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On 22 June, the First Minister announced changes which will help benefit weddings. In particular, suppliers employed by the couple marrying or registering their civil partnership no longer count towards the numerical caps and live entertainment is now allowed at receptions.

The Scottish Government has also updated the Strategic Framework: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scotland's Strategic Framework update - June 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . This update sets out that, subject to a review of the epidemic, on 19 July we hope that all of Scotland will be able to move to level 0, with physical distancing requirements outdoors removed and reduced indoors to 1 metre. On 9 August, conditional on over 40s being fully vaccinated and a review of the epidemic, we would hope to remove the levels restrictions and all physical distancing requirements.

We continue to regularly review the restrictions and guidance in place.

The Scottish Government is aware that issues are being raised on the minimum age to enter a marriage or civil partnership and that a Private Member’s Bill has been lodged at Westminster to increase the minimum age in England and Wales: Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

The Scottish Government will obtain more information on this issue and discuss the minimum age with key stakeholders. Before any steps were taken to raise the minimum age for entering a marriage or civil partnership in Scotland, there would need to be a full public consultation. If the member has any points she would like to discuss on the minimum age, I would be happy to meet her.

The 2017 Programme for Government initially committed to introducing Low Emission Zones (LEZs) into Scotland’s four biggest cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen) between 2018 and 2020. Scotland’s first LEZ (with an initial focus on buses) was launched in Glasgow at the end of 2018.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an evaluation of this timeline and the new indicative timeline is for LEZs to be introduced into Scotland’s four biggest cities between February and May 2022. Once introduced, this is when a LEZ grace period of no less than one year and no more than four years will start.

Local authorities have the final decision on the duration of the grace period which is the most appropriate for their LEZ Proposal. Once the grace period has lapsed, penalty charge notice enforcement will commence.

The draft remit for the work of the advisor on education reform was published on 17 June. The remit supports the recommendation made by the OECD for the need to simplify and better align the institutional structures that support our education system. We will shortly write to stakeholders seeking views on the remit in advance of Professor Muir taking up post in August. While I am happy to take views on the work of Professor Muir and his advisory panel I do want to see this work move on with pace and do not anticipate the final version diverging greatly from the key elements of the draft as it stands.

The Scottish Government has provided a total of £2,563,599.48 to community transport groups in Scotland during Covid-19 to date. This includes National Concessionary Travel Scheme operator reimbursement , Covid Support Grant, Covid 19 Public Transport Retrofit grant, Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme funding and a grant to the Community Transport Association Scotland.

The Scottish Government takes the travel and safety of disabled passengers extremely seriously and works closely with disabled people, organisations that represent them and the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) to hear the issues being raised across all modes of transport. We also work closely with individual operators who hold the overall responsibility for putting appropriate measures in place, as public transport returns to full capacity following the Covid-19 pandemic.

We have been providing additional funding to maintain bus services during the pandemic. As the pandemic and associated public health measures ease, we are working with bus operators, local transport authorities and other transport stakeholders to understand the longer term impacts and how best to support a recovery in bus services. As part of this work, we shall consider how present funding arrangements should evolve, including in particular how funding might be used to help support the provision of services in local communities and enable local authorities to look at delivering different bus services in their area.

We are working with the Community Transport Association Scotland (CTA), community groups and other stakeholders to develop the sector and improve connectivity for community transport and other public transport users. Transport Scotland already has regular discussions with CTA about their ongoing work to promote and develop the sector in Scotland and issues affecting community transport groups.

Transport Scotland also provides annual grant funding to CTA to support this work. We have increased the grant for 2021-22 to enable CTA to undertake a mapping exercise looking at the extent and geographic spread of community transport groups and forums in Scotland. This work is part of CTA's proposals, submitted recently to Transport Scotland, for a Community Transport Investment Fund to make community transport more sustainable and better able to withstand the effects of the pandemic.

These proposals and mapping work will provide valuable information as we continue to work closely with CTA, the bus sector, local authorities and other transport stakeholders to understand the longer term impacts of the pandemic on demand for bus and community transport and how to support local bus service provision.

The Interim Report on the future approach to the procurement of lifeline ferry services was published on 20 December 2017. The report confirmed that a decision on the future approach to procuring these services would be taken ahead of the current contract for the Clyde and Hebrides ending in 2024.

Transport Scotland is undertaking work to review the current position regarding various aspects of procurement legislation and subsidy control in the context of EU exit and other changes since the publication of the interim report in 2017.

Delays in obtaining an AWI (2) report will result in a delay in a guardianship order application being decided on by a sheriff. An application for a guardianship order can be for both property and financial matters, and for welfare matters. A sheriff will look to see that the principles of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 have been given effect to when deciding on a case and the mental health officer considers these principles when compiling the AWI (2) report.