a low income may be entitled to help with health costs under the Low Income Scheme (LIS).

We have a record number of people registered with a NHS dentist, more than 95% of the population of Scotland.

We intend to build on this success story which is why as part of this Government’s Manifesto Commitment, all NHS dental charges will be removed in the lifetime of this Parliament.

A public consultation into the advertising and promotion of Nicotine Vapour Products (NVPs) will begin this Autumn. The consultation was postponed due to the pandemic and will cover views on potentially introducing Scotland wide restrictions on the advertising, promotion, brandsharing and sponsorship of these products.

The construction of the A77 Maybole Bypass project is progressing well and is anticipated to be complete in winter 2021 as confirmed in the Infrastructure Investment Plan update published in December 2020.

This date is subject to any further impacts of the pandemic and unforeseen circumstances such as the effects of exceptional weather.

The availability and reliability of broadband by each mode of public transport is summarised in the following table:-

The cost incurred due to disruptions, including potential charter of any additional tonnage, if available, would depend on the time over which vessels were chartered for and under which conditions. We are actively exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage, including consideration of the suitability of MV Pentalina to increase resilience across the network. In addition, we have also confirmed new investment of £580 million in ports and vessels to support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the next five years, as part of our wider infrastructure investment plan.

Since becoming Minister for Transport, I have prioritised issues on our ferry networks. I have met with senior CalMac representatives to provide support and with local MSPs (25 May) to hear their concerns. I have agreed to continue with regular dialogue given the importance of the issue.

Following these discussions and in light of the recent issues with the MV Loch Seaforth, funding has now been agreed which will allow officials to work with CalMac Ferries Ltd to implement the process of chartering the MV Pentalina. Berthing trials are happening this week to assess the suitability of the vessel across the network.

In relation to the issue with the MV Hebridean Isles, I understand all goods were shipped early Saturday morning and the remainder later that afternoon (29 May 2021) on the MV Isle of Lewis.

The chartering of the MV Pentalina was considered in late 2019 when it became surplus to Pentland Ferries requirements with the introduction of their new vessel. At that point however the proposed charter terms would not allow the vessel to be meaningfully deployed to support the network .