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Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments are not specifically allocated to wool farmers. Sheep producers in Scotland are however eligible for a number of CAP support schemes including the Basic Payment Scheme (payments total circa. £418 million), Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (payments total circa. £62 million) and the Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme (payments total circa £7 million).

The Scottish Government allocated £1,255,953.00 for Area Based Schemes to be designed and delivered by Orkney Council in 2022-23. The Scottish Government allocated £1,324,703.00 for Area Based Schemes to be designed and delivered by Shetland Council in 2022-23.

Since May 2022, the Sustainable and Active Travel Team has held 104 strategic conversations with local authorities on the promotion of active travel. These were primarily in relation to their Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes active travel infrastructure grant funding, and engagement with the Transformation Programme, and were mostly scheduled in advance.

The team has also had a further 12 discussions on infrastructure, behaviour change and free bikes with CoSLA and the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS). Other Transport Scotland teams including Rail, Bus Partnership Fund, and Canals have held additional project specific discussions, although we have been unable to quantify these.

After competitive tender, a contract was awarded to Anderson Anderson & Brown LLP to obtain expert independent advice on the implications of VAT on the NCS and associated Care Boards. This work is ongoing. We will engage with the wider sector and HMT prior to any decision being taken which would have a VAT impact.

Under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, the Scottish Government has a British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan in place for 2017 to 2023 with 70 actions across ten long-term ambitions. The Scottish Government published the BSL Progress Report on 27 October 2021, which provided an update on the implementation of the National Plan. It shows progress on a range of fronts, including education, BSL/English interpreting, and public life. The report outlines how Scottish Government has funded BSL Partnership organisations to engage with and support public bodies in developing their BSL plans and notes important developments such as the decision that Scotland’s 2022 census would ask 'can you use BSL?' for the first time.

We will develop a new BSL National Plan for 2023 to 2029, which is due for publication in October 2023, and will undertake engagement and consultation to inform priorities.

The Scottish Government does not intend to publish a list of the unsuccessful proposals that were submitted to the Just Transition Fund. The arrangements for applying to the fund next year have not been finalised yet.

PACE support is usually delivered face to face, often in an employer’s premises, in addition to support which is available through the PACE Helpline and through online resources. PACE webinars and pre-recorded content were a newly introduced service in 2021 to enhance online resources in response to restrictions on face to face support due to the pandemic and to enable PACE support to continue to be provided to individuals affected by redundancy. Clients who had engaged with these new services reported very high levels of satisfaction. However as reported in the PACE Client Experience Survey 2022, https://www.gov.scot/collections/partnership-action-for-continuing-employment-pace/ , approximately half of clients surveyed would prefer face-to-face service delivery (45% to 64% for each service).

Webinars are promoted in PACE materials and are available to book through My World of Work at https://careers.myworldofwork.co.uk/career-advice/facing-redundancy/pace-webinars#/ . PACE Advisers promote the webinars and a promotional toolkit has also been produced and issued to key partners including DWP to enable information to be provided to relevant customers. Details of webinars are regularly promoted through SDS social media channels and feature as events during specific weeks, for example during Challenge Poverty Week (3-9 October) and during Scottish Careers Week (7-11 November). We will continue to promote the webinar programme widely as an additional PACE service for those clients who prefer to access support digitally.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust, not only within social studies, but across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the Holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

Scottish Government does not hold information on the percentage of secondary school pupils who have received education on the Holocaust during the 2021-22 school year, however a wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.

Apprenticeships are a key way for employers to invest in their workforce, providing the skills the economy needs now and in the future. As part of our recovery, we are committed to building back up to 30,000 apprenticeship starts.

There is no freeze on Modern Apprenticeships this year. SDS will continue to deliver at least 25,000 new Modern Apprenticeship starts this financial year to ensure we maintain momentum and build on the progress in 2021-22 as we work back towards our target of 30,000 apprenticeship starts annually.

It is standard practice for SDS to review changing demand for Modern Apprenticeship starts in-year, and they adjust the number of starts allocated to respond as appropriate within their budget. SDS will continue to follow this process and keep under review whether any additional starts can be allocated to providers within this financial year.

Ultimately these are operational decisions for SDS and it remains for them to continue to manage programmes within their budget and in line with Ministers’ expectations.

The Curriculum for Excellence enables teachers to tailor the content of lessons to best suit learners in their particular circumstances. Within the broad general education there is the opportunity to teach the Holocaust both within the people, past event and societies section of social studies and across the wider curriculum. There is also an opportunity to teach the holocaust within the History qualifications in the senior phase.

The curriculum in Scotland is built around 4 central tenets, that young people will become successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals, and responsible citizens. Enabling young people to develop into responsible citizens requires them to understand both modern day and historic discrimination. One way this is built into our social studies curriculum is through the requirement for learners to demonstrate the following experiences and outcomes:

• I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence.
• I can discuss the motives of those involved in a significant turning point in the past and assess the consequences it had then and since.
• Through researching, I can identify possible causes of a past conflict and report on the impact it has had on the lives of people at that time.
• Having critically analysed a significant historical event, I can assess the relative importance of factors contributing to the event.
• I can express an informed view about the changing nature of conflict over time, appreciate its impact and empathise with the experiences of those involved.

A wide range of resources are available for schools to promote learning and teaching about, and remembrance of, the Holocaust. These resources focus on the Holocaust but also promote awareness of Jewish people, culture and their contribution to society and address the issue of antisemitism in the world today. Professional learning to support teachers to embed Holocaust education across secondary schools in Scotland is also available, including a subsidised standalone Masters module on Citizenship and Holocaust Education.